Getsemani

Carnaval blog post update:
*The elephant looking thingy is called "La Marimonda" it is indeed the "mascot/symbol" of the carnaval
*Men dress as women to symbolize the many widows Joselito left behind - they cry to get money, so the more they cry/whoever puts a better show the more money they get, which means they can get more RUMMMM and the party can go on.

Today was a late start after a late night. I went to a party at another hostel with some random travellers/friends I hit it off with at my hostel. I did not end up making it out to the fluorescent lake, or else I wouldn't be updating my blog today. It was just too early of a start to make it out there. It would have involved taking a bus or taxi to the marina, haggling with a ship captain to take me to the main tourist island. Then from there, I'd have to haggle with the fisherman to take me to the other island with the bioluminescent plankton. I was just not up for a 7am wake up. There will be other lakes. 

Before the party I went to get dinner. I had this dessert called Salame Chocolate. It is chocolate with almonds which is formed into a cylinder then sliced into rounds. They then put chantilly whipped cream, sliced mint leaves, maraschino cherries and a lime reduction sauce on it. It is a very interesting flavour combo and there is something for everyone in this dish. I would not order it again, but it is very creative.

I got up in the heat of the day to go find some lunch, I have a personal sized face towel that I use solely to wipe the sweat from my brow. That's right...my brow. It's usually soaked after 30 minutes or so of walking because it is really really hot here. I really can't stress that enough. :)

Look at that sunshine :)

I'm staying in Getsemani. Remember yesterday I said that there's and old walled city and a new walled city...well Getsemani is the new walled city. The pictures below show the wall around the entrance to this part of Cartagena. I just decided to go for a long walk today. Nothing special or exciting, but I did see a massive fortress among other things.

I was watching these guys fish in the same river as the photo above. It's actually a bay. But it's all just semantics anyway. I was just aimlessly wandering and found this lovely garden which has a path that leads to the street which leads to...

...the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. It is a massive fortress built on the highest hill. From here, the Spanish would be able to see any potential enemies or intruders and be able to withstand any assaults. There is a complex of tunnels underneath the fortress which lead to the outside which would assist with getting supplies or evacuation if necessary.

While walking, a Colombian lady flagged down this tourist bus and started going OFF in Spanish to some of the passengers. She was making a huge scene so I think the tourists just paid her off. Or maybe they took something from her without paying. Who knows? What I want to know is how she knew where these people were and how to get the driver to stop for her. He was pulling away and ready to go. Ah, sweet mystery of life.

Walking back to my hostel, the sun was setting over Getsemani, so I whipped out my camera and took some these. You can see the rays of the sun and the different colours of the sky. This rivals the Sunset Lounge in Miami. Except, Miami was better for other reasons.

This is the store in front of my hostel. In Canada, we'd call this a condemned building. It looks like it's about to cave in any second. The door is not crooked, the house is just sagging in the middle. This is one of my favourite pictures I've taken so far. I don't know what it is...I just like it.

Tomorrow I'm going to a mud volcano. For real this time.

Cartagena

I've got two new favourite songs now thanks to Carnaval. They are so catchy. Have a listen. One in Spanish and one in Portuguese. See the YouTube videos below.

Cartagena, the most visited city in Bogota doesn't even have toilet paper in it's bathrooms at the Museo Del Oro (a major tourist attraction). How can this be? Does Colombia even want to be a travel destination? This situation is common in many public places. Most times you just pay the bathroom guard for the privilege of using the bathroom. Anywhere from $500 to $1000 pesos. The guard is (usually) a woman who sits in front of the public toilet all day and tell you how much it is to do your business. They also inquire as to your business there...so they can withhold or provide toilet paper. But I digress...

Woke up this morning to wait for the "private, door-to-door" service again. Again they came late. And again they just dropped me at the side of the road and pointed us in the general direction of the hostel. At least this time the driver of the bus hailed a cab. But there's no point in taking the private service if you have to pay for the cab anyways...I should write a strongly worded letter to the owner of Marsol. By the way...don't use Marsol if you're ever on the Colombian coast.

