sweltering in cartagena, colombia: jewel of the caribbean

Traveling from Medellín to Cartagena & Casa Quero Hotel Boutique

Monday, April 1, 2024: After our hour-long flight from Medellín, we made it by taxi to our hotel, Casa Quero Hotel Boutique in Cartagena’s Histórico Centro. We were lucky that they had the room available for us at about 9:25 am, so we cooled off a bit in our high-ceilinged room before venturing out into Cartegena’s hot, humid and lively streets. I’d been spoiled in Bogotá and Medellin with relatively “cool” weather for 10 nights, but now we were back to tropical heat and humidity, always a challenge for me.

Cartagena’s Centro Histórico

We took our first walkabout in Cartagena’s Centro Histórico, past colorful buildings decked out in vines, past vendors selling fruits, sunglasses, boat tours, cigars, and hats.

According to Lonely Planet Colombia, “Cartagena de Indias is the undisputed queen of the Caribbean coast, a historic city of superbly preserved beauty lying within an impressive 13km of centuries-old colonial stone walls. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a maze of cobble alleys, balconies covered in bougainvillea, and massive churches.”

Our first lunch in Cartegena was a feast for the eyes and for the stomach. We ate at Buena Vida: Marisquería Caribena. We saw people being served some very creative dishes like a whole mojarra fish marinated with a blend of spices, such as garlic, cumin, and paprika, then deep-fried to achieve a crispy, golden exterior and a tender, flaky interior. Someone else got fried shrimp (like shrimp cocktail?) on a toothpick over a tall glass of mixed Bloody Mary and beer.

I ordered Tacos Buena Vida CAMARÓNES PARRILLADOS: coleslaw / cebollita encurtida / cilantro / crema de aguacate.

Mike had CANGREJO BUENA VIDA: carne de jaiba / vino blanco / ajo / chipotle / arroz titote / ensalada Cartagenera / maiz crocante / ají dulce. Both were colorful, tasty and beautifully presented.

After lunch, we took a short afternoon walk through part of the historic center.

We found ourselves in Parque de Bolívar: This Spanish-style square, framed by lush tropical vegetation, was the center of colonial life in Cartagena de Indias. Initially called Plaza de la Catedral due to its proximity to the city’s main cathedral, it adopted the name Plaza de la Inquisición in 1610 due to the presence of the Inquisition Tribunal. The first Auto-da-Fé took place here in 1614. Enforced and carried out by civil authorities between the 15th and 19th centuries, the auto-da-fé was the ritual of public penance by punishment (most extremely, death by burning) of condemned heretics and apostates imposed by the Spanish, Portuguese or Mexican Inquisition.

In 1896, the equestrian statue of Simón Bolívar was installed in the center of Bolívar Square.

Surrounded by historic buildings such as the Palace of the Inquisition and the cathedral, as well as modern institutions like the Bank of the Republic and the Gold Museum, this square is a symbol of Cartagena’s rich history. Today, locals enjoy gathering under the shade of trees and participating in various cultural and social events.

Along one sidewalk around the square were pictures of Miss Colombia over the years.

Casa Quero Hotel Boutique

After walking around and sweltering through the historic center, it wasn’t long before we opted to go to our hotel’s small rooftop pool with mixed drinks of aguardiente and ginger ale. It was so refreshing especially with the afternoon breezes that are typical of Cartagena. We tried to take some selfies but are notoriously bad at doing so. One accidental shot was with a palm tree 🌴 growing out of the back of Mike’s head, looking like some bizarre hairpiece. When I saw it, I cracked up laughing. That picture gives me chuckles every time I look at it!

