At Land's End

It’s been a busy week here in Colombia: a new president was sworn in, a war with Venezuela was avoided (for the moment), a car bomb exploded in the capital, a prominent politician was either executed or kidnapped in Medellin, a major airline was struck by lightning and broke into three pieces but managed to save all but one of the 121 passengers, and yours truly arrived at the Caribbean sea after ten months of snaking my way up the South American continent from Ushuaia.

THE CARIBBEAN!

I wasn’t sure what it would feel like to cover a continent from one end to the other, but now I am quite positive that it feels hot; it is a heat that is both sweaty and sticky, like a sugary popsicle melted over the counter-top. I could be sweating from the emotions of finally making it to the Caribbean, but I reckon it is just the damn weather here in Cartagena. There is no respite, twenty four hours a day of sweat….but you, kind reader, will take solace in the knowledge that I am replacing my liquids (although, I am not all that sure that ice cold Club Colombia is very hydrating).

Cartagena lives up to its reputation as a beautiful city. In many ways it is reminiscent of Havana or Santo Domingo because of the similarity in the architecture, especially the massive stone walls and fortresses constructed by the Spanish to ward off those nagging pirates, such as Francis Drake.

A typical street view in Cartagena

Aside from the inferno that they call ‘weather’ here and the architecture, there is also a similarity in the people here with the rest of the Caribbean…that being that the people here more resemble other locales in El Caribe rather than Bogotá or Medellin. MaraLuz assures me that the accents here also resemble other Caribbean Spanish accents rather than other Colombian accents…I’m taking her word on that.

Overall, Cartagena is a city of leisure…if for no other reason than that it is too hot to do anything. It encourages sidewalk cafes and a midday beer or two and boasts a varied, though expensive, cuisine. Moreover, it is said that there are some wicked beautiful islands around here to visit…but I got my eyes set on the Totumo mud volcano. What can beat a refreshing dip in a live volcano bubbling with silky mud…who needs to spend money in a day spa when you have detoxifying mud? Paradise in the form of mud!

Flower Power

Who would have thought that flowers could be so much fun! Upon arriving in Medellin a week ago, armed with the knowledge that we would be placing ourselves at the mercy of a city in the midst of its largest annual festival, I was wary of if a flower festival was worth the agony and hassle of the impossible task of finding accommodation during the weekend.

Turns out that ‘flowers’ are really just a cover and excuse to have a week long party. The city of Medellin really goes out of its way for their showcase festival: nightly free concerts in a variety of venues, amazing expositions of orchids and other flowers, a huge parade where farmers come into the city carrying an obscene quantity of flowers on their back, thousands of people looking for a good time each night and numerous other events.

Here is one poor soul with many kilos of plant reproductive power on his back

Besides me having got robbed once, Maraluz (my Peruvian traveling partner) and I have so far really enjoyed Medellin and the Flower Festival. We passed a great night out in the Zona Rosa were we encountered a group of wealthy dentists (possibly also drug lords) from Bogotá – one of the dentists decided to show off his wealth by buying a $50 bottle of rum, holding it up and tipping it upside down so that everyone could fill their cups. I reckon he went through seven or eight bottles like that while the rest of us drank merrily and danced to the local street Vallañato music. Hell, there was so much free booze going around, half of it ended up either on the ground or being thrown into the air. Such alcohol abuse!

Also of note was our outing to the parade on the last day of the fair. We went with a Kiwi that I had met previously in Cuzco, a guy with a very unusual but strong sense of humor. While in Chile he had hand made a ‘party suit’ out of lycra, or some other skin tight material, and decided that this was a perfect opportunity to sport it. So, while we two ‘square’ persons walked around a very crowded street waiting for the parade, Kiwi Scott entertained the locals in his costume while employing movements reminiscent of Jonny Depp’s character in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas while on a combination of LSD, coke, and a number of other uppers and downers. It was truly a priceless moment just to watch the locals…they didn’t know what to make of Scott: is he on drugs, is he insane, does he want money??? Some people just stared, children were terrified, others wanted photos, but the majority simply smiled with glee at the sight of what appeared to be a truly insane person who enjoys entertaining.

Kiwi Scott in his element

Now that the Flower Festival is over, we have a chance to enjoy the City of Eternal Spring as it resumes a bit of its tranquility. Not sure what exactly the day with bring, perhaps a bit of reading in the sun, a stroll downtown to have a coffee with friends, and certainly a beer or two on a terrace – this kind of stressful life is what is making me go prematurely gray.

I have also decided to officially submit my status as towards Colombia as ‘unimpeachable and undying love’.