Colombia Travel Notes | Cartagena: Marquez’s Happy Caribbean

When García Márquez wrote: “Paris Nothing in my hometown is worth a moment of April in the Caribbean." He was just borrowing Juvenal Dr. Urbino expressed his longing for his hometown while traveling in Europe. In the heart-wrenching novel "Love in the Time of Cholera", Garcia Marquez exhausted the possibilities of love and showed the beauty of the Caribbean vividly. The prototype of the novel, Cartagena, was historically a fortress on the way for the Spanish Kingdom to plunder the Inca Empire and Aztec gold. However, in the 19th century, the independence movement in Latin America, cholera and fierce competition from nearby ports caused Cartagena to gradually decline, which also gave Marquez inspiration and started his creative career from here.

When I first read "Love in the Time of Cholera" in 2012, I missed everything about Cartagena. Now that I have finally come here, with eyes full of spring scenery and colors, I understand why Marquez has been obsessed with the Caribbean.

Located on the coast of northern Colombia, it was once Spain's largest slave shipping terminal in the entire American continent. In the early 17th century, the Port of Cartagena was the place where more than a million African slaves were chained and landed in the Americas; they were captured in the Slave Square. They are sold at a price and accepted by slave owners from all over Central and South America. The complex racial relations make this place a mixed-race paradise. García Márquez once said when talking about the Caribbean: “The history of the Caribbean is full of magical colors. These colors were brought by black slaves from their African hometown, as well as by Swedish, Dutch and British pirates. There are all kinds of people here, with great differences from each other, which are not seen anywhere else in the world. I know every island and every inch of it. It is not only a world that taught me to write. , and it’s the only place where I don’t feel like I’m in a foreign land.”

"Next to Plaza Bolivar, an apricot-colored room on the second floor along Carriage Street is filled with the smell of bitter almonds that reminds you of frustrated love."

This is the first sentence at the beginning of "Love in the Time of Cholera"; Following this sentence, I wander around the small town at will: Most of the buildings are low-rise two or three-story buildings, each of which is painted in colorful colors. It also looks like a small white building covered with ivy like the one Fermina once lived in. These buildings have carved railings or wrought iron window lattice on the ground floor, and the balconies with simple patterns on the upper floors are either in the color of logs or similar to the small buildings. The exterior walls are painted colorfully, and every balcony is filled with flowers without exception.

In 1948, Marquez, who was ordered by his parents to study law in the capital Bogota for a year, chose to come to Cartagena to continue his studies. At the age of 21, he quickly found a job as a reporter at a local newspaper and continued to study law. It was not until 1955 that Marquez, a newspaper reporter, was forced to leave Colombia for exposing reports on distressed sailors that had been beautified by the government. Many years later, Marquez wrote this interview experience into a book called "Disaster." The Sailor's Story". He wrote in his preface that the author of this book is not me, but the person who experienced it. It was at this point that Marquez set a precedent for literary reporting in the history of Latin American journalism.

The doors of Marquez's former residence located at Carrera2 & Carrera7 in the ancient city are now locked and not open to the public. On the other hand, there is a small hotel called Hotel Makondo Boutique next door to his former residence. Its exterior wall displays Marquez's portrait and a yellow butterfly symbolizing "One Hundred Years of Solitude". There is an endless stream of tourists who come here to take photos with the background wall. , of course, everyone will have a book by Marquez in their hands.

Continuing to walk south from the small hotel, you will soon reach the Santa Clara Convent where Servia Maria once lived in another work of Marquez, "Love and Other Devils". It has now been transformed into Sofia Santa Clara. La Legend Hotel. The staff are very welcoming, and it’s no problem for non-residents to go in and have a look. There are even waiters who can explain and give you directions.

The pawn shops, hotels, gardens and coffee shops in "Love in the Time of Cholera" can all be found in Cartagena's old town. Plaza Fernández de Madrid is the prototype of the Gospel Garden in the novel, and it is also the place where young Florentino Ariza longed for Fermina Daza. Walking along Calle Santo Domingo on the west side of the town, you can find the pawn shop that Florentino Ariza's mother opened to make a living, as well as the white vaulted corridor where Florentino Ariza was invited by Lorenzo Daza to hold a conversation between men. The promenade is still there, but the Café Pabaki, where Florentino Ariza was welcomed with an arm around his shoulders, has been replaced by another restaurant. The Abaco Libros Cafe, one block east of Calle Santo Domingo, is where Marquez wrote every afternoon in the newspaper office. An entire wall of books is covered with Marquez's works, and the two tables and chairs in front of the store are still there. It retains its original appearance, with one used for newspapers and the other used for writing.