Lobo de Mar

We went to Lobo de Mar for dinner and the food was delicious. Mike had pork belly and a delicious asparagus mushroom rice while I had bao shrimp on warm soft fluffy bao bread. The only irritation was the waiter, Wilfredo or something like that. Before we could even get settled or look at the menu, he wanted to give us his recommendations. That wasn’t the end of his annoyances. For most of our meal, he stood looking over us, leaning against the wall and watching us eat. Who does that? Then he had the nerve to ask at the end if we liked his “service” and didn’t we want to add to the normally charged service fee? In fact, I would have deducted from his service fee for being so smothering and annoying. It was too bad because the atmosphere was nice and the food wonderful; that waiter just ruined the whole experience.

The restaurant’s music playlist created a wonderful ambiance:

• “Paradise” by Total Giovanni
• “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac
• “Instant Crush (Drumless Edition)” featuring Julian Casblancais and Daft Punk – LOVED this!

Steps: 13,040; Miles 5.53. Weather Hi 96°, Lo 74°. Sunny and humid.

Isla Bela

Tuesday, April 2: Tuesday morning we fought the crowds at the port to take an hour-long boat to Isla Bela, a tranquil oasis with an aqua cove, thatched gazebos, beach beds, and a little wooden swing where everybody posed for pictures. Mike was having stomach problems and was worried about the long boat ride with no bathrooms on board but he managed to survive. We swam, relaxed, read, and bought coco locos from a young man selling them out of his kayak bar. Luckily it got a bit breezier as the morning progressed.

For lunch, we enjoyed a grilled fish fillet lunch with sweetened iced tea and relaxed a bit more in the shade.

As the afternoon breezes kicked in, it was time to board the very choppy one-hour boat ride back to Cartagena. It was rough; people kept looking around at each other with looks on their faces that said: “We’re all terrified (aren’t you too?) but we’re pretending we’re having a grand old time and we’ll keep pretending and laughing until we capsize or get overwhelmed by the sea!” Mike and I sat in the back and got soaked by waves, so I put on my sunglasses just to prevent something sharp from flying into the boat and poking my eye out. My sunglasses got drenched and I caused quite a crack up among my fellow passengers. We were all laughing uncontrollably. It was crazy!

Check out the short video of our boat ride back at the end of this post.

Finally we made it back to the harbor, covered in sand and sea water, and we traipsed back to the hotel to rinse off and soak in the pool.

Cartagena

After a rinsing-off swim at the hotel rooftop pool, we had dinner Tuesday night at Restaurante Da Pietro, an Italian restaurant with live music. We shared a pizza with hamburger and veggies, and lingered quite a while to enjoy the atmosphere and the music. The waiter, Anderson, was very nice but it was a relief not to have him hovering over us all night as the waiter at Lobo de Mar had on Monday night. Some background music played when the musicians weren’t playing: “Can’t get enough of your love, Babe” by Barry White and “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye.

On our way back, we stopped for gelatos and sat on a balcony watching the street life below.

Steps: 13,523; Miles 5.73. Weather Hi 91°, Lo 74°. Sunny and humid.

Hop-On Hop-Off City Sightseeing Tour of Cartagena

Wednesday, April 3: We started Wednesday morning, after a nice breakfast in our hotel courtyard, by walking to the clock tower to take the Hop-On Hop-Off City Sightseeing Tour of Cartagena. On the way we passed a vibrant flower market and men typing official documents (leases, registrations, etc.) for people on old manual typewriters.

Castillo San Felipe de Barajas

We got on the Hop-On Hop-Off bus and got a slow start waiting at a big square and driving through slow-moving traffic.

We stopped first at the fortress of Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. The castle, originally known as Castillo de San Lázaro, was built over two centuries beginning in 1536 and is located on the Hill of San Lázaro in a strategic location, dominating approaches to the city by land or sea. It was built by African slave labor under Spanish supervision during the colonial era. It is known as the greatest fortress ever built by the Spaniards in any of their colonies, according to Lonely Planet Colombia.

In 1762 an extensive enlargement was undertaken, resulting in this powerful bastion dominating the entire hill. The castle sits 41 meters (135 ft.) above sea level.

