Boarding Pass: BOG via CTG
Photo map of Cartagena. Click on image for interactive map.
Photo map of Bogotá. Click on image for interactive map.
Those of us who inhabit the world of space-available travel know the many joys of having your flight go to poos at the last minute. It’s why we are experts at booking hotels as the plane taxis out (or in). It’s why we know which countries allow visa-on-arrival. And it’s why we turn an extra stop into an afternoon al fresco in a city we hadn’t planned on visiting when we went to bed last night. Flexibility, homies. Turn that headache into “Hell, yeah!”
Plans change, just keep moving.
We were already hyped for Bogotá when the flight loads sharted the bed. MIA-BOG was the problematic leg. However, MIA-CTG was wide-open. A points ticket from CTG-BOG cost about the same as some cab rides, and there was a flight every couple of hours. We could land at noon, spend the afternoon in Cartagena, and be back at the airport for a late evening flight. Sold. We would need a place to store our luggage and to grab a shower and change before we went back to the airport, so I made an inexpensive hotel booking at Hotel Gallery in the city center to serve those purposes. We would then spend that night and the next in Bogotá as planned.
We arrived in Cartagena, cleared immigration and customs, then hopped in a cab to the hotel. We dropped our bags and headed out for lunch, then hit the streets for some photography. The main subjects here would be people, architecture, and street art. I had mapped locations in the walled city and Getsemani, to maximize our limited time here.
Out in the streets in Cartagena.
PEOPLE. Everywhere. So many. You couldn’t walk 10 steps without someone in your grill trying to sell you something. But in the spirit of finding the silver halide lining, I found it to be a great opportunity for street photography. The constant harassment was extremely annoying at the time, but I ended up with the best photos of people from the entire trip thanks to that environment. Jay, as always, bore the brunt of people approaching us (it’s hard to talk to someone with a camera over her face). It never felt dangerous, just unrelenting. Even more annoying were the insta-babes constantly posing in their flowy dresses and unnecessary hats in front of each and every beautiful structure. I was tempted to purchase Jay a ladies extra-husky maxi dress and big-ass floppy hat so we could get in on that action. If we had spent the night here, I would have come out first thing in the morning to get those shots while the streets were empty. But we did the best we could, then made our way outside the walled city to the adjacent neighborhood of Getsemaní.
All in a day’s work in Cartagena.
Getsemaní was by no means deserted, but it was much less crowded and exponentially less aggressive than the walled city had been. I was able to catch my breath, and there was incredible street art everywhere I turned. Talented artists have turned this section of Cartagena into an absolute explosion of color and creativity. We weren’t spending the night on this trip, but if we return for an overnight stay, I would definitely choose Getsemaní for our lodging.
Street art reigns in Getsemani.
Exhausted and covered in sweat, we checked in to the hotel and cleaned up for the next leg of our trip. A 1-hour flight brought us to Bogotá. We made a quick exit from the airport since we already cleared in at Cartagena, and were dropped off at Hotel de la Ópera before we knew it. A couple of question marks drifted through my mind when the taxi stopped on a seemingly deserted stretch of a main street, but quickly vanished as we were escorted through gates to a pedestrian walk and the entrance to the hotel. A solid sleep, a bodacious breakfast, and my batteries were fully charged to take on the hills of La Candelaria.
Next stop, Bogotá.
I am not reckless when I walk around with a camera, but I am not timid with my location choices. Time of day is frequently a factor, and morning tends to be a great time to test the waters. Plus the light is great, the crowds are fewer, and coffee shops are fantastic places to make quick navigation stops. Warnings abound about the safety concerns of La Candelaria. Know what else abounds in La Candelaria? Police with machine guns. Unsurprisingly, this adds significantly to one’s sense of personal safety. I pretty much lived on the wide end of my recently acquired workhorse, the Canon EF 24-105mm. I only took out my Rokinon 14mm for shots of the super-tall and extremely close Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen, because I couldn’t get far enough from it without buildings in the way.
I knew exactly what I came to Bogotá for: those iconic shots of the undulating streets lined with colorful buildings, with the mountains in the background. I was prepared to walk up and down every street in La Candelaria to get it, and that’s pretty much what we did. The experience was a stark contrast to that of the day before in Cartagena. No harassment, a fraction of the population, and a very peaceful shoot with no distractions. Variety is the spice of travel, but I was having a WAY better time in Bogotá. It’s ok to play favorites, and I had a new one.
When you see it, you’ll know.
Sometimes things just flow, and I was satisfied with my shooting by noon. The afternoon was spent relaxing over a beautiful lunch, followed by resting and watching a few Spanish-language nature shows. We walked to El Irish Pub for dinner at the recommendation of our concierge, and had a fantastic and very inexpensive dinner. On the walk back to the hotel, we heard one “gringo” and one “señora” tossed our way. Maybe it would have gotten sketch if we had stayed out later, but we had an early flight the next morning and weren’t tempted to find out. There was much less flight-related drama on the trip home, and another trip to South America was in the bolsa.
Where the wind blows in Bogotá.
In my world, plans going sideways is the rule rather than the exception. I credit this phenomenon for teaching me to take things in stride, and to look for opportunity in last-minute chaos. Had the flights held up, I still would not have been to Cartagena, and I wouldn’t have some of my favorite shots in my travel photography portfolio. If you can get there, it’s a good trip. If you get home the day you thought you would, it’s an outstanding one.