Marquez aside, the Caribbean also has beautiful scenery all year round. The small old town of Cartagena is lined with various stalls and small shops, with colorful clothing, paintings, small jewelry, second-hand books and daily necessities. Indian flower girls with pigtails shuttle among them. Black girls wearing wooden trays on their heads and wearing wide floral robes were selling fruits and sweets. They were also shops selling Panama hats, hammocks and Indian hand-woven backpacks. Every small square was surrounded by crowds, and young people gathered in small groups. Sitting on the lawn full of flowers, the guitar floats along the streets with the sound of horse-drawn carriages.

The city wall of Cartagena stretches along the Caribbean Sea. This city wall, which was originally built for military purposes, is now the favorite place for local people to visit every sunset. Before nightfall, the city wall is already bustling with people. ; The seats outside the restaurant are filled with noisy diners, vendors with colorful balloons wrapped around their waists are walking back and forth, and on the beach are uncles and people of all colors holding cigarettes behind their backs, waiting for the fish to bite. Kissing couple.

As the sun sets, a red moon slides down the horizon, and the blue of the Caribbean Sea gradually disappears behind it. I sat quietly on the corner of the city wall, looking at Cartagena again, and suddenly understood what the magical reality is: Cartagena, or every corner of Latin America, has something like The ingenious combination of contradictory things mixed with local hormones creates their unique charm. Those vivid realities are the most precious scenery. Reality is magical, and magic is also It's reality.

The old town of Cartagena is not big, and various churches and memorial squares are scattered in every corner of the old town. Spending a few days walking is the best way to visit. There are two other attractions worth seeing outside the old city of Cartagena. One is the La Popa Monastery, which is built on a hilltop and overlooks the entire city. The entrance fee to the monastery is 8,000 Peso. Taking a taxi directly from the old town to the top of the monastery costs about 45,000 Peso. The Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas , located within walking distance of the old city, is also an important local historical site.

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Useful Information

(updated to 2018/5)

Surrounding

Because Cartagena is a port, the water quality in the surrounding waters is not very good, and there are no white sand beaches or snorkeling spots suitable for vacation. But Islas Del Rosario, about an hour's boat ride from Cartagena, has paradise-like scenery, and Playa Blanca has the best white sand beach in Colombia.

All major hotels on the streets of Cartagena’s old town offer one-day tours to Islas Del Rosario + Playa Blanca . They depart at 8-9 am every day and return at 5 pm. The price is high. For 70,000-100,000 Peso, a lunch is included. The day trip will first take you to Islas Del Rosario, where you can choose to snorkel or kayak (snorkeling equipment and kayak are charged), and then send you to a nearby small island called Isla de san Martin. There is an aquarium on the island (30,000 Peso). It is a self-funded project. Do not go there because there is really nothing interesting to see (compared to domestic aquariums). Finally, you will be sent to Playa Blanca for dinner. Playa Blanca has the best white sand beach in Colombia. You can spend an afternoon lazing on the beach until the end of the trip. It is recommended to clarify whether the one-day tour package includes tickets to the aquarium when booking to avoid being at a disadvantage.

There are not many one-day tour options around Cartagena. In addition to the one-day tour of Islas Del Rosario + Playa Blanca, there is also a famous local one called Volcan De Lodo El Totumo, which is a mud volcano. You can take a mud bath in it. The ratings on Google are quite high and they all say it was a good experience. In addition, there is a one-day tour of bird watching + Playa Blanca. The bird watching spot is Aviario Nacional de Colombia . It is not far from Playa Blanca. It is a zoo-like experience; the price is about 130,000 Peso. Colombia is a country with a large number of birds. This kind of bird watching experience is not common in the country and is worth trying.

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Accommodation, arrival and departure

There are many choices of hotels and B&Bs in the old town of Cartagena, Centro, which is the most convenient place. Chain high-end hotels are lined up along the coastline of the Bocagrande Peninsula in Cartagena New Town. Although transportation is inconvenient, the beaches and sea views here are indeed much better than those in the old town. It costs about 10,000 to take a taxi from Bocagrande New Town to Centro Old Town. Peso.

Cartagena's main bus station, Terminal de Transportes de Cartagena, is located in the southeast of the city. The bus station has buses to Santa Marta, Bogota and Medellin and other major cities in Colombia. It takes about 40 minutes to take a taxi from the bus station to Cartagena Old Town, and the price is about 18,000-25,000 Peso. At the same time, there are regular buses from the bus station to Cartagena Old Town every 15-30 minutes, and the price is 2,500 Peso. When you leave the station, you can If you can see the eye-catching red and green MetroCar bus, just tell the conductor that you are going to Centro.

Colombia has a developed aviation industry. Air tickets from the capital Bogota or the second largest city Medellin to Cartagena are often cheap. Cartagena Airport is located about 4 kilometers east of the city. Taking a taxi from the airport to the old town is about 20,000 Peso.