Bienvenidos a Cartagena de Indias

A bit of history: The city was originally founded in 1533 by Spanish commander Pedro de Heredia, and named Cartagena after the city in Spain since many of his sailors were form there. It was mostly burnt down after a fire in 1552, and buildings were rebuilt using only stone and brick to prevent future fires. It became the main Spanish port, a convenient location to bring treasures pillaged from the local population and surrounding area. This made it an ideal target for pirates to attack, which they did - repeatedly and severely with a fair amount of destruction. In response, the Spaniards built forts and a wall around the town to defend themselves from the English advances. Apparently it took about 208 years to fully complete the thirteen kilometers of walls. By the time it was completed in 1756, the Spanish defense expenditures were enormous, but the city was considered impregnable. When the independence movement came about, Cartagena was one of the first towns to proclaim independence from the Spanish in 1810. The declaration was signed in 1811, followed by Spanish forces being sent to re-conquer the town (and they were successful). Cartagena re-gained independence in 1821 when patriot forces took the city back by sea. In more recent history, Cartagena was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 and recognized for having the most extensive fortifications in all of South America.

Life in the city, for me at least, is pretty hot. June and July both have average temperature highs of 32 degrees, and some days you can add five or eight more degrees into the "feels like" category. The bit of rain my first week made things a bit cooler, but we've definitely been feeling the sun. This quickly discouraged me from my original hope to be able to walk to work. Don and Katie bought bikes, but with no secondhand market making that a bit pricey for my two month stay, and my skills/confidence level not likely up to the level needed for the streets of Cartagena, I opted not to get one. While I don't mind arriving home at the end of the day a bit sweaty from my 30-ish minute walk, in the mornings I take a collectivo. Here, that means a taxi that runs along a particular route picking up and dropping off passengers along the way. So I hop in with up to three other people inside and let the driver know when I want out. Don taught me to raise my index finger as taxis drive past to indicate I want a collectivo, since they all look the same until one flashes it's four-ways and pulls over. This will cost me $1,300COP, versus $5,000COP for a taxi. So for approximately 75 cents a day, I arrive at work fresh and the air conditioning in the office keeps me cool (and occasionally gives me goosebumps).

With the following photos, those marked with an asterisk were taken by Katie.

Walking along a street in 'old town' Cartagena - I would list the street name, but they tend to change every block, so adds to the fun of me trying to orient myself.

If anyone was wondering, I happen to be madly in love with the balconies here. These happen to be some of the mediocre ones - some of the bigger and more extravagant ones I could happily live on for a while.

Not all houses are quite as vibrant as this one, but if I ever find it again I plan to put effort into establishing it as a personal landmark for when I get lost.*

Cathedral de San Pedro Claver built in 1603 and later named after the Spanish monk known as the Apostle of the Slaves due to his dedication to caring for the slaves brought to Cartagena (apparently Pope John Paul II has prayed here, as well as Bill Clinton).*

Plaza Pedro de Heredia, with a statue of the founder of the city.*

Looking across from on top of the wall around the city.*

There are many places along the wall where there are ramps or steps to climb up and walk along it, which people always seem to be doing.*