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| SPOTLIGHT | | Tropical
beaches and jungle, Wildlife, natural heritage and sun-kissed islands. |
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Cartenga is one of the most popular tourist destination
in Colombia. Population near cartenga beach is near about 1 million. It is divided
into two main parts: The Antigua (Old City)
Ciudad and the Ciudad Nueva
(New City).
Cartagena used to be a popular place for the privateers of
the Caribbean (the most famous being Sir Francis Drake). Accordingly,
the Spanish invested heavily in thick walls to protect this
importan harbour from attacks.
The walls are over 10km long and enclose
the pleasant Ciudad Antigua, built
in
1533 along a beautiful Caribbean harbor. It’s very pleasant to stroll down the
narrow streets and take in the stylish colonial architecture.
The cathedrals and palaces face cool shady plazas, where you can buy
little cups of coffee (<em>tinto</em>) and watch the world go by.
There are really very fine beaches around Cartenga, where you can get a tan
under the tropical sun.
Nightlife in Cartagena is quite lively,
as there are a number of bars with good (Salsa) music and cheap beer. Finding
a decent place to eatis never difficult, and restaurants specialize in Caribbean
and creole dishes.
From Cartagena you can travel on to
Bogot
Cali Medell and Santa Marta, a great old city on the coast, from which you
can visit the Ciudad Perdida of the Tayrona Indians.
Things to See and Do at Cartenga Beach Colombia:
Casa de Marqués
Valdehoyos, on Calle Factoría, is a good place to begin your explorations
of the old city. This house exemplifies old Cartagena, and the tourist office
inside offers maps and information.
Museo de Oro y Arqueloguía
on the Plaza Bolivar, has a good collection of gold and pottery of the Sinú
culture. Also on the plaza, the Palacio de la Inquisicíon is a fine
example of colonial architecture. Behind the charming facade, a museum displays
instruments of torture from the Spanish Inquisition, pre-Columbian, colonial and
independence-era art.
Cartagena's Cathedral, with its massive exterior,
simple interior and fortress appearance was begun in 1575, partially demolished
by Sir Francis Drake's cannons, and completed in 1602.
Iglesia de Santo
Domingo on Calle Santo Domingo, which is little changed from colonial days, is
the oldest church in the city, and like the cathedral, was built to resist invaders.
Las Bóvedas are dungeons initially built for military purposes and
now house boutiques and tourist shops. (photo)
Castillo de San Felipe
de Barajas is the largest of a series of fortresses built to protect the city
from pirates. A must-see is the tunnel system meant to facilitate supply and evacuation
of the fortress.
Overlooking the fortress, the Convento de la Popa boasts
flowered patios and a great view of the city, particularly at sunset. The convent
once served as an additional fortress and now houses a museum and the chapel of
the Virgen de la Candelaria, Cartagena's patron saint.
Cartagena's newer
areas, Bocagrande and El Laguito, on the peninsula facing the Caribbean, have
become the fashionable location of upscale hotels, restaurants and shops. You
may be disappointed in the beaches, but dancing until dawn in one of the city's
hotspots might make up for it.
Outside the city, take time for excursions
to:
Mompós, on the Río Magdalena, was once an important
trading river port between the Caribbean and the interior of the country. As the
river current shifted, the city was stranded and commercial life ended. Remaining,
however, are the curved streets paralleling the water front, deliberately designed
that way to foil cannon balls, and the graceful colonial architecture.
Santa Marta is a deep water port, the oldest Hispanic town in Colombia. Its colonial
tradition is all but gone, but the attraction of the city is the gateway to the
Sierra Nevada and the pre-Columbian ruins of La Ciudad Perdida. Be aware that
Santa Marta is the shipping point for contraband and drugs. The Museo Arqueológico
Tayrona displays a collection of Tayrona gold and pottery and a good model of
the Lost City. The nearby Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino is the estancia where
Simon Bolívar died. There is a monument to the liberator on the grounds.
Be sure to see the pictorial history of the Liberator's life.
Parque
Nacional Tayrona (map) is a scenic mix of white sand beaches (rough currents make
swimming dangerous,) coral reefs, jungle slopes, and the steep peaks of the world's
highest coastal range. Popular with trekkers, hikers and campers, the park also
has an ancient Tayrona village, called Pueblito, under excavation.
Visitor
Information for Cartenga Colombia
Visitors' advice: 25 things you should be
wary of in Cartagena
1.Never, ever change money on the street. Unlike
other South American countries, there is no blackmarket, and it is not safe or
recommended. Getting short-changed or handed fake bills, or having your wallet
snatched from your hands in broad daylight are common scams. Cartagena has plenty
of banks and casas de cambios. Many large hotels and emerald shops will change
dollars, and most of the larger businesses accept US dollar bills. Exchange rates
for other currencies are very poor.
