Adventurer Steve Barrymore is a frequent voyager and expert on travel to South and Central America and the Carribean. Steve blogs regularly as The Wanderer and has generously agreed to tell us a little about his favorite destinations in Latin America. Today’s post on Cartagena, Columbia, is the third in a series covering Steve’s top five travel cities. Thanks for reading.  -Charlie

Everyone has their favorite part of the world. Mine happens to be Latin America, which includes Mexico, Central and South America. I realize that certain cities have characteristics that may be appealing to me, but not to others. Since this is a list of MY top 5 Latin Cities, I will point out what I like about each one, and hope some of those things may appeal to you as well.  – Steve Barrymore

A world apart from Bogotá, Cartagena, Columbia, is a  great city in which to spend 2-3 days. A UNESCO world site,   make sure most of your time is spent in the old walled city which has lots of shopping and quaint restaurants.  Be sure you eat some of the deep fried potato chips sold by vendors in the park, and make time to eat a sandwich or one of the delicious desserts at Mila’s restaurant. 

There are plenty of street vendors selling jewelry and watercolor paintings of the city.  Bargain hard, but be fair. Cartagena has a good archeological and gold museum.There are also a couple of interesting forts to visit. 

The hotel prices tend to be on the high side, while food in some of the local restaurants on the side streets can be very reasonable ($2-$3 for the lunch plate of the day). Plaza Santo de Domingo is a rather large outdoor dining and drinking area shared by several restaurants, and there are usually lots of people watching opportunities here. 

If you want an absolute “electrifying night” then you have to visit the Club Havana in barrio Getsemaní. When the crowd feels they have the rhythm, they jump up from their chairs and dance to some of the best Cuban music you will hear anyplace. Get there early, grab a table by the stage, and be prepared to be swept into another world. 

If your Spanish is generally bad, it will be even worse in Cartagena where they have a strong coastal accent that even the people in Bogotá or Medellin have a hard time understanding. Don’t let that deter you from visiting an up and coming city.

Adventurer Steve Barrymore is a frequent voyager and expert on travel to South and Central America and the Carribean. Steve blogs regularly as The Wanderer and has generously agreed to tell us a little about his favorite destinations in Latin America. Today’s post on Bogotá, Columbia,  is the second in a series covering Steve’s top five travel cities.

Thanks for reading.  -Charlie

Everyone has their favorite part of the world. Mine happens to be Latin America, which includes Mexico, Central and South America. I realize that certain cities have characteristics that may be appealing to me, but not to others. Since this is a list of MY top five Latin cities, I will point out what I like about each one, and hope some of those things may appeal to you as well.  – Steve Barrymore

If you want to visit an exciting city made up of some of the world’s most beautiful people then Bogotá, Columbia, the financial capital of northern South America, is the place for you. 

Resist staying in the brass and glass hotels in the upscale district, but instead spend a couple of nights at the 4-star Hotel de la Opera in La Candelaria in old Bogotá. You will be a short walk from El Museo del Oro which has one of the most eye-popping gold collections in the world. After the museum, make sure you walk a couple of blocks to Plaza Bolivar, which plays an important part in Colombian history.  

You can’t leave Bogotá without taking the cable car up to the top of Cerro Montserrate and seeing one of the most incredible views in Latin America. 

Go to dinner at one of the restaurants in Parque de la 93. Find a restaurant with live music such as Gato Negro and watch the hot blooded Colombian diners spontaneously rise from their tables and start dancing in the aisles. You will soon find yourself being swept up in the beat of the Cumbia and the Salsa. Just keep your hands to yourself!

After you sleep off a night of dancing, you need to head to Zona Rosa, the upscale shopping district of Bogotá. Here you can gather your wits by sitting in one of the many sidewalk cafes, sipping a cup a strong Columbian coffee, while watching the beautiful people of Bogotá walk by. 

If you visit Bogotá you won’t be sorry. Just don’t walk around the streets a lot at night. Swap out your Rolex for your Timex, leave your “bling” at home, and carry a copy of your passport with you (not the original). Practice these few precautions and you can experience one of the great cities of the world.