This trip was super last minute for me but has been on my list of spots to visit for awhile. I will keep it all the way 100% on the reason which was the stigma that was attached to Colombia. You know what comes to mind when people start talking about coming here- "drug cartel, kidnapping, harm to tourist, killing, robbery etc..." and let's not even talk about traveling solo as a woman. Needless to say- I was somewhat hesitant for a long while (about a year or so) on traveling alone to Colombia. Boy- for me to have visited so many Countries and even domestic travel in the States- I was being a pretty narrow minded (I can admit it). This trip had it's bumps but all the negative press out there in my honest opinion has been overly hyped! Yeah, you have to exercise caution (that is anywhere these days) and truly being black in America has it's own dangers (yeah, I said it). However, Cartagena has been a wonderful experience and broke any preconceived notions I had prior to my arrival.

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Travel to Colombia was fairly easy. I flew from ORD with a layover in MIA on my way into Cartagena. Going through customs was a breeze. The line wasn't long and the airport isn't that big. You deplane outside and that humidity and sun hits your face so brutally! Once inside you stand in a short line and answer a few questions like anywhere else and put your items in the scanner machine. Some people were selected for additional inspection (opening their luggage and security went through each piece). Once I finished scanning my luggage, I requested an Uber to get to my Airbnb- there was a "spike" at the time so I opted for a Taxi. I was told ahead of time that a taxi wouldn't cost more than $20,000 Pesos ($7-$8 USD). My driver tried to get $50,000 from me. I refused and told him $20,000 and that I know that's on the high end. They will try you- so it's better to discuss upfront the cost in regards to the airport or take an Uber. Once at the Airbnb I decided to check out the beach since it was across the street. I was able to capture some dope sunset shots. I found a cheap little spot for food $4USD (got it to go) and headed back to my home. That's when the real "fun" began. The place had a pest control problem that I noticed immediately. I ended up seeking other accommodations. I was able to find an inexpensive Bed and Breakfast for the evening! My roommate was arriving the following day and we decided we would worry about long term arrangements at that time.

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The following day- we ended up at a nice hotel  (in an upgraded suit with lots of room to move) with breakfast included everyday located in Getsemani (old city) Cartagena. This was were all the action seemed to be as far as hanging with locals. We were near Walled City and Plaza de la Trinidad. The bonus piece to the hotel was being attached to a Juan Valdez Coffee shop! It was like a dream come true to have coffee that accessible without having to make it. We spent the first evening close by and found a little spot that offered 2 for 1 drinks (Mojitos) and Peruvian Ceviche. We didn't realize every dish would be served ceviche style and actually wanted something hot. None-the less it was pretty good and her drinks were bangin'! We called it a night after dinner because we planned on doing the Totumo Volcano Mud tour in the morning (we booked it last min around 11:30PM).

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The next morning while waiting to be contacted by the tour company, we enjoyed a nice breakfast which included juice, coffee, eggs, assorted breads and fruit. My stomach was a little achy in the middle of the night (I suspect due to the ice in the mojitos) so I picked at the food. We contacted the travel company via our front desk agent (who found a phone number after we had no luck). Since we booked so late last night they missed seeing the reservation and offered to move us to the following morning. This freed up our day to explore! We headed out to the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas which was within walking distance of our hotel. The heat was immense and you literally sweat standing still! There were tons of people selling hats, water, ice cream, and everything you could think of- women were walking around with food baskets on their heads asking if people wanted to pay to take a picture with them. We spent about 45mins roughly exploring the tunnels and overlooking the city from the top. Eventually, it became too hot and we had to find someplace to cool down and grab a bite. We decided to check out a place over in Boca Grande that was recommended. However, once there we noticed it was being cleaned out and relocating to another spot. We explored a bit and came upon La Fonda. Great spot- great food and highly recommended on Trip Advisor. The down side of this meal were the mosquitos that tore my legs up outside. I forgot to put on bug spray and we sat near the water fountain...the regret was real. We ended the evening on the beach interacting with locals (who were very pushy in regards to giving us a massage). Be forewarn- some people eased up when you declined what they were selling but the ladies on the beach were aggressive with pushing a massage on you. We declined multiple times- and one of them put sun block on my friend without permission. I saw the same thing about to occur and told the woman directly that I have sensitive skin and do not put anything on me. Be stern but respectful in these situations because for many this is their livelihood. We eventually called an Uber and went back to the hotel, and called it a night since we had to be up for the Volcano mud tour (for real this time) in the morning. 

