Several months ago, while discussing where to sail during my parent’s holiday visit, we considered whether we should stop in Cartagena, Colombia. On the one hand, cruisers raved about Cartagena and said that it shouldn’t be missed. On the other hand, it is Colombia and safety was a concern. After weighing the risks and rewards, we decided to make a short stopover. We are all thankful that we did.
Cartagena is one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever visited. The oldest part of the city is surrounded by a wall of coral that took one hundred years to build and was intended to prevent invasions from pirates and foreign navies. Within the walled city is stunning Spanish architecture and some of the best urban layout that I have seen. The streets are crowded and narrow with balconies draped with tropical flowers overhanging the sidewalks. The plazas are vibrant with street performers, comfortable cafes, and vendors peddling their cigars, paintings, and hats. Occasionally, an open front door will allow a glimpse of a pretty courtyard within. The women are beautiful. The food is delicious and inexpensive (a gourmet meal at one of the top restaurants costs $12USD). The entire city had a very European feel and, although I have never visited Spain, I imagine that Cartagena is similar to Madrid or Barcelona.
As for safety, we were told to take precautions and carried only small amounts of money, avoided certain neighborhoods, and took taxis at night. However, we always felt safe and did not witness any incidents, although we did notice that people were always on guard against theft. Ironically, Colombia is probably the first place that I visited where I wasn’t offered drugs on the street. This is probably because of the large police and soldier presence in Cartagena. Personally, I always enjoy seeing men armed with machine guns in crowded public areas – it seems like the intended message is that the officer may not be a great shot, but with enough chances he will probably eventually hit what he is aiming at. Also, I was surprised that Colombians seem extremely safety conscious. On boats, everyone wore lifejackets and, on motorcycles at night, every rider wore reflective vests. Considering that I was told the value of life in Colombia is roughly equal to that of a warm meal, this dedication to safety is admirable.
Overall, Cartagena is one of the nicest places that I have visited thus far. My parents and I enjoyed struggling through encounters with our weak grasp of Spanish and we all agreed that we could have spent much longer in the charming city. In fact, we extended our stay a couple of extra days and it was hard to leave. This is one of the places that I certainly hope to visit again. Yet, despite the attraction of Cartagena, we were eager to move on to the San Blas islands in Panama. Departing on Thursday morning, it took two full days and two nights to reach Porvenir, Panama. Despite light winds, the seas were rolly with fairly large waves due to the waves that traveled across the Caribbean Sea piling up as they approached land. My Mom managed to prepare some delicious meals in the difficult cooking conditions of the galley while my Dad and I rotated watches. After sailing alone, having a good cook and being able to get some sleep during a passage was a tremendous luxury.
On Saturday morning, we reached Porvenir in the San Blas islands. Working our way through the reefs, we eventually anchored next to the small airport on the tiny island. Navigating through reefs is always a challenge. With high waves and strong winds, we slowly motor through the maze of colors while attempting to identify the deeper channels. As the depth falls, the anxiety rises. The tension reaches a crescendo as the boat passes over a sand shoal at the entrance and all fears are relieved as the lagoon deepens and becomes extremely calm. With small planes approaching at eye level, we were sure not to anchor right in front of the runway. Immediately after anchoring, a small dugout canoe with three of the indigenous people of the island, the Kuna’s, rowed up and tried to sell molas, which are embroidered fabric works of art. When we decided not to buy anything, they asked for candy and we handed over the only two pieces of candy on the boat. Later, other dugout canoes came by to sell king crab and fish.
The Kuna are one of five tribes in Panama. The women are colorfully dressed with multicolored knee socks, embroidered tops and skirts and head wraps. They are a matriarchal society, well organized with a hierarchy on each island. Similar to communism, this works pretty well in theory, although the high frequency of incest will probably result in this island utopia being populated by a bunch of freaks and invalids in the mold of the British Royal family. Much as country bumpkins purchase small plots of land at carnivals and then wait to see if they will be lucky enough for a cow to defecate on their piece of land, each Kuna family owns its own coconut trees that are used for the fruit of the tree, fronds for building roofs and trunks for dugout canoes. These islands are picturesque, some with only one or two grass huts, although their ignorance of celebrity gossip is astonishing.
Our attempts to clear in were delayed because of the New Years’ Eve holiday, but we were able to arrange for airplane tickets from the San Blas islands to Panama City next week so that my parents can catch their return flight to the U. S. While there was no electricity or running water on the island, aside from a small generator powering a a tiny hotel and outdoor restaurant, we did meet a couple from Minnesota, a couple from Holland, and two sisters from Canada. For our New Years’ Eve dinner, we enjoyed a good dinner of fish and rice ashore with the other visitors of the small island before returning to bed by 9 o’clock. No one aboard was awake to see midnight, but waking up anchored in a reef-surrounded lagoon near an idyllic island of palm trees was a good way to start the new year.
The captain and crew of Audentes hope that the new year finds the readership happy and healthy and we look forward to another year of new experiences and adventure.