Cartagena, Colombia

Colombia : Cartagena

Cartegena is a cool place, and if the rest of Colombia is anything like it, I´m gonna like it here.

The old city is gorgeous, the only place to compete with Antigua, Guatemala... if Cartegena had cobbled streets and a Volcano, it´d win for sure. Say what you want about Spanish involvement in Latin America, but they built some magnificent places.

The old city is walled to prevent pirate attack from the coast, and attack from the British army (If you´re keen to know more, look up "the war of Jenkin´s ear", no lie!).

There are statues and churches and plazas every few minutes. The main plaza, plaza Bolivar, has fountains in each corner and a statue of him on a horse in the centre, and palm trees all around.
Between the palms, the african drummers that play here for tourists most days, and the sound of the water in the fountains shooting out at high pressure, it has a weird miox of the cultured with the exotic, the wild. You cna sit in the cathedral opposite, and hear the africna drumming echoing around... I´m sure Christ would dig it, although I´m not sure about his most ardent followers.

There´s a lot going on on the street here, at all hours: crazy Madames with missing teeth, cheap hos that blow kisses at you, old men gathered round a table playing cards or dominos, a young couple snogging (the girl with a lollipop in her hand), stalls selling lottery tickets, or building tools, or fried cheese, or fruit juices (Lulo juice is wkd)... and there´s always some weird sound somewhere, Reggaton or salsa or a room full of sowing machines going at full pelt.

Strangely, for a country so famous for its coffee, they don´t seem to savour the experience: there are precious few cafes, and people get their coffee from street vendors with thermoses, always served in tiny espresso sized cups, evne though it´s not that strong. Even the police take their coffee like this on the street, which makes them a lot less intimidating (You are under arrest for spilling my Machiatto!!!!).

They also have a particular phrase here, "alla arden," or something simlar, which means at your service, but it sounds exotic to me, and makes me feel like I´m very important when they say it.

Next stop: Medellin!