The castle is striking for its grand entrance and its complex maze of tunnels which connected strategic points to allow provisions to be distributed and to facilitate evacuation. The tunnels were built such that any noise reverberated all the way along them, making it possible to hear the slightest sound of an approaching enemy’s feet and also easing internal communication. The fortress was involved in several battles from the late 17th to early 19th centuries between European powers. It also sought to protect the city from pirate attacks. It was impregnable and was never taken despite numerous attempts to storm it.

Back on the Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour

We got back on the Hop-On Hop-Off bus but not before I bought myself a turquoise and pink mochila hanging from the ceiling of a souvenir shop (the green building to the right of the Chocolate Museum in the photo above. 🙂

We continued on the city sightseeing tour around Bocagrande, the upscale and modern area of Cartagena known as Little Miami. We passed the Hotel Caribe, a Cartagena landmark. The Caribe Cartagena Hotel opened in 1945 with five floors that could accommodate 172 guests in 87 rooms. Even in those long-ago times, they had hot water and air conditioning.

Centro Histórico

After we got off the bus and walked back into the Centro Histórico, we encountered the famous palanqueras of Cartagena. They are originally from San Basilio de Palenque – a small village located in the southeast of Cartagena ruled entirely by runaway African slaves. In 1691, the village signed a Royal Decree stating the town’s independence from Spanish colonial powers. The palanqueras originally came into Cartagena to sell fruit from baskets carried on their heads, but these days they pose for photos against the colorful and crumbling walls of the old city.

We did another walkabout through colorful Cartagena and dropped into Kia for some shopping. The shop sold linen pants and other clothes in “one size fits all” that didn’t fit me! The shop had an Indian vibe to it.

We passed by the Cloister of San Toribio, an old convent built in the 17th century. Inside is supposedly a beautiful patio-garden, but we didn’t see it because it was closed.

We stopped at Tahini Kebab which provided a respite from the heat with its air conditioning going full blast. I had a kibbeh wrap and Mike had a cerdo (pork) wrap.

Casa Quero Hotel Boutique

Anyone who knows me knows I don’t tolerate heat well; soon after lunch we went back to our room to relax a bit and escape from the heat. This is the benefit of having a longer time in a place. Mike complains that we don’t get enough down time on our vacations. I’ve always insisted that it’s because we don’t stay long enough and have to pack everything in over a few days. Now we’re in a rhythm where we go out in the mornings, relax in the room a bit after lunch, then go to the hotel pool in the afternoons. As it gets cooler in the evenings, we go out and wander and eat dinner as the sun is going down.

We hung out in the pool on Wednesday afternoon and talked to a couple, Valerie and Steven, from New York who were in Cartagena for a wedding. We shared our Colombia experiences and found they really enjoyed Bogotá and Guatapé while we preferred Medellin and Guatapé.

Then we went out to wander around as the sun was going down, planning to stop at a ceviche place for dinner. We walked by the city walls and the sea and even by Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s house.

La Cevicheria

We had dinner at La Cevicheria on Wednesday night. Mike had shrimp empañadas and a smoked eggplant salad, with sautéed onions, boc bufala, fresh tomatoes with basil, black or sesame seeds and roasted peppers.He drank a BBC Cerveza Rubia Honey Ale.

I had Ceviche Mexicano: Shrimp ceviche with lemon juice and avocado, tomato, sweet corn and sour cream, garnished with nachos and BBQ sauce.

We chatted briefly with a group of ladies from Chicago who had just arrived in Cartagena for a week-long vacation. We enjoyed the ambiance of the place with its wooden mermaids decorating the walls and Nickodemus and Osiris serenading us with “Mariposa (feat. Carol C).”

We walked by a statue in the square of Jose Fernandez de Madrid La Patria Agradecida.

By the time I went to bed, I was suffering with stomach cramps and in the middle of the night my stomach went on full attack. No fun at all. I don’t know what caused it, but it was obviously something I ate that didn’t sit well with me. The strange thing was that Mike suffered from the same problem on Monday night and Tuesday morning. We’ve both been eating the same things, but we couldn’t pinpoint the cause because we were sick at different times.

