Colombia in the Spring Time: Cartagena

March 1, 2011. ‘Tis the season for South America. After a remarkable time in Argentina, I couldn’t wait to experience another one of the continent’s flavors, this time mixing business and pleasure. My next stop was Colombia with the girls, beginning with Cartagena de Indias on the northern coast of the country.

Cartagena’s history can be traced as far back as 7,000 B.C. and was inhabited by a slew of indigenous and regional tribes before finally falling victim to colonization in the 1500s under Spanish, French, and English rule. This mixture is mirrored in the features of its people. During this period, walls were erected around what is now known as the Old City and the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas to defend it. By the 18th century, Cartagena had become a lucrative trading port vied for by many for trade in precious metals and sadly, slaves. In the throes of its desirability and hence, caught in a vicious cycle of rise and subsequent pillaging, its people and traditions suffered most from such turbulence. The city also served as one of the three seats of the Inquisition in the Americas, and the Inquisition Palace, facing Plaza Bolivar, is open now as a museum, displaying the instruments and methods that thousands of innocents were victim to. It was very surreal to physically be in the places that I’ve read so much about in history books and novels, where so many tragic, historical events have transpired. I couldn’t help wondering how many uneasy souls still wandered the place.

It is ironic that some of the most horrendous occurrences in history would have taken place in the beautiful port city that is Cartagena. The Old City is comprised of cobblestone lanes lined with the most colorful houses, bougainvillea brimming over their balconies and ornamenting the skies above. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera takes place here, and though I couldn’t match the images conjured in my mind when reading the book (one of my absolute favorites) with what I saw, I couldn’t deny its suitability for a tale of romance. A horse-drawn carriage ride through these lanes is a must!

Traditional palenquera fruit vendor

Botero's Fat Lady in Plaza Santa Domingo, once a place for slave auctioning


The Fat Lady

Typical house color and window structure of the Old City

Typical massive donors of colonial architecture

Something romantic

Street entertainers

We stayed in a gorgeous villa, which we ultimately had to ourselves, situated across the stunning Heredia Theater and the beach, just around the corner from Marquez’s home! The staff spoiled us rotten, always at our beckon call, serving us villa-delivered pizza and wine while we relaxed in the rooftop Jacuzzi or arranging manicures and pedicures for us around the courtyard fountain. It was pure bliss and just what we needed to start off our holiday. We had little trouble, thankfully, communicating in Spanish, which came back to us in a rush, and Colombia’s Spanish is, by far, the clearest, most enunciated Spanish I’ve heard. Cartagena’s sites can be seen within a day, including the Castillo, the Convento de la Popa, and Bocagrande, the modern, skyscraper studded part of the new city. The rest of our days were spent relaxing and shopping in the many plazas, spas, and boutiques. Though not my typical travel style, I have to admit enjoying being a lady of leisure! And, of course, there was plenty of feasting! The food in Cartagena, particularly the seafood, is divine in this port city. Fresh fish, shrimp, squid, mussels, and lobster are doused in butter and garlic as part of various delectable, mouthwatering creations served with patacones, biscuits made of green banana, mashed and baked. For dessert, Colombians offer delicious coffee (and I’m not even a coffee drinker), arequipe (Colombian dulce de leche), and obleas, which are similar to the alfajores of Argentina.

Home sweet home

Church near Plaza Bolivar

Sculptures within the church

Inside the Teatro Heradia

Another view inside the Teatro Heredia

Teatro Heredia

Another view of the Teatro

Castillo de San Felipe be Barajas

Original canons of the fort

Colombian flag, soaring over the fort

Casa Roman

View of Bocagrande's skyline

Streets of Cartagena

The Charleston

The spotlight of the Old City's skyline

Entrance into the Old City

A view of the Old City

Surprisingly, the best beaches are on the islands off the city’s coast, the most notable being the Islas del Rosario. Among these, the best is Majagua, which took us about 1 hour to reach via speed boat. We spent the day relaxing amidst its white sandy beaches and clear blue waters and did a bit of snorkeling, which was actually quite phenomenal. We weren’t quite yet ready to leave this romantic, relaxing town for the “small big city” of Medellin.

