After the quiet solitude of Kuna Yala, the loud honking horns, the rumbling of engines and the ear-wracking clamor of people screaming and yelling on the busy streets was overwhelming. Cartagena, Columbia was the first real city we’d visited since we left Miami, Florida about a year ago. Surprisingly it did not take long for the culture shock to abate and for us to settle in to the fast paced city life. 
Approaching the Big City
We spent our time in the city acquiring numerous boat parts and supplies that only a large city can provide. We also carried out numerous boat projects, including hauling the boat out of the water and painting the bottom with antifouling.
The anchorage in Cartagena was filled with other sailboats. While we were there, more and more arrived. During the fall months, there is almost no wind in this area, except for during the occasional Culla de Pollo (which means Chicken Butt in Spanish). These intense squalls came every few days during the middle of the night, bringing strong 30 to 40 knot winds, heavy rain and intense lightning. Due to the tight quarters of the anchorage and the slippery mud bottom, often a number of boats would drag their anchor. Fortunately, the owners were typically on board and there were no incidents of boats crashing into other boats.
Despite the smog from the city, the brown smelly ocean water in the harbor, both of us falling sick with flu-like symptoms (which would recur 2 more times), and the oppressive, stifling heat, we enjoyed Cartagena. We were able to walk most everywhere we needed to go in relative safety. Columbians as a whole are some of the friendliest people we have ever met. Rather than simply giving us directions, people would walk us to where we were trying to go. On the island of Barú (20 nm south of Cartagena), some of the locals we met gave us mangoes, coconuts, watermelon, and limes off the trees in their yards.
We also took a trip to Isla Grande, on of the Rosarios Islands (also 20nm south of Cartagena), where we varnished the interior of the boat and went ashore to walk, to explore and to play with the local children while the varnish dried. We went to the middle of town and started slacklining in the park. Slacklining is a recreational activity popular among rock climbers that involves walking across a one inch wide piece of webbing that is stretched tightly between two trees. It is an excellent way to practice ones balancing skills. Quickly the children gathered to watch and we invited them to join. Some of the children were amazingly good. We watched in awe as a tiny little girl (probably only 4 years old) after only several attempts was able to walk the entire length of the webbing unassisted (something Sue was unable to accomplish after many more attempts).
While in Cartagena, a man we met at ta store selling leather and heavy canvas offered us $5000 to bring him to the US on our sailboat. Appealing as it was, should 5 of his compadres want to come along for the same fare, we had already decided to head to Colón to transit the Panama Canal.
September 2008