Steps: 11,875. Miles 5.03. Weather Hi 90°, Lo 74°. Sunny + humid.

Centro Comercial La Serrezuela

Thursday, April 4: On Thursday morning I didn’t feel like venturing out far from our hotel as my stomach was still churning and cramping. My heart wasn’t into doing any of the things I still want to do in Cartagena. We took a short walk and ended up in a modern mall, Centro Comercial La Serrezuela, with multiple floors and air conditioning. The old theater and bullring, set in the traditional San Diego neighborhood, has been restored and turned into a cultural, entertainment, shopping and culinary center.

It was rather boring as the shopping was too high-end for my liking. On the top two levels of the round mall was a kind of bullring-style concert or performance venue.

At the mall, we stopped in for cappuccino & café and some dedos con queso at Cafe Quindio.

After leaving the mall, we walked along the city wall to a market where all kinds of souvenirs and trinkets were for sale. I didn’t feel like eating out, so we returned to our hotel, ate some leftovers we had, and relaxed for a while. I was waiting for my stomach to get back to normal. In the meantime, I didn’t feel like eating or drinking anything. What a waste of a day!

We spent much of the afternoon lounging around in our room because my stomach was still feeling awful and I didn’t feel like going out. We couldn’t even go to the pool because a thunderstorm rolled in.

Pezetarian

We finally went out because I thought I might be able to eat a light sushi meal so we went to Pezetarian, a small, packed and lively place where we enjoyed our meal. We shared pork gyoza: Pork, mushrooms, cabbage, ginger and scallions. I enjoyed a Pezetarian Roll: Five pieces of tempura salmon skin and five pieces of acevichado shrimps, with avocado, cream cheese and topped with mango and masago, on purple sushi rice (beets extract). Mike had a Crispy Salmon Roll: Salmon tempura, avocado, and cream cheese, topped with spicy-mayo and ceviche sauce.

Mike took the last photo of me diving in to our supposed-to-be-shared brownie and ice cream dessert before we thought to take a picture (about par for the course). Some things just can’t wait. 🍴🍴🍴

Steps: 7,321. Miles 3.1. Weather Hi 89°, Lo 80°. Overcast with some thunderstorms.

Getsemaní

Friday, April 5: Friday morning I finally felt well enough to explore the Getsemaní neighborhood. We had thus far spent our time in the inner walled town consisting of the historical districts of El Centro and San Diego. The outer walled town of Getsemaní has more modest architecture but more atmosphere. It is full of colorful houses, plenty of street art and also numerous bars, cafes, fruit vendors and restaurants.

In the center of the town we found the Church of the Holy Trinity (Iglesia de la Trinidad), which dates from the beginning of the 17th century and is one of the oldest churches in the city. In the square in front of the church are some bronze freedom fighters.

Besides the amazing street art, we also found more charm and met some friendly palenqueras.

We continued walking around Getsemaní, making our way down some lively streets and then eventually headed back to the Centro Histórico.

Centro Histórico Cartagena

We returned to the Old Town and ate lunch at La Mulata. I had Filet Camaronero: Pez blanco a en salsa de Camarones y Coco. Mike had Camaron Habanero: Camarones en mango y ají habanero.

This place came highly recommended and it was directly across the street from our hotel, Casa Quero. This was the first and only time we ate here. It was yummy and had a lively atmosphere.

We spent the afternoon at the pool.

Friday evening we walked to the end of the old town where we hadn’t walked much before. I wanted to see the church attached to the large dome we’d seen when we had views from a distance. Convento & Iglesia de San Pedro Claver was founded by Jesuits in the first half of the 17th century, later named to honor Spanish-born monk Pedro Claver (1580-1654), who lived and died here. Called the ‘Slave of the Slaves,” the monk spent his life ministering to enslaved people brought from Africa.

