Colombia

We spent the end of November visiting Colombia, an easy 48-hour sail from the central part of the San Blas Islands in Panama. Our first stop, the San Bernados, flaunted 30 low-lying islands clustered on a sand bank.

We zigzagged our way in the late afternoon light through reefs and shallows, following a narrow ribbon of turquoise,  deeper water, in to a mangrove-lined, quiet cove.

A few hostels beckoned in the distance, colorful posadas on stilts, floating mirages, supportings eco-system of backpackers.

 The following day we explored our surrounding and tie our dingy to the dock at Isla Isolotta de la Cruz. A group of fishermen greeted us from plastic chairs in the shade of a flapping tarp. One looked up from repairing an old out-board while another kept cleaning a giant parrotfish.

Louis leapt up from a chair and declared himself our local guide. We submitted and followed him through a doorway to a world bursting with sound and color.  Colombian pop music blared from several radios, a group of men slapped dominoes, and the commerce was fast and loud. The sun seared the sandy lanes and we slunk along the  buildings in a slight slit of shade. 

According to Lois, Isla Islotta is the most densely populated island in the world, and it looked like it. 1300 inhabitants shared one acre of land, busting with life. We soaked up the crowds and enjoyed the bustle after the past few days of silence and uninterrupted seascape.

In the early morning light, two days later, we wove our way back through the reefs of the San Bernados , and set course for Cartagena, 45 miles away.

 Two medieval Spanish fortifications pinched like pliers as we entered the bay of Cartagena, west of Punta Castillo.  Contrasting the colonial history, hundreds of white skyscrapers lined the distant horizon of modern day Cartagena.  The bay stretched 10 miles ahead and the sun set by the time we reached the Port of Cartagena de Indias, a harbor used by slave traders, pirates and waves of French and British occupants since the 1540’s.

We anchored among a large school of fellow cruisers in front of Club Nautico. Cruise ships, launches, party boats, barges, coastguard vessels and military crafts trafficked the area creating a bouncy setting for our cocktail hour.

 It turned out Independence-day celebration commenced for the next three days. The city was dressed for a party and Colombians crowded the streets of old town Cartagena from evening to early morning, partying.

We gave up on the idea of getting any boat work done and joined the revelry. Colombian rhythms bounced between the 500 year old cathedrals, a beauty pageant occupied the central square, and quick moving hips followed the beat in South American sway wherever we went.

We loved Cartagena, safe and full of affordable, excellent restaurants. The old town was a medley of medieval architecture, shaded Plazas and cool café’s. It had a touch of tourist trap, but got away with it because of its dreamlike charm.

I wish we could have stayed longer but after two weeks it was time to sail back to the San Blas Islands to meet friends. The spirits of  Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Pablo Escobar waved to us from the shore as we set sail, leaving behind a place of beauty and combustion.