2.Credit cards are accepted, but
you can get a better deal, and have peace of mind, by withdrawing your money from
an automatic teller and paying in cash. The larger supermarkets accept charge
cards. Always keep an eye on the boy packing your purchases: bags containing expensive
items have a habit of disappearing before your very eyes. Same thing applies to
buying anything in bulk: bottles of beer, apples, even photographs: count them
to check that you got what you paid for. You might be tempted to buy the cheaper
friut and vegetables on sale in the streets outside supermarkets. Don't. They
are nearly always mouldy or ridden with insects inside, or in the case of fruit,
lacking any juice.
3.Don't walk on the wall at night. Despite the romantic
vistas and the fact that scores of locals and lovers do, it is a known haunt of
thieves and assaults on women have been reported.
4.It is not always
a good idea to brag about being American, British, or French. Heres why:
(i) America formented the loss of Colombian territory, ie Panama, so they could
extract concessions and build the Panama Canal. American drug consumption is often
cited as the source of all the narco-dollars that corrupt Colombia's legal system.
Aerial spraying of coca fields is poisoning the countryside with weedkiller. The
Untited States' controversial "Plan Colombia" has many opponents.
(ii) British pirates attacked Cartagena several times. Robert Hawkins bombarded
the city for eight days in 1568. Sir Francis Drake torched the city, house by
house, over a period of a month, until he received a ransom. Admiral Vernon tried
to take the city in 1741 and bombarded it for several weeks with a fleet of 180
ships. He failed to take the city, but inflicted enormous damage. In 1837 the
Brits blockaded the harbour again claiming money in a civil compensation case,
which the city paid under threat of bombardment and starvation.
(iii)
French pirates who sacked the city include Robert Baal in 1544, Martin Cote in
1569. Baron de Pointis in cahoots with Jean Baptiste Ducasse beseiged the city
in 1697, causing damage that in todays money would be 40 million dollars. In 1834
the French Admirals Le Grandais and Mackau blockaded the harbour and threatened
bombardment in retaliation for the imprisonment of the French Consul.
5.Always check notes both Colombian and US, as many fakes are in circulation.
They are most easily passed off in taxis or dim bars. Colombian notes have a watermark
and a metallic thread running through them. There are even counterfeit thousand
peso coins in circulation, made of lead. Locals check them by hurling them on
the pavement and seeing if they bounce. If they don't, you've got a nickel-plated
fake.
6.If you think you are being followed, stop and catch a taxi. Taxi
drivers are a lot more likely to be honest than the person who is following you.
7.It might sound obvious, but don't walk around flashing expensive cameras,
jewellery, wads of money etc. Places like beaches, outside banks and the area
around the clock tower are favoured pickpocket haunts. Calle Media Luna, where
most of the backpacker hostels are situated, is another place to be vigilant,
especially after dark. Thieves have been known to follow people from banks for
up to half a day before they strike. Remember that there are tens of thousands
of desplazados, or displaced people in Cartagena who have fled the problems in
the interior of Colombia. Many of these people work for a salary of around $2
a day. Be wary of pushy street vendors who wave T-shirts and other objects in
your face: often it is a foil or distraction so an accomplice can relieve you
of your handbag or camera. Leave your "fanny pack" or zippered money
pouch at home - they are sure to attract a thief. During the Reinada Parade, public
concerts, in fact anytime there are crowds are always lucrative times for the
thieves. If you find yourself being jostled, a good tactic is to yell "Ladron!"
(thief) and point at the thieves. The Reinada Parade is also a time in which you
might be pelted with firecrackers, flour, horse manure, paint or water. Groups
of youths covered in black grease corral people with greasy ropes and ask for
a few coins in return for being spared a greasing.
8.By all means visit
the beautiful Convento de la Popa, but on no account walk up or down from it.
The access road passes through a very poor part of town. A taxi should charge
around US$5 to take you there, and probably will be waiting for you when you come
out.Figure on paying him 10 to 12 dollars for the round trip, including waiting
for an hour. From the lookout, you will see see children begging from the ground
below. They hold up a stick or broom handle with a plastic container attached
to it, and ask for tips. It is best to ignore their requests: the barrier fence
is electrified and if their pole touches it they could get a nasty shock. Also,
some of the beggars are adept at hooking the end of their poles around your camera
bag strap or handbag and ripping it from your grasp.
