Mompox, the Colombian Carribean and fear and loathing of Venezuela

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After leaving San Gil we headed further north to Buccuramanga to catch an overnight bus up to the northern regions. A city of considerable size, yet again. It has surprised us to see that Colombia (outside of the Amazon and the Choco) is extremely populated, its never that long before you seem to be in another big town. We caught a night bus and headed to El Banco in the north of the country. There appeared to be only 5 people going there, but a huge big bus was provided. As night buses are not reccomended by the LP or the FCO and now so few people on the bus we could have felt that we were setting ourselves up for trouble but we had no problems. We arrived early and were ushered to join a jeep to Mompos (our intention was to go by boat). We piled in with 3 others and picked up another 2 and a boy of about 14 years old. The boy was sitting on the roof of the jeep and appeared to be an assistant to the driver. Immediately upon leaving El Banco, the roads are terrible, very muddy (although it is wet season), and very bumpy! It was worrying thinking about the young lad on top of the jeep. We were sure he might be catapulted off at any time. Inevitabley we got a puncture! Luckily and conveniently it occured at a really scenic spot with lots of birdlife, horses and some traditionally built houses, providing good photo opportunities. We could see immediately on leaving El Banco that this part of Colombia is a lot poorer than around Bogota. Extrememly different, one of the starkest differences we have seen in any country. The people even look different, with more afro-carribean look, we could tell we would be in the Carribean soon and started to feel more excitement.

We headed on and now had collected another man to sit on the roof and a woman and baby in the front. We were stopped by the police and then they let us go but then we were stopped later again as its not permitted to have children in the front of the vehicle. So the mother passed the child to Vik to sit on her lap whilst the two guys on the roof were instructed to get inside the vehicle. There was not enough space, so it was a really tight squeeze and one guy just crouching on the floor. We got away from the police and we passed the child back to her mother. We finally arrived in Mompos (a little later than expected!). Immediately we liked it!

Mompos is an amazing little town. It is very isolated and therefore its stuck in time and evolved its own feel. There are some beautiful churches and everybody owns beautifully crafted wooden rocking chairs. Their furniture is like something from a period drama and its like walking back in time to Old Misissipi with the sweltering sticky heat and the river, with cat fish being served with hot sauce, rice and fried bannana, delicious! There are very few gringos here too, as it takes a while to get here and there is nothing to do! We loved it. It is the most relaxing place we have been since the Gili islands. There were guys playing football, kids playing in a derilict building having devised a game of tig involving not being allowed to touch the ground, we watched them hopping about all over the place and then coming down and drinking their coconuts. There are men playing dominoes by the riverside and several simple places selling ice cold beer. We walked round about 4pm and lots of the locals had got their rocking chairs out onto the street for the daily routine of chin wagging and rocking.

The LP mentions a small botanic garden with lots of butterflies and hummingbirds. We wandered up to have a look and were ushered into an old womens garden claiming to be the Jardin Botanico although there was no sign and nothing looked right. She charged us about 1.50 dollars each, so we had a look, expecting to stumble across the proper garden behind all the overgrown mess at the front but there was nothing but more overgrown mess. Within 1 minute of entering we confronted her and told here we didnt like it and wanted our money back as we hadnt spent any time there and it certainly was not a botanic garden. She was hesitant to give us the money back and offered to show us a Coca plant (as if it might console us) but we were not interested. Anyway, we insisted that she return the money and when she was dissagreeing we said that we would phone the police. Immediately she returned the money! but then we felt really guilty like the bad ones! but also we are sick of this kind of piss taking. We would never have got the police involved for 3 dollars, of course not, but the bluff worked! There is no proper botanic garden, it is only the overgrown mess. Dont waste your time going as there are howler monkeys and iguanas all down by the river that are plenty interesting.

The next day, more relaxing with some beers by the river, chatting to some locals and watching the iguanas and the howler monkeys in the trees above us. We loved it here and a third day of relaxation would have been great, but we pushed on. Sadly we had to push on another 8 hours to get to Cartagena. We had to take a ferry part of the way up the Rio Magdalena which was also quite nice as there are lots of birds to watch and freshly squeezed OJ to drink.

So finally we got to Cartagena. Having featured in the film, Romancing the Stone, its the sort of place that seems exotic, exciting and adventurous. It definately lives up to the hype. Its an incredibly beautiful city with a very Carribean vibe. Its nothing like Bogota and its much much more touristy than any other part of Colombia. It is a very romantic city and the sort of place you want to put on your best clothes and smarten your appearance to eat in nice restaurants and go dancing in the bars. Unfortunately we are not on that kind of budget and plonking around in flip flops and baggy clothes, we dont feel like we are in the movie. We did want to go to one of the music clubs so headed round at 1030, it was just getting started. We went to a club that only shows Vallenato. Vallenato on projector screen and then a live band in between. The Colombians get up and do this weird dance, nothing like salsa or other semi organised dancing. The idea is get as close as possible to your partner and wriggle your hips whilst shuffling round. We decided that if we were to try it that it might upset everyone to see our moves, so we just sat back and watched and enjoyed the music.

So we were getting closer to going to Venezuela and started to do some research. Venezuela is starting to sound like a nightmare. You need to take loads of dollars to change on the black market as the bank exchanges 2000 bolviars to 1 US dollar, and thus it becomes exceedingly expensive, but on the black market you can get up to 6000 bolivars. We decided we had to get ready in Cartagena, whilst we have access to banks etc. We got dollars and then started organising where to hide it all, like in bras, shoes, secret slits in our trousers etc.... We also hear that Venezuela is pretty unsafe and it makes Colombia look like disneyland. We were starting to feel anxious! especially FCO website reccomendation not to go within 50 miles of the border at any part of it! Shit shit shit! what are we doing was our thoughts, why didnt we research this before but Oh Yeah, remember we only made the decision to come this way after tossing a bloody coin in Australia the day before arriving in South America. We felt like we were paying for that now!

We headed to our next Colombian carribean destination of Tayrona Park, with beautiful beaches we relaxed and slept in our hammock beds. Very very nice. On our hike back out we spotted howler monkeys and these teeny weeny ones that are endemic. The howler monkeys were making this god awful noise as though from a horror movie!

Our last Colombian destination was Santa Marta. Another city on the carribean. It was mentally hot here and there was some fiesta going on at the beach, Yet Again! My god Colombia, you party party party all the time and when you run out of excuses or holy celebrations you make new ones, like Party of the Sea! We headed down again at night and the place had thousands of people lining the streets drinking beer. We thought it would be rude not to join in and promptly found a couple of seats and some cold beers to watch the carnaval parade. It was like a small version of what we imagine in Brasil. Lots of amazing costumes and dancing, large floats with sexy ladies scantilly clad wiggling their hips. It was incredible and the most amazing way to finish our trip. The parade went on for 2 hours and then live Vallenato started on a stage set up across the road. Really really cool!

Colombia, you are one of our favourite countries ever, what a place!

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Photos

Neil rocking out in Mompos
This look is starting to suit you!

Neil and Vik romancing the stone
On the Castillo de San Fellipe in Cartagena where the end of the movie was filmed