One Man’s Walk through life

Cartagena

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I don’t like this city.

I feel I probably don’t have a right to say that after spending just 5 or 6 days there, but I say it just the same. Especially after Santa Marta, it just isn’t a place I feel like spending any more time.

It is a city built around tourists, and not just gringos, but Colombianos as well. People come here to go to the beaches, to party, and to spend money. And Cartagena shows it. Everything is expensive. There is a tension in the air that I haven’t felt in other Colombian cities I’ve been in. “A la orden”, “A la orden”, “Señor, señor…HEY YOU!”. ‘A la orden’ means ‘at your service’, but here in Cartagena, it is a demand, an order, ‘pay attention to me, how dare you pass by my goods.’ Everyone is trying to make money off the extranjeros, and it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

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And the city crawls with prostitutes. More than once I have gone to a club (and just a regular club) where every single girl there is working. And the prostitutes have hard lives, and kids, and parents at home, and many other reasons for what they do. But. This is not my bag. As much as I hate getting shunned by a girl at a discoteque, dancing with a girl for half a song until she asks me if I want to “hacer el amor” is somehow worse.

Then of course there’s the crime. Of all the places I’ve been in Colombia, the streets of Cartagena, early in the morning, feel the least safe. After so many people in the day time, at night getsemani (where many hotels and hostals are and where I stayed the last two times I was there) just turns into a ghost town. Two nights ago, I was in a group of 4 walking back to our hotel, and a guy comes over, steals my beer and is about to pull a knife on us when he recognizes and starts arguing with one of the girls in our group. It ended well (minus the beer) but COME ON. I’m leaving this place.

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On the other hand, the city itself is beautiful. Cartagena was founded by the Spanish and was an important port town for them. It was also the target of pirates for many years, so there are thick walls complete with canons and parapets surrounding the old city. Much of the old architecture and it’s style remains and there is a very Spanish feel to the buildings. There is a castle to go see, and many things to do around Cartagena proper.

But, like I said, I’m out o’ here.

Mañana I travel with Charles and Paul to Medellin.