This was a trip we took to Cartagena de Indias, Colombia back in 2010. The mix of old and new city I now find is quite common in the “New World”.
Of course everyone gasped when we said we were going to COLOMBIA!
In their minds, Colombia was home to drug cartels and violence. When we landed and met up with our guide, we looked at each other in disbelief. Neither of us had never seen a black Colombian or Afro-Colombian. This is what travel outside of your comfort zone does. It opens your eyes AND mind to the world you never get to see on TV or in the movies. During our stay, we learn of Cartagena’s history of colonialism and slavery. We stayed in a boutique hotel, of course, but still we felt relatively safe walking around the old city at night. I found the people of Cartagena congenial and very helpful of lost tourists. In the end, we wished we had planned a longer trip.