I finally made it to the hostel. Hot, tired and hungry. Which is a good start to the day. The hostel is surprisingly close to the "old city". I'm staying in the new city. Cartagena was a fortified city back in the 1500s. The Spanish used it as their main port for exporting the gold they stole from the Natives. Sir Francis Drake (British Navy Commander), a pirate to the Spaniards, a hero to the British, would steal the gold from the ships or the ports of the Spanish and take it back to England. I would love to be a pirate. Just saying...

Anyways, that's why they built a wall around the old city. To withstand attacks and cannonballs. It's a few metres thick. It was cool to think of the Spanish soldiers who stood where I was and saw the British ships firing on them. I would have been scared senseless if it was me, but it wasn't so I think it's cool. The main entrance to the old city is through the clock tower wall.

Clock Tower 

Before I got there though, I had lunch at this little hole in the wall restaurant. But it was some of the best fried fish I've had. I finally had the fried fish I was searching for on the coast. It doesn't look like much, but it's so delicious. Fish golden fried to perfection with smashed and fried plantains with a salad in a lettuce bowl. And a glass of limonada on the side to wash it all down.

I'm like The History Channel and The Food Network all in one. You can cancel your cable. I've just save you hundreds of dollars every year. You're welcome. You truly realize you are in a mostly Roman Catholic country when you see all the people walking around with grey spots on their foreheads. It's Ash Wednesday today. So there are services happening at all the churches in the area. Here's a church I passed on my way to the walled city.

 
Once inside the old city, the architecture changes. The roads change. The sidewalks change. It's like stepping back into colonial times for the most part. There are some buildings which are newer and take away from the charm, but for the most part, it's really nice.

A guard post on the wall

Some of the oldest churches are here in Cartagena here. Below is the Church of Pedro Claver, the first saint of the Americas for his work with African slaves. The exterior stones are made from coral rock. You can see the porous formations in the second picture below. The other church is the Cartagena Cathedral. Enjoy.

This is a building outside the walled city. I just like how it looks. I'm going to a phosophorescent lake tomorrow. Should be fun.

Birthday!

Today I turned 27 years old. And I'm in Colombia. And I couldn't be happier. It was a few years coming, but I knew I would be spending my birthday outside of the country where I was born someday. The whole city has shut down for the past four days. The only things that are open are the grocery store and the tourist market. It's nice that there is time for a break here. Nobody is lobbying the government so that they can be open to make more money. People here seem to understand that rest is vital to our existence. However, I was hungry and wanted to eat something but couldn't find an open restaurant. The city has quite literally become a ghost town. All the parties are done. All the streets have been cleaned. The vendors have packed up. The tourists have gone home.

I went to another parade today. Much smaller and less attended than the other one. It's called the Funeral of Joselito Carnaval. See the excerpt below:

"It takes place the day before Ash Wednesday at the start of the Catholic Lent. Joselito is the most representative character of the Barranquilla Carnival; he symbolizes gaiety and festiveness, and dies after four days of intense partying. His body is cried upon and he is symbolically buried by the merry widows who shared his days of festiveness.

Joselito’s funeral is a symbolic farewell “to the flesh”. There is no single Joselito for the whole city. Anyone can tour the streets with a figure of Joselito. This is a frequent custom practiced by people of all ages, creeds, races, and sexes as a final indulgement before the start of Lent. Thus, Joselito’s funeral marks the end of the feasts of the Dios Momo." - http://www.colombia.travel/en/international-tourist/sightseeing-what-to-do/history-and-tradition/fairs-and-festivals/february/the-barranquilla-carnival

While trying to find the parade, I started by walking in the opposite direction I was supposed to and then didn't see anything but hospitals. There's a strange logic to the organization of stores and services here in Colombia. All stores which offer the same services/products are all clustered together. So there will be 16 shoe stores on the same street, or 7 storefronts for mariachi band rentals, or 5 hospitals/clinics/pharmacies all together. It's great that you only have to go one place to shop around, but it sucks if you don't live close by. Some sights from my walk reminded me that here and home are not all that different. In a lot of ways, they are ahead of us. Their parks have wi-fi!

Oreo with white top, black bottom and half vanilla half arequipe cream

Sign says: This is a digital park. Connect here for internet (something) by Metrotel

On the way to the parade, I met a mime. He was copying everything I was doing. Apparently it was funny to the people watching. I didn't think so...I gave him $800 pesos to stop.