Sadly we still couldn’t see the large dome from the street. We wandered through a market at that end of town where we bought a few pictures.

Perú Fusion

We ate our last dinner in Cartagena on Friday night at Perú Fusion. We had some delicious dishes: Causa de cangrejo: Peruvian cause base (mashed potato) with avocado and tomato, accompanied by crab with a touch of olive sauce and caviar.

I wouldn’t think of sushi as a Peruvian dish, but the “fusion” must have made it so. We shared half an order of Sushi Yacuza: Blown salmon with nippon sauce, tempura vegetables, avocado and hearts of palm bathed in ponzu sauce. We shared a whole order of Rolls de Langostino Trufado: Crispy shrimp, avocado, & asparagus with truffle sauce topping.

We talked to our friendly Venezuelan waiter who had left his country to start all over again. It’s tough for people who have to leave their own poorly-managed countries for opportunities elsewhere. He wanted to return home but couldn’t do so for the time being; he hoped things would improve there one day.

We were serenaded by another wonderful playlist. Colombians really know how to compile music playlists.

• “Supergirl” by Dream Chaos and Della
• “Calm Down” by DJ Goja and Magic Phase
• “Crazy” by DJ Goja and Nito-Onna
• “Hymn for the Weekend” by Cale and haLuna
• “I’m Blue” by DJ Alex Man, Dj Diac and haLuna
• “Flowers” by Hard dope, Lex Morris and Veronica Bravo
• “All of Me” by CALE and Catching Sunrises
• “Mockingbird” by ReMan, Zentone and Banny

On our way back to the hotel, we came across a Michael Jackson performance. The two accompanying dancers were dressed in rags and were dragging themselves across the street. Crazy!

Steps: 14,379; Miles 6.1. Weather Hi 91°, Lo 80°. Sunny + humid with chance of rain.

A final walk around Old Town Cartagena

Saturday, April 6: We took one last morning walk around Cartagena before checking out of our hotel at noon. Our flight to Bogotá and then on to Washington didn’t leave till 8:15 p.m. that night; we would arrive home at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday. A long afternoon stretched before us while waiting to leave; luckily after lunch we could still use the hotel pool until it was time to go.

We ended our last day in Cartagena eating lunch at the same place we ate lunch on our first day here, Monday: Buena Vida. This time I had a pesto crusted fish fillet – coconut sacue / grilled tomatoes / pesto crust. My stomach, though it had felt better yesterday, started acting up again this morning, so lunch was not very enjoyable. Mike had smoked beef brisket tacos: melted cheese / avocado / street picadillo / chipotle mayo.

At the hotel pool after lunch, we talked again to Steven from New York. He had been having stomach issues as well, as had several members of the wedding party. It was a mystery as to the cause; I believed it was the ice in the drinks as we’d been told not to drink water from faucets. Anyway, no one knew but the worst thing was to have these issues on our travel day. It could be a long miserable pair of flights if things didn’t get better.

I was so excited to get back to springtime temperatures in Virginia. I really cannot tolerate the infernal heat and humidity. I don’t know how people can live in this kind of climate.

Here’s a short video of a couple of scenes of our boat ride from Isla Bela to Cartagena and some lively street scenes from Getsemaní.

Flying home from Cartagena to Bogotá to Virginia

We arrived at Cartagena Airport and got an earlier flight to Bogotá. Sadly, it just meant a longer wait in Bogotá as our flight from Bogotá to Dulles remained the same at 11:55 p.m.

Steps: 12,900; Miles 5.47. Weather Hi 93°, Lo 80°. Sunny and humid.

Arriving home to Virginia

Sunday, April 7: We arrived at Dulles Airport at 6:25 a.m. after a 5 1/2 hour uncomfortable flight on Avianca. The seats were tight and didn’t recline and there were no snacks offered onboard. It made for a miserable flight. I ended up catching a bad cold onboard and was so exhausted that it took me an entire week to recover.

Steps: 11,895; Miles 5.05.