Cartagena
Last weekend, we spent 4 days in Cartagena, a port city on the Caribbean coast known for it’s historic walled old city, beautiful colonial architecture, and Miami Beach-style hotel strip. Although I prefer Medellín to touristy Cartagena, I enjoyed learning about Cartagena’s rich history and wandering down it’s floral-lined, cobblestone streets. If any of you have been to the south of Spain, particularly Sevilla, it reminded me a lot of that! Which makes sense, because it was a Spanish colony for almost 300 years.
The colorful streets of Cartagena
Ok, this doesn’t look that impressive, but I PROMISE these waves were actually really big!!
Our first day we did an all-day boat tour to some of Cartagena’s surrounding islands. Honestly, the whole scene was a little “fratty” for my taste (think day-drinking on boats with techno music in the background). We had a pretty harrowing return trip, with our very-skilled captain navigating his way through waves that were at least 3-4 meters high. Thankful for dramamine!
The next day, my roommate Heather and I spent the day walking and exploring the old town. My favorite part of the day was when we ventured into Getsemaní, an up-and-coming neighborhood just outside the old city walls that was once known for prostitution and drugs, but is now vibrant and full of colorful street art, yet somehow still feels authentic. Unlike the old city, which is pretty much saturated with high-end restaurants, hotels, and Airbnbs all catered to tourists, Getsemaní still has a local feel, with residents sitting on the stoops outside their homes, playing cards. listening to music, or just watching the people pass by. I’ll let you check out the gallery of street art below :)
One night, as we made our way to meet some friends for dinner, we stumbled across one of Getsemaní’s main squares, where a lively public Zumba class was taking place. Street food vendors surrounded the plaza selling empanadas and arepas, school kids socialized on street corners, and couples dined on balconies overlooking the square. The whole scene just felt vibrant!
Venga Nacional!
One of the few things I was advised early on was Medellín “must do” was go to a Nacional fútbol game. I’ve been to soccer games in other Latin American countries before, so I know it can be a very big deal, but this was truly next level! What amazed me the most was that there must have been at least 20 or so songs (or maybe I should call them chants?) that just about every person in the stadium (minus us Gringos, of course) knew by heart. There wasn’t a single moment throughout the game that the entire stadium wasn’t chanting along to some song. And these were not your basic, repetitive “lets go [team name]” type cheers either… these were lyrically complete songs with complex rhythms and varying pitches. They were accompanied by a full band, which reminded me a bit of my college days :). It made me wish I knew all the words!
My only complaint was that with the sea of green flags waiving in front of me, it was actually hard to watch the game! But it didn’t matter, the second Nacional scored, the whole stadium erupted in one of the loudest collective roars I’ve ever heard. Pretty awesome!
Tribe’s Got Talent
During the last week of the chapter, my apartment-mates and I decided to host a Wifi Tribe talent night. Although I was nervous that nobody would show it, it ended up being a great success! We had musicians, contortionists, even upside-down jugglers (it just so happens that our very own triber holds the world record for upside down juggling… you can’t make this stuff up!).
Jen and I also played a few songs (we are going by the name Buttermilk… it’s weird, don’t ask..). Here are a few video highlights! DISCLAIMER: We are not perfect!! This was just for fun :)
Música!
One of the things I absolutely love about Colombia is that there is live music everywhere! Here are just a few of the live performances I’ve seen:
These guys were so good. Just listen to that guitar solo performed by the guy in the back!
Notice all the couples dancing Cuban salsa :)
It’s normal to be working at a cafe and just have street performers (who are really good!) come up and start playing :)
More highlights
It’s hard to believe that my first “chapter” of Wifi Tribe is already over! Below are a few more highlights from my first 6 weeks in Colombia.
Sunset in Cartagena
Some of the kiddos at Angeles de Medellin (where I volunteer) waiting to get brand new shoes!
We’re thinking of making this the “Buttermilk” album cover… . Pic taken on las Islas de Rosario, off the coast of Cartagena
The new shoes (which were donated by a volunteer), and kids patiently waiting.
Heather, Jen, and I reppin’ our Nacional jerseys!
One of the places I like to go dancing has these frequent “intermissions” where a medley of songs comes on, and the entire dance floor is converted into a group choreographed dance, led by an instructor in the front. It’s really fun if you can keep up!
Heather and at at the top of Tres Cruces, overlooking Medellín. Unfortunately, the pollution here can get pretty bad, since all the smog just gets trapped in the valley. You can see in the pic that it’s pretty hazy.
It was a steep hike to the top of Tres Cruces, but well worth it for the view!