Finally, after walking for what felt like two hours in the heat (again, it's really hot here...I think it's cold back home). I found the place. And I was hungry. So of course, I went to the vendor selling chorizo off of a shopping cart who has decided not to button up his shirt (it is hot after all) and is missing most of his teeth. The smoke in the picture is where his charcoal grill was attached (probably used to be part of the cart). This was quite possibly the most delicious thing I've had in Colombia. First, he grills the sausage over the coals until it's well done, grill marks and all. Then he slices it, puts it in a paper bag with a generous squeeze of limon and hot sauce. It's heaven in your mouth as the fat from the sausage is cut by the tartness of the citrus and the smoky background flavours with that little kick of hot sauce makes it.

After the sausage, you've got to have something to wash it all down. So of course, you go to the guy operating the hand-crank ice shaver to get a snow cone. This machine is so old. There's a video showing you how it works.

There was also a guy selling bread out of a see-through cart.

Carnaval is everywhere and in everything. Even the dogs are into it.

Not really...two seconds after I took this picture, the dog was trying to get it off. I would have helped, but it's a stray. And I'm not willing to test out my rabies vaccine just yet. So as I was sitting at 4:30, waiting for the 4pm parade to start, I saw these guy wheeling downhill in a box. And I thought to myself, "If only I had my camera out." So I took it out, and lo and behold: check the video for the only way to travel.

Finally...the parade started. It was interesting to say the least. There were a lot of guys dressed in woman's clothing. I did not understand why or get the significance. But they seemed to be having a good time. Pictures and videos below.

yes, that's a guy

The mascot or symbol of Carnaval in Barranquilla seems to be this elephant man. Again, I don't know what the significance is but it's kind of cool. He's hanging in the trees, tranformerized into a truck and the face of a cake.

I saw this church on my way back home. I liked the architecture. So I took a picture in front of it. Tomorrow, I head to Cartagena, the biggest tourist destination in Colombia, both domestically and internationally. I'll see what all the hype's about and blog again tomorrow.

Parade! Batalla de Flores

I've been told the marshmallow candy I bought on the street is called gelatina de pata. Thank you to my sources.

Gangnam Style truly is a global phenomenon. I can't tell you how many times I've heard it on the radio down here and seen Colombians dancing along to it. It's quite amazing.

Today I woke up early to go check out the Batalla de Flores. The main parade of Carnaval. Got up at 8:30. Got out of the hotel at 9:30. Made it down to the parade route by 10:30. Paid for a great seat. And then waited....and waited....and waited until 2pm for the parade to start. The program said 11am. Even by Colombian standards they were running late. This put a bit of a downer on the whole thing.

The parade was full of life and colour and music, when it was going by. But there were large gaps in time where no one and nothing came by. It was weird. Maybe I just didn't get it, but it seemed that there was no theme or anything to the costumes and floats. At one point you'd have Mr. T, then dancers, then Avatar, then the Queen of Carnaval. It's in the pictures and videos below. Sitting in the crowds, there are these things called "espumas" which squirt out suds and cover everyone and everything. They also throw powder. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

At one point, the guy who sold us and the people around us the seats tried to take the roof off of the gazebo thingy, but there was gonna be a riot, so he promptly stopped. Around 3pm people from across the street were coming to our side for some shade. But they were sitting right in front of us and people were yelling at them, throwing garbage at them, and other things. It was not very nice. Another thing that isn't too nice is the garbage that piles up after everyone leaves. There is just so much of it, and no trash cans. Or people just don't bother.

At the end is some pictures of the market I described yesterday. I hope you enjoy the pics and videos.

Mr. T, why?

That's soap on my face....Matt.

Suds on everyone

Predator...or is it Alien?

200 years of Carnaval!

Queen of Carnaval's float

Her Highness

Avatar?

Videos!!!

They sell any and everything here. Grilled meats. Hats. Piles of poo. Ice cream. Fruits. Clothes.

Chips

Decorative Plastic Poo! Great for the coffee table...

Chinese resto menu. Lumpia is #13

Me in my Carnaval t-shirt