FIVE THINGS I LEARNED IN COLOMBIA (…NOT COLUMBIA LOL)

1. Not super “beachy”, but has many different environments/landscapes

If you are looking for a beach, Colombia ain’t all the way it. Colombia is not known for its beaches. Much of the coastline is rocky and lacks the white sand beaches that are known around the Caribbean. However, if you are a water lover don’t fret, you have a few options while in Cartagena. I went out the Rosario Islands. It is a 45-minute boat ride out to the islands and you can enjoy the surrounding reefs and resorts there. Many of these islands off the coasts aren’t beachy either. The islands are large rock formations jutting out of the sea covered in mangroves and surrounded by coral reefs. However, many of the resorts have small beaches where you can enjoy the turquoise waters above the reefs (NOTE: the waters off these islands look much better than the coastal waters right off of Cartagena).

If you want a beach, an excellent option (surprise) is Isla Baru. About an hour away from Cartagena by car (or 30 minutes by boat), you can enjoy Caribbean beach life with more turquoise waters, white sand beaches, and alcoholic drinks served in coconuts. It is well worth going out to for the day to enjoy the beach and the local community who have businesses all along the waterfront. It gets really crowded out there during the day. So you may want to take the option (which I choose) of going late in the day to relax on a less crowded beach and enjoy the sunset.

This is how most beaches around Cartagena look. Water isn't as blue and clear as what you would see in Isla Baru (below).

White sand beaches and blue waters of Isla Baru

2. Colombia has a huge Afro-Colombian population

I wasn’t super familiar with the amount of blackness in Colombia. There is a huge Afro-Colombian population. Throughout Cartagena especially in the walled city, you will find many Afro-Colombians working and selling their wares on the street. It is in Cartagena and many of the coastal cities where you will find the Afro-Colombian population. In Bogota, I saw very few Afro-Colombians.

The Afro-Colombian community has a long, storied history with deep roots in slavery. When the Spanish colonized the land and indigenous communities of what is now known as Colombia, they eventually brought African slaves to their new colonies to work on plantations. Some of the slaves on the coast resisted and escaped into the mountains to create their own free community, which is known as Palenque. In Palenque, slaves continued their African traditions and used their former language, which is still used today in the community. After trying to deal with all of the escapes to the community, Spain granted the community autonomy and freedom. #BlackPower

Palenqueras  are  black ladies in colourful traditional dresses selling fruit and sweets.

Afro-Colombian beach shop owners at Isla Baru

3. The seafood is good…just don’t order the ceviche off the beach

I don’t like seafood, but I had a great seafood stew on Rosario Island. The stew was filled with shrimp, clams, and crab, and was deliciously paired with coconut rice and tostones.

According to the locals, get your seafood along the coast while you are there. Order a mojarra while you are there. It is a whole fried fish that locals love.

A keyword of advice that I got while I was there was to definitely NOT order seafood on the beach. If you are at a restaurant, you will be cool. But, a Styrofoam container-full-of-fish-or-shrimp salesmen may not your friend. It may lead you to fish/shrimps/lobster that has been sitting out way too long with no refrigeration and the absolute worst food poisoning that you want on vacation.

4. You need to know your basic Spanish.

I had to speak Spanglish the entire time I transacted business in Colombia. Everyone from the hotel desk clerks to restaurant staff members spoke little to no English with me so you will have to make sure you either have a pen and paper to have them write down your total or drawn whatever they are saying. I learned how to make hand gestures to get what I need or where I was trying to go.

Key phrases you may want to remember:

Do you use purified water for the ice? --- ¿Es tu hielo purificado?

Where is the bathroom? --- ¿Dónde está el baño?

How much is this? --- ¿Cuánto cuesta este?

*pen and paper will be required for you to understand the amount or know your Spanish numbers from 0 to 9.

5. Uber is your friend.

Don’t get cheated! Period. Taxis are notorious for taking on passengers and doing massive price hikes at the end of the journey. Thank God Uber is available.

If you don’t know Spanish and want to know your costs upfront, take Uber. It may take a minute (as the times on the app don’t reflect when the driver will actually show up), BUT you will get where you need to go with less hassle.

5,000 pesos = 5 Mil (You can also receive a 5,000 peso note as well)

6. Colombian pesos are hard to figure out… but (U.S dollars) cash is king.

Colombia is going through a change with their currency. Most things cost thousands of pesos. For a pack of gum, it might be 3,000 pesos. Some of their bills demark their currency with complete numeric pesos. And some just have the number with a “mil” after it. It can be confusing at first. Due to this change, some shops or taxi drivers may try to take advantage of you.