To leave Capurganá I had to take another boat, this time to little Necoclí on the opposite side of the Golfo de Urabá. That boat ride was especially bumpy. Unfortunately the woman next to me got motion sickness and did not have the wherewithal to vomit over the side... The next two hours were just barftastic. Next I caught a pair of buses from Necoclí to Cartagena. And of course two seats over from me another woman got sick and managed to find herself a bag with holes in the bottom. Great choice lady. Making it to Cartagena took forever, and you can imagine how thrilled I was to escape public transportation for a couple days!
Cartagena is a city known for its long history as Spain's primary stronghold on the Caribbean coast. All of the treasures of the new world passed through the port city prior to crossing the Atlantic for Spain. Due to the proclivity of riches, pirates, most with ties to British or French royalty, raided the city a number of times. Sir Francis Drake was among the many that sacked the city in its early days.
Modern Cartagena has a well-preserved area of 16th and 17th century buildings surrounded by walls meant for defending against past raids. That part of the city was very beautiful, so I was sure to take some pictures, eat local sweets, visit a naval museum, and walk aboard a reconstructed pirate ship. The flowery balconies and quiet courtyards were very pleasant, and of course the medley of coconut-themed sweets I devoured was an important addition to the experience.
Besides candy and historical stuff, Cartagena also boasts a lively nightlife. This is especially true of the Getsemaní district, where tourists like myself choose to stay. The plaza in front of Iglesia de San Roque was particularly lively, with live music, food carts, and a good mix of locals and tourists. In my two days and two nights I found Cartagena to be a lot of fun!
From Cartagena I plowed eastward for Parque Nacional Tayrona, a coastal gem for hiking and enjoying the beach. After Capurganá (see last blog) you would think nothing could ever compare for beaches and jungle treks. Well, Tayrona impressed me a lot! The beaches were plentiful and scenic. I took full advantage of the jungle trail system in my two days and two nights. There were lizards galore, including what I believe was a large Tegu (massive lizard; see picture). I also saw more of the little black and white monkeys above me.
One hike I took, and highly recommend, was the "long way" to Pueblito; the ruins of a city once belonging to the Tayrona indigenous people. The hike took a few hours, but I saw so many monkeys and birds! Then I had a bit of a scare when I heard a loud and continuous roaring noise. I thought it sounded like a dying bear at first, so I approached cautiously. Finally I rounded a corner on the trail and heard it more clearly. It was a group of animals, which could only mean one thing: howker monkeys! I had to walk a long distance to finally get close, where the roar was incredibly loud. I managed to see much of the group, though they were too elusive to get a great look. One big male climbed into clear view above me and basically shouted at me for 10 minutes - it was cool. The rest of my hike was through Pueblito. The ruins were a combination of stone stairs and stone circles. There were also giant boulders all around the ruins. The Tayrona worshipped those boulders, believing them to hold some mystical power. The boulders were very impressive indeed. I perched myself on one and watched some distant birds in a big tree. Then, right on cue, a flock of 10-12 toucans flew over me and landed in the very tree I was looking at. So awesome! My shorter hike back to camp featured more boulders, a brilliant poison dart frog, and the sunset.
I also spent much of my time at Tayrona National Park soaking in the sun at Cabo San Juan de la Guía with my fellow tourists. At a lookout point nearby I made friends with a big iguana (see picture), and saw my first ever wild sea turtle in the crashing waves. The beach was amazing, even if a little crowded.
I went out at night twice in the park. The first time I saw a pair of foxes off trail, staring at me nervously. That was so cool! On my other night hike I found a snake. It was crazy though because I heard it thrash in the grass before seeing it. The snake had grabbed hold of an unlucky toad (see picture). I took a few pictures but left the snake to its meal.
Tayrona was not quite as undisturbed as Capurganá, yet still a near-perfect place for me. I am a big fan of the jungle-meets-ocean environment that takes up much of Colombia's Caribbean coastline.
To finish up my Caribbean coastal experience I continued east, toward the Guajira Peninsula. I wanted to check out the Santuario Flora y Fauna los Flamencos, only because it is a good place to see pink flamingos. Well, I made it there on a bus and on the back of a motorcycle. It was horribly hot and dry, but I finally saw some flamingos. To escape the heat I caught the next bus to Riohacha, then transferred to Valledupar, a bit further inland.
Valledupar is the birthplace of Vallenato music, which is a mixture of European, African, and indigenous styles that has become very popular in Colombia. I heard some of the cool accordion, drum, scratcher, and guitar beats in the streets. My stay was brief but pleasant.
That concludes this blog post. I apologize if it was a little eclectic! I did a lot of things over such a short time. I wish I could have spent a few more days in each place!
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