We reach Majagua

Our snorkeling guide

Pelicans of majagua

Everyone's stylin' in Cartagena

Rooftop view of the Old City

Another rooftop view of the city from the Charleston pool

Caribbean Sunset

The Gorditas

Northern Argentina: A Summer in the Winter

We ate and ate, and then ate some more. I’m an eater, and yet I had never eaten so much in my life. Argentina is known for its carne asada, the most delicious, juicy meats prepared with minimal spices. Dishes are served with a variety of side supplements such as vinagered onions and pickles, eggplant, potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and a variety of cheeses. The Mendoza wine, particularly the region’s specialty, Malbec, complements the savory and the sweet, allowing the palate to taste a little piece of heaven. I took it another notch higher and indulged daily in delicious gelato, a mix of passion fruit, raspberry, and mascarpone. The final high was the result of a daily dose combination of dulce de leche, empanadas (origins of Sri Lankan patties), and alfajores, dulce de leche sandwiched between 2 buttery biscuits, dipped in either powdered sugar and coconut or milk chocolate. It was a gluttonous experience to say the least.

Enjoying northern Argentina at the cusp of its spring and summer, just as DC was entering its winter was bliss. Buenos Aires is an intriguing city, where the old and classic is constantly juxtaposed by the modern and sleek of Puerto Madero. My cousin and I were fortunate to have a resident cousin and his wife with whom we stayed with while in the capital and exposed us to a more authentic albeit high class taste of the city life. We were accommodated in classy Palermo, one of Buenos Aires’s 48 communes.

The cousins in Buenos Aires

Our fancy accomodation in Palermo barrio

Much of the old city’s structures mirror the classic European Spanish architectural style, including the former Post Office, now Pink House or the Casa Rosada, housing the offices of the President. Facing the palace is the Plaza de Mayo, which is stamped with the symbol of the Madres de Plaza, a white head scarf around an invisible face. Each madre’s head scarf has the name of her kidnapped child embroidered into it from the Dirty War (1976-1983), a period of state-sponsored violence during which thousands of left-wing activists, students, journalists, and other socialist sympathizers opposing military dictatorship and harsh elements of capitalism were abducted, tortured, and murdered. The madres continue their marches around the pyramid in the square every Thursday to this day.

Madres de la Plaza Del Mayo

Demanding and waiting for justice

Casa Rosada

I’ve heard that if there’s one must see in Buenos Aires, it would be the cemetery in La Recoleta. It is virtually a town within a city, filled with crosscutting lanes lined with the grandest graves of the wealthiest and affluent families of the country. Some have even built mausoleums of marble, decorated with ornate statues and stained glass. The main site here, of course, is the grave of the late Eva Peron.

Other commonly visited communes that offer spectacular markets, restaurants, and good night spots, which we could not refuse, are Retiro and San Telmo. Here, one can opt for formal tango shows with dinner or enjoy the street tango. And, following unintentional, uncontrollable tradition, I heard my name being called out yet again through the market streets, as I ran into another friend from elsewhere on the globe, whom I happened to bump into in San Telmo’s antiquities market. These unanticipated run-ins are always so delightful and never cease to amaze me.

Basilica Nuestra Senora del Pilar, Recoleta

Statue adorning a grave in the Recoleta cemetery


The grandest of graves


Recoleta cemetary: a town within the city

Another view of the Basilica

Street tango in Recoleta

Floralis Generica, blooming with the sunrise and closing with the sunset

Mate tea cups

Don Qixote

Basilica in San Telmo

From Buenos Aires, we moved onto Iguazu, home to the glorious falls at the crossroads of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. There are various pathways once can traverse to lower and upper Iguazu that all offer stunning, breathtaking views of the falls, including Dos Hermanas, Bozzetti, San Martin, Escondido, Rivadavia, and even Adam and Eve. We maneuvered them all, and when you think it just can’t get better, well, the views become experiences and even showers under the falls. The most entertaining experience was taking the speed boat into the Devil’s Throat (Garganta de Diablo), a U-shaped part of the falls through which runs the Argentina-Brazil border. Travelers can also traverse various islands, though we found the most worthwhile to be the Isla Grande San Martin which takes one closest to the falls.

Upper Iguazu Falls

Another view of the falls

Garganta del Diablo

Motor boat ride into the falls

The lower Igauzu falls

Another view of the falls

Our last stop in the north was, of course, to the wine country of Mendoza, which lies along the eastern side of the Andes. Mendoza produces some of the best olive oil and wine in the world, which I can certainly affirm. We particularly indulged in the wines that are not currently exported and only available for those in Argentina to enjoy. I, very happily, carried back the 12-bottle limit to the States, to continue the Malbec experience.

A view of the Andes from Mendoza town

The Mendoza vineyards

Aging wine

Grapelings

Wine tasting! Leading to....

Wine shopping!