Part 3: Colors of Colombia

Divya Prakash Sree Erri

Feb 12, 202414 min read

Buenos Dias, Colombia, que tal?

There is so much to say about Colombia, a place that quickly took to both our hearts almost as soon as we immersed ourselves in this life.

We were greeted by the beautiful colors of Colombia's Caribbean side from the flight itself and landed in the warm, humid embrace of Afro-Latina, loud and proud, Cartagena.

Colombia is a mosaic of visual, auditory, gustatory, and social magnificence with so much history to help weave it all together. In every part of Colombia that we adventured through, people were kind and welcoming, treating us as visiting family rather than a couple to hustle. Not once did we experience disrespect (such as catcalling or whistling), rude service, or uncomfortable looks or gazes from strangers. Everyone exuded genuine friendliness and a strong sense of "live and let live". It was a beautiful kind of energy to be surrounded by throughout our time in marvelous Colombia.

Each part of Colombia that we experienced was incredibly different from the other and yet the entire country moves as one the way two dance partners would. Initially I was going to document our experiences chronologically but my brain decided to organize this particular blog post by topic (Cities, Nature, Route, Food) instead. Hope you enjoy the ride!

As a reference, here is our timeline of locations:

1.Flew into Cartagena from Panama City (airports are boooring)

2. Took a bus to Santa Marta, Magdalena

3. 5 day hike and Wiwa village stay in the Tayrona region

4. Took a bus back to Cartagena to wait for our car to arrive from Panama

5. Picked up our car from the shipping port

6. Drove to Medellin via coastal Chinu and foresty Mutata

7. Medellin to Guatape

8. Guatape to Salento

9. Salento to Villavieja (Desierto de Tatacoa)

10. Villavieja to Ipiales (border town) via Santa Rosa (camping spot by mountains)

Now for the fun stuff

CITIES

CARTAGENA:

In Cartagena there were four main regions to get into: 1) the historical center of Getsemani and its expansive handicrafts marketplace, Ciudad Amurallada, 2) Manga and the Marina, 3) San Sebastian and Candelaria 4) Bocagrande

(The white lines with gray dots/photo thumbnails are where we walked around or drove)

On our first night in Cartagena, we stayed in an airbnb apartment in the barrio (neighborhood) of Manga. We needed to exchange money and accidentally walked directly into the vibrant Getsemani. This area is a masterpiece in and of itself. An explosion of color and music and energy, Getsemani is a harmonious delight for all the senses; all the beautiful chaos flows into one another as a complete orchestra rather than a discordant cacophony of sensory input.

The town is cloaked in some of the MOST beautiful mural and canvas paintings I have ever seen. In the visuals themselves, one can feel the cultural history Getsemani needs to tell us.

The people are just as lively, constantly moving to a musical beat that comes from within their souls.

The street food and constant hip shaking afro-latina music blaring in every alleyway, the street performers, and the rainbow spectrum of decor to the right, to the left, up above, and down below. This is Getsemani.

And her sister town, Centro Historico with the well known Ciudad Amurallada is no joke, either, filled with beautiful architecture, intricate doors and doorknobs, and more handicraft shops to explore than there are hours in the day.

The next section to mention is Manga, which is this low key section of town by the Marina. Where Getsemani was energetic and filled with heat and people, Manga was more mellow and cooled down by the AMAZING breezes swooping in to save us.

We enjoyed so much food here and the marina views were beautiful.

We went through the central region of San Sebastian and Candelaria to get to the city's central bus terminal. This is the side of Cartagena that reflects the local daily life of Cartagena, rather than the touristy one. Here as we sat in a taxi weaving callously through heavy traffic, we were surrounded by the hustle and bustle of motorbike life, entire families commuting on a single motorcycle (very reminiscent of our beautiful India), and babies falling asleep in the arms of their mothers on buses or bikes. We passed through the enormous marketplaces selling fresh fish, vegetables, root vegetables, and more. The fish markets were right next to the rivers and marshlands where local birds, like pelicans and herons, were doing their own fishing. Though the area may not be as visually appealing to some, we loved the beauty of the daily grind that came through.