9.Unless you have
a cast-iron stomach, avoid Sopa de Mondongo. It is often worth asking if mondongo
is the soup of the day in the comida corriente in set menus. It contains all sorts
of offal including tripe, intestines and cow's udder. Likewise, avoid anything
fried or containing ice from street vendors. The frying oil they often use is
rancid black pork fat, and the blocks of ice are broken up with a pick in the
street gutter in the early morning. Always check your change in even the best
restaurants. In fact you should count your change out when paying as well - so
they can't say you only gave them 1,000 pesos not 10,000 pesos (the notes are
the same colour). The bill may come as a bit of a shock anyway: it will often
contain a 16.5% tax, a service charge for weekends and public holidays, and an
item called "propina voluntaria". This is a voluntary tip that some
establishments automatically add to the bill. If you aren't happy with the service,
don't pay it. It's always better to pay the waiter directly anyway, to ensure
your tip goes to whom it is intended. And if the waiter is slow in bringing the
menu, you could be being set up for the gringo menu scam. Some restaurants have
one menu for locals, and a higher priced one for tourists. The "gringo menu"
often lacks the cheaper comida correinte and sets exhorbitant prices for the other
meals. Be especially wary of waiters who say no hay menu - there is no menu -
you are almost certainly going to be overcharged when they say this! Even the
most basic restaurant has a menu. A comida correinte rarely costs more than $US2.
And remember that some restuarants charge an extra 2000 pesos for things like
parmesan cheese to go with your pasta. Be wary of seafood in Cartagena. Things
have improved since the opening of the La Bocana canal, but a few years ago the
bay of Cartagena ranked as the second-highest in the world for mercury contamination.
For this reason avoid fish bought on the street or from Bazurto fish market.
10.Swat up on emeralds before you buy. There are many very good dealers,
but caveat emptor. You probably won't get green glass, but you might pay more
than you should. Excellent deals can be had, but you must bargain hard. Some gold
and emerald shops have "Museo de Oro" posters in their windows, but
Cartagena's only Gold Museum is Plaza Bolivar. When ordering custom pieces, make
sure that the it is the full price you are handing over, not a deposit. Many shops
use the word "bono" instead of the word "deposito" to confuse
tourists. When the customer returns to pick up the piece they are then told they
have only paid for materials, and the full price including labour is usually double.
Not wishing to lose their deposit, the hapless tourist then has no option but
to the extra. It would be prudent to check the weight of such pieces also to see
if you got everything you paid for.
11.The same goes for Cuban cigars.
The ones sold on the street are of dubious origin and freshness. If in doubt,
buy from one of the stores. You'll pay more, but you will be getting the real
thing.
12.Ignore touts in the commercial district who call out "Americano?"
"Italiano?" "What are you looking for?" "Money change
Sir?" or similar phrases. They are only trying to initiate a conversation
to gain your trust. If a vendor is being pushy, don't waste time talking to them
- get moving. This applies especially to street sellers, and people who approach
you on the street and offer to take you to `the cheapest' emerald shop or internet
cafe. Such establishments need these characters to stay in business, and pay them
commissions. Give them a big miss!
13.Always ask the price before getting
in a taxi - the minimum fare is about US$1.20, while $8 will get you to anywhere
within an hour's drive.
14.If you're a backpacker going to the airport,
ask your taxi driver to drive to the green church at Crespo. You can then simply
walk across the road to the airport and avoid paying the expensive airport tariff,
which is official. If arriving at the airport, walk out of the airport parking
lot and hail a taxi for less than US$2, or catch any bus marked Centro passing
to the left. A bus will only cost you about US 25 cents to get the 2 miles or
so into the center of Cartagena. And if you are meeting someone arriving, remember
that in Cartagena Airport some domestic flights originating in Colombia process
their passengers in the international terminal.
15.Do not buy drugs.
You might find that the seller is an undercover policeman, despite his hippie
appearance.
16.Be wary of people offering their services as guides. Tourists
coming off the cruise ships are besieged by guides offering their services at
prices ranging up to $US80 for an afternoon. You can bargain them down to less
than half that. Make sure you get a guide who does actually speak English. Pay
him at the end, not before, and make it clear where you want to go, because many
"guides" head straight for shops that pay them commisions. A taxi driver
can be hired for a day trip for around US$10 an hour, though very few speak English.
If coming off a cruise ship, you must get a taxi driver from outside the terminal,
because the ones inside the terminal have set up a cartel. To see a printer-friendly
list of 36 interesting excursions in Cartagena.
17.Be wary of over-friendly
members of the opposite sex in bars and discos - and remember that AIDS exists
in Cartagena. Don't accept drinks from strangers that you haven't seen poured
with your own eyes. A common scam is watered down liqour poured from an apparently
full shot glass. Some names of drinks in Spanish: cerveza = beer, ron = rum, ginebra
(pronounced hinaybra) = gin, gaseosa = pop or soft drinks, jugo (pronounced hugo)
= juice. You might notice that bottles of rum and aguardiente in Colombia carry
notices on their labels asking consumers to destroy the bottles after use. The
reason? To make it harder for moonshine distillers. While on the topic of bar
scams, beware of people who ask to try your Ray-Bans or expensive prescription
glasses. You might have to fork over 10 or 20 bucks to get them back. Same goes
for people who ask to see the stamps in your passport. Don't show them! (and don't
laugh. Many people fall for it!)