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The next morning started out the same with breakfast and our tour guide arrived almost at 8:30AM on the dot. This experience was an adventure in itself so I decided to write a separate blog on the experience. You can click on selection under "Experiences" or go to it by clicking: Totumo Volcano Tour.

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I'll just skip to the evening shenanigans. We invited a new friend named Ana that we met on the mud tour with us to dinner since she stayed nearby in the wall city. We also met up with someone else from one of the FB travel groups who was traveling solo to bring in her 45th birthday and another friend with her daughter also celebrating her birthday. We ended up rolling 6 deep for dinner and drinks in The Walled city at Collage Restaurant. Great laughs with great people and new friends! We eventually shut the place down (which wasn't that late) and agreed to catch up at some point the next day to help bring in the birthday girls special day!

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Soo, we got up the next morning with all the intentions of going to the beach and relaxing but the way my stomach was acting up I thought it better to stay close by just in case. Since I hadn't seen all of Plaza de la Trinidad nor the Walled city we decided to spend the afternoon walking around taking pictures for our last day here. We saw some of the most beautiful and creative street art. I have included a photo gallery below highlighting a few of the buildings I came across. The colors and emotion captured in the art tells a story you could feel. 

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We found a great little restaurant attached to a hotel called Casa de Las Palmas. They had some of the best Sangria that I've tasted while visiting there. The price point was decent and we tried a chicken dish in a light sauce that was pretty good. Once we wrapped up there we just returned to the room to start packing up and figure out plans for that evening. One of the women we met on this trip was celebrating her 45th birthday and we wanted to help bring in her birthday at midnight since we would be leaving the next day and miss the party bus.

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Fast forward to the evening, we decided upon Plaza de la Trinidad since we heard there is dancing, entertainment and things to see and do at night! We found some street food that looked amazing but was a little too much in terms of sauces and toppings. The coolest person we encountered had to be the woman with the real fruit stand mixing alcoholic drinks for the low low. She had a picture of White Jesus on the front of her stand. We ended up knocking back a few drinks there before finding a restaurant nearby to continue the celebration! Feeling pretty good and by now starving- we came across Maria Bonita Restaurant! This was a cute spot with a decent selection of drinks and food. I ordered tortilla soup that wasn't what I expected but ended up being The Bomb (yeah I said it). While there we met a couple other ladies that landed a flight deal out of Atlanta- who just arrived that day. It really amazed me at how many women I encountered traveling solo or in pairs through Colombia. It just goes to show that the picture that the media paints can really shape our mind and opinions on safety abroad in certain places. Which is ironic considering the US is now considered unsafe (and have alerts in other Countries) due to the killing and treatment of black people. Think about that for a second... we judge other Countries when we live in a Country that's being viewed just as negatively and violently to the world. Things that make you go hmm...

So at any rate- we wrapped up at the restaurant just in time to make our way to the clock tower to ring in the birthday girls 45th! 

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The following day we headed to the airport earlier enough for me to address why I couldn't check in online. Which lead to those dreaded four letters that nobody wants to see when leaving any Country (especially Colombia) "SSSS". This means (for those who don't know) an extra security screening. Now- this is usually more of a nuisance then real pain point. However, being that we were in Colombia every concern possible started to flood through my mind. The thought of being stripped searched, or probed started to dance in my head. When it came time to be inspected I was called to the gate and escorted to a private room with a couple other people present. I opened my bags and took out my electronics along with removing my shoes. The officer swabbed everything and ran it through the machine. In a matter of maybe 8mins it was over- I answered a few questions about accepting anything from anybody or leaving my stuff unattended then, I was escorted back to the gate. Since I hold "Mosaic" status with Jet Blue, nobody was able to board until my process was completed and my friend and I were escorted to the plane to be the first ones onboard. In the end- it was a easy and quick process with the added benefit of avoiding the line to board or search for overhead space due to boarding late. My status really paid off and may have made the difference for my friend on her ability to make her tight connection (since she had a higher boarding group) and was fearful of checking her bag. We were winning.

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Overall:

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I highly recommend visiting Cartagena whether with friends or for solo travel. It was easy to move about and find inexpensive housing. The cost was cheap in non-tourist areas and I actually never felt unsafe the entire time out there (even late at night). I will definitely visit again and add on other areas like Medellin and Cali. I also want to return and do the Palenque Tour to learn about the Afro-Colombian culture and history. As well as visit Rosario Island and a few other spots that I passed on this trip.

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