Barranquilla, Colombia

After winning the battle against all the little bugs in the boat, we could now declare it both bug and mold free - at least for the time being. We made sure there were chafing pads and shock absorbers on the mooring lines, packed up the dinghy and stowed away as much as possible below deck. Now we could lock up and leave the boat for slightly longer periods.

The first visit was the regional capital Barranquilla in the department of Atlantico in Colombia to which Puerto Velero and its surroundings belong. The journey there was a little adventure in itself. We decided to do like the locals and therefore went by public transport. The first stretch of 4.5 km to a major road we had to take motorcycle taxis, an illegal activity that many people make a living from and that the authorities often turn a blind eye to. 2 guys picked us up at the marina and drove us carefully all the way. Afterwards they asked if we could ride comfortably on the back of the bikes and gave us their number in case we needed a ride again. They took 5,000 COP (Colombian Pesos) per person, which corresponds to just under SEK 13. Then we stood by the side of the road and waited for the bus to Barranquilla. The buses run approximately every half hour so no timetable is needed 😊. When a bus arrived, we waved it in and were quickly seated in two free seats. In addition to the driver, there was a bus conductor/collector on the bus who took payment. For the distance we were going (about 30 km) the cost was 7,000 COP/person. Very affordable in our opinion. The bus ride itself was entertaining. After all, we had tried the adventurous bus trips in the minibuses on the Caribbean islands and thought that nothing could top these experiences. However, Colombian bus trips are probably still quite high in the adventure league. The buses on the route we traveled had around 40 seats, the AC consisted of open windows, and sometimes, open doors. At various stops along the way, passengers got on and off, as usual, but sometimes a salesman could also get on board and, for example, sell some dried banana snacks or corn cakes to the passengers who wanted something to munch on during the journey. Kind of like the popcorn vendors in the stands during a sporting event. At one point we heard a terrible noise at the back of the bus and when we turned around we discovered an elderly man who was also a one-man orchestra who had got on at the back in the bus. The man played the harmonica and kept the beat with a so-called guiro. In between he sang. After two performances, he walked around in the bus and took payment. It must be admitted that we found there was a lot to be desired in terms of the music experience and apparently most of the passengers felt the same. However, a lady took pity and gave him a penny, before he got off at the next stop. Afterwards we were ashamed as we had not given him anything at all. After all, the man's effort was still better and perhaps more worthy than "just" begging...

In Barranquilla we had booked an overnight stay at a hotel. We wanted to stay a few days to be able to see a bit of the city and have time to shop for fresh produce as there is no access to shops at the marina. In addition, a lady in the group (we won't mention name) had her birthday the following day, so we treated ourselves to luxury in the form of a hotel room with a real bed, AC and private bathroom with shower! We noted that this was the first time we did not sleep in the boat since we visited Sweden in December. The next day, Christer offered a birthday present in the form of a guide who would take us on a historical city walk through Barranquilla's older neighborhoods.

The guide, Jaime, turned out to be a nice and historically interested young guy. After hearing about what we were interested in, he told us briefly about the history of Colombia. The time before the Spanish conquest (1499) he did not know much more than that there were many different Indian peoples living in different parts of South America. When the Spanish arrived, what is today Colombia, Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador became a colony called New Grenada. At the beginning of the 19th century, the national hero Simón Bolivar led revolts against the Spanish and in 1819 they succeeded in freeing themselves from Spanish rule and declaring an independent Greater Colombia which functioned as a strong union between the different areas. Unfortunately, the union did not last long and in 1830 present-day Venezuela and Ecuador broke away and formed their own states. According to Jaime, the United States was early on interested in contributing to a canal that would connect the Caribbean Sea (and the Atlantic) with the Pacific Ocean through Panama, which was then a department of Colombia. For various reasons, including civil war, the Colombian government was not on board and at the beginning of the 20th century, Panama declared itself independent, backed by the United States, which in return could build the Panama Canal. It all went without bloodshed, but Jaime believed that the government in Colombia, at that time, could have played it’s cards better against the United States and thus been able to keep Panama.

Furthermore, Jaime told us that Colombia has a coast on both the Pacific and Caribbean seas. The country encompasses several climate zones and includes parts of the Andes Mountain range in the west and the Amazon rainforest in the east. Colombia is the world's third largest coffee producer and is rich in natural resources, but unfortunately the resources are not distributed fairly, he said. Much because of the corruption that still characterizes the country.

Barranquilla is a strategically important city due to its location on the Caribbean Sea. The great river Magdalena whose flow begins in the Andes flows right next to it and is important for transport and industries. The city has an old history and was inhabited much earlier than when the city was formally mentioned in the early 1800s. Excavations are underway to find out more about early Indian settlements in the area, but unfortunately there is a lack of funds to be able to do more thorough studies. The city was early with many "innovations", such as South America's first airport in 1909.

During the city tour, Jaimie showed us, among other things, the great cathedral Catedral metropolitana María Reina de Barranquilla, which began to be built in 1955-1980, designed by two different architects in a modernist style with a fantastic statue of Christ in bronze near the altar. The statue symbolizes how Christianity was brought via sea from Spain to South America and where three human figures follow Jesus and these represent the European, the African and the Indian (the indigenous population). The three peoples that make up the origin of the Colombians. There was of course even more to learn about the cathedral but this was what we managed to capture... We also got to see the impressive older cathedral which still has great historical and religious value. Furthermore, he showed us the Peace Square (Plaza de la paz) and a statue of Bolivar. Thereafter we looked at many older buildings in the Art Deco style that were built in the 1930-50 during a period when the city had a political and economic boom and wanted to show that Barranqilla was a modern city that could measure up to the European ones in terms of economy, culture and architecture. Here there were, among other things, office buildings, a hotel building, a cinema/theatre, a brewery, etc. All buildings that were now empty or housed other businesses.

 Jaime then showed us a neighborhood that we had never dared to visit on our own, teeming with life and sound. Here there were rolling market stalls where the vendors marketed their wares via large loudspeakers with recorded harangues. Here, meat and fish were cut up on large tables in the street. Here beggars sat by the house walls, rats scuttled here and there and dogs ran around in piles of garbage that were scattered everywhere. Bicycle taxis, rickshaws, cars... Yes, a chaotic life that was both colorful and beautiful but at the same time testified to misery. It was an overwhelming experience and we didn't take any pictures… Jaime was enthusiastic and even though we already took up too much of his time, he insisted on ending the tour at the new tourist and recreation trail that was recently inaugurated next to the Magdalena River. He ordered an Uber taxi and shortly afterwards we ended up at a long and beautiful pedestrian street where residents and visitors could stroll or arrange a picnic. Here there were areas for play and sports activities, skateboard tracks, outdoor gym, etc. Here they had also chosen to honor one of the city's heroines with (another) statue. Shakira! She had previously been presented with a statue at another location in Barranquilla, but this one was bigger and did her better justice, most people seemed to think. The singer comes from Barranquilla and has also done a lot for her hometown. Among other things, she started the "Fundación Pies Descalzos" (Barefoot Foundation) to help children with difficult living conditions and she is immensely popular here. Our guide had taken great care to take pictures of us at each site and there will therefore be, for the sake of variety, many pictures below, taken by him where we ourselves are included 😊

This is where our city tour with Jaime ended. A versatile guy who has traveled to many countries – even in Europe, completed a triathlon, is a good dancer (we got to see proof of this in some film clips…) and is always curious to learn more. We parted with some pain, he gave us much more of his time than he should have and we are so grateful!

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