18.If renting an apartment, shop around.
Get receipts and ask everything be written down. You shouldn't have to pay more
than a month in advance to obtain an apartment. When choosing an apartment, be
aware that it is common for rental contracts here to specify a 3 or even 4 month
penalty clause. It is also common for the ladlord to charge a "repainting
fee", usually equal to 1 months rent, at the end of the rental agreement,
regardless of whether the apartment needs repainting or not! It is also worth
remembering that under Colombian law, landlords are entitled to raise the rent
an amount equal to inflation on the 1st of January each year. Landlords can apply
for the money retrospectively, and you might get hit with a big bill halfway through
the year. There have been cases of foreigners being detained at the airport for
not paying their rent in full. It also a good idea to keep an eye on your telephone,
water and electricity meter boxes - illegal connections are common, and often
connected and disconnected while you are out. The same goes for satellite and
cable TV connections.
19.Carry a photocopy of your passport on your person,
but not your actual passport. It is actually illegal to walk the streets in Colombia
without I.D., but a photocopy will suffice in 99% of situations. Don't give your
passport to anyone who doesn't produce convincing I.D. themselves.
20.Visit
some of the beautiful islands around Cartagena - but don't pay boat operators
the return fare in advance, unless its one of the larger boats who will give you
a printed ticket. Don't listen to the smaller operators' pleas that they need
an advance to buy gasoline. And if they say they will be back to pick you up at
4, they might be on time or they might be an hour or more late.
21.Pre-colombian
pottery and gold. If it is real, it is illegal to take it out of the country without
an export permit. Its easy to fake such antiquities by burying them in the ground
for few months. If it is replica, check the price tag.
22.Go on a chiva
tour - but don't drink too much of the free rum - you never know where you might
wake up.
23.Don't get mail sent to a Cartagena address via regular post
-it will probably be stolen. It is better to pay a bit more and use a courier
service.
24.If someone is offering to help you find what you're looking
for, remember that they will be looking for a tip after they help you. And don't
get offended by the term 'gringo'. It is not an insult in the minds of the Colombians,
and it refers to all caucasians, not just Americans.(It is their word, so its
futile to try and tell them what it does or doesn't mean; it officially means
white foreigner)
25. Keep an eye on people who run errands with large
amounts of money. I was once at a function where a uniformed waiter disappeared
with my 20,000 peso note, but never reappeared with the goods or change. |
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Top Beaches |  |
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Carmel Beach | | Carmel Beach, for one,
is a tranquil cove of blue water bordered by soft white sand and cypress-covered
cliffs (the tides are deceptively strong and dangerous, so be careful if you chance
a swim). | | |
| Hermosa
Beach | | Have fun with volleyball, paddleball
or beach ball, while creating a golden tan or toning up. Surfboarding, skateboarding
or boogey boarding are all here. | | |
| Long
Beach | | As you drive along the coast
of Long Beach, don't be fooled by the sight of the bright pastel islands just
off shore; far from natural, they're actually oil-drilling platforms in disguise. |
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| Surfrider
Beach | | Surfrider Beach here was the
surfing capital of the world in the 1950s and early 1960s, as seen in the Beach
Blanket Bingo movies of Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon (the surf is at its
best in late summer). | | |
|
Malibu | | Malibu, at the top of the bay
twenty miles north of Santa Monica, is a whole other world, its beach-colony houses
owned by those famous enough to need privacy and rich enough to afford it. |
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|
Zuma Beach | | Five miles along the coast
from Malibu Pier, Zuma Beach is the largest and most crowded of the Los Angeles
County beaches. | | |
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Point Dume State Beach | | Adjacent Point
Dume State Beach, below the imposing promontory of Point Dume, is a lot more relaxed. |
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| Pismo
Beach | | Just outside San Luis Obispo,
on Pismo's 23-mile stretch of prime beachfront, flip-flops are the shoes of choice
and surf wear is the dominant fashion. It's all about beach life here, so bring
your bathing suit, your board, and a good book. | |
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Ocean Beach | | Ocean Beach, six miles
northwest of downtown, rivals Pacific Beach in its surfing and party atmosphere,
although Ocean Beach has a more down-to-earth, bohemian feel, and is replete with
excellent secondhand music shops. | | |
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La Jolla | | A more pretentious air prevails
in La Jolla, an elegant beach community just to the north that mystery writer
Raymond Chandler once described as "a nice place - for old people and their
parents." | | | |
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