And finally Bocagrande, the region of the wealthy elite of Cartagena. Here, along the sandy beaches of the Cartagena shoreline, lies a long line of high end apartments, a huge shopping mall filled with luxury line brands, and restaurants that make you check your wallet a couple times before and after. It was a very upscale part of town to walk through, in stark contrast to Getsemani and central Cartagena, but the beaches were beautiful to walk along.

SANTA MARTA/TAYRONA

In between our time in Cartagena, we ventured out to the region of Magdalena, where the city of Santa Marta and the infamous Tayrona Forest and Sierra mountains are the guests of honor.

We spent our first night in a hostel in the middle of the Tayrona jungle called Mama Tayrona. We loved it so much we decided to stay for a few more nights after getting back from our 5 day adventure to Ciudad Perdida (Lost City).

On our second morning here, we were picked up by someone from the Wiwa Group, a tourism group created, owned and operated entirely by the indigenous members of the Wiwa tribe. On the first of our 5 day journey, we were taken to a Wiwa village up in Sierras, called Gotsezhy. Here we spent the day and night with one of the families living here, learning about their way of life living entirely off the land and about the customs of the Wiwa people and their sister tribes of the Madre Sierra (Mother Sierra mountains).

Gotsezhy:

In Gotsezhy, we were greeted by a tribesman, whose Spanish name was Andres. He explained the daily practices, architecture of their huts and central eating areas, and handicraft techniques. The walls of the huts are bamboo secured with clay and the roof is covered in palm leaves. This keeps the interior clean and so cool despite the pounding heat of the Mountains.

Next to the campground and living area was the river, where the 3 little girls who lived there would play and splash to cool off in the afternoon and the women would sit and wash clothes in.

Andres took us on a short trek through the thick of the jungle to a most beautiful spot called Cascada Matuna (Matuna waterfall), which had its very own swimming hole to bathe and swim in whilrle surrounded by jungle vines and the sun up above. It was such a peaceful moment.

Original tribe areas are legally autonomous from the remaining Colombian land and thereby require a member of an indigenous tribe to escort outsiders into their lands - similar to entry practices for First Nation Reservation land in the United States.

In addition to taking outsiders into the Indigenous regions, they also generate income with handmade bead jewelry, woven bags (mochillas), and cups or bowls made of dried out totuma gourd. The bags are made from the fibers of a plant called the magai (spelling??) plant which looks like a giant succulent. They strip the plant leaf individually (below is a video of prakash trying his hand at this labor intensive process), harvest the fibers, then color them with natural dyes created by grinding down the roots and tree bark of specific plants.

The final part of our experience with the villagers was meeting the spiritual and medicinal leaders (similar to a shaman) called Mamos. The community holds great respect for these men, who become Mamos after spending one year meditating on the Madre Sierra and Madre Terra (Mother Earth), learning to act as the liason between the earthly realm and the spiritual one. The Mamos invited us to join them for an evening of blessings, teachings, music and dancing under the cloak of night to help us connect with the essence of Mother Earth.

They explained that there are 4 tribes of the Magdalena/Tayrona region: the Wiwa, Kogui, Arhuaco, and Kankuamo. Although the 4 tribes have different languages, somewhat different daily routines, and slightly different variations of rituals, all 4 tribes believe in the same purpose and philosophies: to protect Mother Earth and perpetuate positive energy onto one another and all outsiders. It was a most beautiful experience to spend just 1 day and night with them, to see the innocent happiness shining in the uninhibited laughter and squeals of the children, and to feel the importance of these sacred Sierra Mountains through their eyes.

MEDELLIN

Our next major city was Medellin. This city, once known as the murder capital of the world, experienced a magnificent transformation over a very short period of 20 years to become one of the top tourist destinations of that same world.

Not only is the physical infrastructure of Medellin a marvel of mankind, the history and pride of the Paisa (people of Medellin) is quite admirable.

We , of course, only experienced a fraction of the city, but even that fraction left quite the impression on us.

Our first night we went to a huge concert that we just happened to stumble upon and find tickets to. This visual-audio EDM concert was AWESOME, a heart-thumping, beat driven, blast of techno introduction to Medellin for us. We had a great time well into the wee hours of the night, yet never felt unsafe or scared. The nightlife in Medellin, as it was in Cartagena, goes all night. And just like in Cartagena, women and men were dressed as they pleased, strolling around fearlessly and men enjoyed the scene without ever being disrespectful or obscene. It was a wonderful thing to notice.

