cartagena (added a bit late)

Shirtless men sit poised in white,plastic chairs, under colorful colonial balconies of red and green. Evening approaches and families gather the side walks to give the day one last look over before they have to retreat into the hot sticky air of their small shared house. Colorful fruit lines old wooden rectangular crates, as vendorspeek up at you through their sun-weathered eyes. Two men sit on wooden crates in the middle of the sidewalk, playing a game of chess, as their buddy sits behind them and gives a hoot n" halla!
When walking the streets of Cartagena, you must keep one eye in front of you and one eye peeking over you shoulder. In front of one, taxi drivers are zooming by in small yellow Hyundia"s waiting to see which pedestrian will become their next SPLAT on their windshield. Pedestrians are simply speed bumps to these guys. And behind one, shadows creep up, brushing by your back pocket and small kids pull on the tail of your shirt wanting 100 pesos. And all around one, the streets were filled to the top with a churning soup of Colombian culture...at least in Cartagena. This is where the scum-bags, toothless vendors, blaring bayanatte (slower version of salsa) screeches out of old crack speakers, old men sit lining the sidewalks, and women stand in brightly colored clothing rocking a baby back and forth in one hand. This is where the ripe, pulsating vein of Colombian culture constantly pumps. And if one wasnt too careful, they could miss it all, soon retreating back home thinking a ferry ride around the bay in a brand new boat full of white-skinned gringos was what Colombian culture was all about.

written by

kipmaddog on August 9, 2009 from Cartagena, Colombia

from the travel blog: adventures from down south

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