Plaza San Pedro Claver | Cartagena
After three grueling winters in South Korea, I promised myself that I would never spend another winter buried deep in snow. When my friend asked about going to “that beautiful island you posted awhile ago”, I barely let him finish before I was shouting “Yassss! Let’s go!” He was escaping from the East Coast of the USA and I was already warm and toasty in Medellín.
We met in Cartagena de las Indias, and bopped around the city for a few days before heading to the islands. Now when I say bopped, that’s all that we did. I couldn’t bear the heat! For someone who likes hot weather to say that it’s too hot, is not to be taken lightly. I arrived a day before he did, and by the time he checked into the hotel, I let him know about my vow only to leave the hotel for breakfast and then again after sunset. Of course, I caved in and we did our best touristing despite leaving puddles everywhere we went.
Cartagena is a vivid color explosion of a city, with all of the delights you would expect to find in Colombia. But don’t limit yourself to the Walled City. The adjacent neighborhood Getsemani has a bit of a boho feel and is definitely worth a visit. I would even recommend booking your lodging there and just visiting the Walled City. If time permits, then you should also visit San Basilio de Palenque.
Cartagena was also the backdrop for a Netflix Series that premiered in 2019, “Always a Witch” or “Siempre Bruja”. I won’t comment on it here (ehem...problematic), but if you’ve seen it, let me know what you thought.
Back to the photo! The reason that I love this picture so much is because you can’t tell that I’m suffering. A breeze caught my dress, the resulting smile came easy to my lips and I’m tipping my hat in gratitude. The hat was not only serving as a cute accessory but it was also protecting my face from an inevitable sunburn. Because of Colombia’s position so close to the equator, the sun is much stronger. I got more sunburns during my time in Colombia than in my entire life combined. If you plan on visiting Cartagena, be prepared. The sun and heat are unrelenting and not enough people are talking about it. Ha! You’re going to love it though… I promise. 🤍