The next day, we took the ample advice of our most gracious Airbnb host, a gentleman native of Medellin who was renting out a room in his beautiful apartment.

With his local tips, we were able to see multiple corners of the city and witness its vast story unfold before our eyes.

Our first stop was Parque Arvi, a 1700 hectare forest reserve at the top of the mountains surrounding Medellin. We took the subway system, which the metro cable car is an included segment of and were gifted with the most amazing views of this insane city.

Along the way, one of our subway stops to switch from subway to cable car was the barrio of Santo Domingo, which itself was another wonderful site of murals

Medellin is situated at the bottom of the mountain bowl, completely encircled by the steep slopes of towering mountains, and the city literally grows UP the mountain slopes, one barrio at a time. Medellin is the first city to use a cable car pulley system as a form of public transportation.

ALSO the subways? So. Clean. Locals maintain cleanliness with a passion for their city.

At the top of the final cable car, we reached Parque Arvi, which was a beautiful site. Added to its picturesque mountain views and lush forest fauna, it had a wonderful market of artesans selling their own handmade goods - clothing, jewelry, handpainted notebooks, handmade figurines, perfumes, food items, you name it.

Next we took the subway to a section of Medellin called Parque Berrio to see the Plaza Botero. This Plaza is created by the space between El Museo Antioquia and the Arts Plaza, a section of the city dedicated to the fine arts of Colombia and Medellin. Plaza Botero is a garden of sculptures created by the artist Fernando Botero, whose entire message was to showcase the beauty in obesity. All of his pieces show men, women, and even animals in their obese form, and per the locals one of the reasons he felt it necessary to make this statement was because of the ugly colonial history, wherein obese indigenous women and men were often rounded up and killed as the colonists believed them to be witches.

After spending time admiring the artwork, we went to a very special barrio called Communa Trese (Community 13). This neighborhood has pivotal historical significance for Medellin. Communa 13 was once considered the most dangerous barrio of Medellin, to the point that it was patrolled at all times by military, and locals from neighboring boroughs would never even think to venture into it. This area was plagued by murder and guerrila violence between different drug cartels and paramilitary groups, and worsened exponentially in 2002 after Pablo Escobar's death as smaller factions fought to gain new dominance. In a drastic effort to end this ongoing calamity, the Colombian government decided to put an end to it through violent military intervention, which put nearly 100,000 innocent civilians in the crosshairs of this civil war. Once the area was neutralized, the government interestingly provided tons of art supplies to the youths of the surviving neighborhood and encouraged them to express their feelings through art. Thus the magnificent murals and street art of Communa 13 were born. One can see the mixed feelings the community has about the entire saga. Shortly thereafter, a local architect came up with the unique idea of building outdoor electric escalators (first ever of its kind) to help connect all the different segments of the area as the mountainous terrain once prevented such interaction. This very much deepened the sense of community, which then encouraged more and more visitors and locals to come be a part of this barrio. Over time, like a butterfly unfolding from its cocoon, Communa 13 went from being the murder capital of Medellin to one of its most important and vibrant neighborhoods worth visiting.

Our final traipse through Medellin was in search of some more nightlife fun, which we found in droves walking through Parque Poblado, Parque Lleras, and Parque Provencal. Situated in a series, one right after the other, each section had its share of a neon light and foliage decorated scene of bars, discotheques, hookah bars, flashy restaurants, and a lively youthful vibe to bring it all together. It was a fun way to wrap up our time in Medellin before heading on to the next stop.

GUATAPE and EL PEÑOL

After Medellin, we took a 2 hour detour to the region of Guatape, a series of townships scattered across small inlets of land amidst pockets of beautiful waterways.

We visited the town of El Peñol where the infamous Piedra del Peñol (Stone of El Peñol), a 65 million year old boulder, stands overlooking all of Guatape. For a climb up the mere 700 steps built into the side of this boulder, we were given a magnificent birds eye view of the entire Guatape region

Afterwards, we drove to one of the other local towns in that area to see the colorful neighborhood surrounding Plazoleta de los Zócalos. Colombia has no shortage of colorful towns and we have no shortage of love for them!

