After a short flight from Panama City we arrived in Cartagena, Colombia. Our dog Ewok, unfortunately, was quite uncomfortable in the baggage compartment. Amadeus, our cat flew in the cabin with us. We cleared immigration and customs quickly. Next, it was the agricultural inspection to bring our mascotas (pets) into Colombia (we had done “lots of paperwork” in Panama before leaving). After two hours processing further paper we were off to the pet friendly, Los Balcones de Badillo Hotel for the next nine days. It was initially to be three days but it ended up being nine. The arrival of our vehicle from Colon, Panama was delayed. Fortunately, Cartagena is a beautiful city so it was not hard to wait there. Our only challenge in Cartagena was adjusting to the high humidity of the tropical lowlands.
Getting to know Cartagena
During our stay in historic old town we explored Cartagena's markets and restaurants. We enjoyed sampling the local cuisine. Each morning we were awakened by wonderful smells from the bakery below. Our corner hotel room balcony overlooked the street food vendors. We got use to the chatter of the street food vendors getting ready to start the day. The street food vendors mostly sold fruit and arepas (a pancake shaped bread made from corn and stuffed with cheese, vegetables and/or meat). Arepas and tamales are among the staples of Colombian cuisine. Colombia grows many types of fruit and as a result fruit and juice vending stands are common, especially in the Caribbean region.
Since our hotel was near Fernandez Madrid Plaza we would dine at the local eateries around the plaza. One of the restaurants we enjoyed was the Tamarindo. Often we would order wonderful fruit drinks (Jugos Naturales). For lunch we commonly ordered the special of the day (comida corriente). It usually included soup and a main course of rice, with a small salad and meat (or fish). One day we had this wonderful hot vegetable salad (Ensalada Caliente) for lunch. Cartagena also has many gourmet restaurants, such as La Cocina de Carmela and Da Danni, which have a good Argentine and Chilean wine selection. We enjoyed the music, wine and had a great conversation with six Colombians the night we dined at Da Danni.
For some of us our first coffee memory is the Juan Valdez coffee advertisements; so naturally when we saw our first Cartagena Juan Valdez Café we just had to stop by. As our stay in Cartagena got extended by the day the Wi-Fi friendly Juan Valdez Café became a great place to do email. While Amadeus cat napped in the hotel room, Ewok was a star around town. She was welcomed everywhere we went, including restaurants and taxis. Folks took lots of photos of her.
We hired a taxi for a day tour. We visited some sights in town and areas around Cartagena such as, Bocagrande, La Popa – La Candelaria Convent and Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. Ewok toured with us. That day she was a big hit with the taxi drivers. Our taxi driver took us to a restaurant for lunch where they served local cuisine. We ordered a fish dish and a soup called mote de queso. Cartagena is known for its fish markets.
Preparing for the drive south
Finally our SUV arrived. It took us a day to get it out of customs. Next day we prepared for our Pan-American Highway journey south. We shopped for groceries and bought car insurance. After driving from Deadhorse, Alaska to Colon, Panama we knew, that buying car insurance in a foreign country is not straightforward. The procedures vary from country to country for a foreign registered vehicle. In Colombia’s case it was not too difficult and after visiting a few gas stations we found one that would sell us insurance.
Now with all the proper documents in order and multiple copies of each, we were ready. We were a little worried. After reading The Lonely Planet section on how to travel safely in Colombia, we were ready to venture onto the highways fully informed on how to best cope with all the “perils, dangers and annoyances” of numerous road checks.
To be continued
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