SALENTO

And last but not least in our section on cities is the quaint, mellow town of Salento, a vibrant sparkle in the middle of the coffee triangle of Colombia.

Salento had yet an entirely different energy when compared to those of Cartagena and Medellin. Here in the rainy, dense, mountains and forests where the heart of Colombia's coffee plantations grow bountifully, Salento gives us a most relaxed, chilled--out, bohemian bistro vibe. The shops are small, family owned, and locally sourced. Each shop is decorated in its own set of colors on the outside and its own individual style on the inside. People are kind, soft spoken, and never feel rushed or busy when speaking.

The views of the valleys from Mirador Salento, a viewpoint from the highest point of the town, were breathtaking. We set up camp in the parking area here just to catch the sunrise and it was absolutely worth it.

NATURE

TERRUNA (Ciudad Perdida or Lost City)

This is the name of the 4 day trek we did immediately following our day staying in the Wiwa village. The hike was a grueling one, where we hiked approximately 15-18 kilometers (9-11 miles) each day, on raw jungle terrain (lots of rocks, boulders, steep clay dirt hills) with unbelievably steep inclines, all under the beating humid heat of the Sierra jungle.

Our points of relief were occasional rest stops with fresh fruit and juice as well as two major rivers with swimming holes to jump into, cold and so clear you could count the rocks and fish at the bottom.

We reached Ciudad Perdida (originally called Terruna by the indigenous) on the third day, wherein after about 5km (3mi) of hiking we had the lovely task of climbing 1200 stone steps to the entry point of Terruna. What a delight.

Once we reached Terruna, though, it was really quite worth it. Although archeologists and indigenous tribes have vastly different accounts of the age and purpose of this secret town, the infrastructure and sheer size was amazing to see.

The indigenous tribes' Mamos still make a yearly pilgrimage to Terruna every September to meditate on the land and make major decisions for their respective villagers. One Mamo and his family reside there permanently to watch over the sacred land, believed to have been built by God on the day of creation itself.

Geographically speaking, this mountain, Sierra, is a continuation of the same mountain range back home in the States, all a part of the giant mountainrange extending from Alaska through Washington and California, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and down to the tip of Antarctica, known as The American Cordillera.

TAYRONA JUNGLE

Some views of Tayrona jungle from our hostel in the middle of the jungle. The landscape views of the forest canopy are from our hostel room balcony. Great sight to wake up to in the mornings

FINCA AURA VIVA

One of our camping spots was this nice couple's farm where they let us set up. The couple's eldest daughter (7 years old) was very excited and so incredibly intelligent and thoughtful. She showed us all her animals and encouraged us to interact with the whole environment she calls home. We learned a lot seeing the world through this young girl's eyes that day.

VALLE DE COCORA

This mountainous valley of tall, skinny palms is so odd and wonderful, like a scene out of a Dr Seuss story. Apparently these palms only grow in Colombia and Ecuador

BOSQUE

We were expecting to spend about 4 hours hiking through the Palm tree valley, however we took one wrong turn and ended up hiking through its neighboring rainforest instead. By the time we realized this was the wrong route and circled back to the correct trail, we had completed our anticipated 4 hours of hiking. Lol, getting lost is part of the adventure. So here are some pictures of the beautiful rainforest as well

DESIERTO DE TATACOA

This desert was a unique interruption of the weeks of forest and mountains we had been traveling through. There were two parts, Desierto Roja (Red desert) and Desierto Gris (Gray desert). As we had been doing quite a bit of heavy hiking everywhere else, we decided to keep this one light and have some fun with the colors in photography.

Desierto Gris

Desierto Roja

Prakash also got some amazing drone footage which will be posted separately

PUTAMAYO CLOUD FOREST

And for the final installation of the Nature section, we bring you the cloud forests of Putamayo, a section traversing the Indigenous lands situated close to the Sierra mountain range of Southwestern Colombia.

THE ROUTE

We felt like sharing some photos of our route, most of which are taken from the car, just to get an idea of how the landscapes changed from region to region. There is really not much to say, so enjoy!

Getting our car from the shipping port In Cartagena