I feel like Diddy when I walk Cartagena's streets. Since pretty much everyone here is black, I get shoutouts once every 10 minutes. What is funny is that people call out to me and say "Mi color!" - a clear reference to the fact that our skin color is the same. It's kind of become my nickname in this city. After only two days, there have been countless hilarious encounters. Like the guy who called out, "Hey mi color, we gots beautiful p*ssy here man." The very sad, desperate exploitation of women in this instance is only matched by the hilarious absurdity of such a comment being yelled in my direction on my first few hours in the city. I've been offered all kinds of crazy things besides women, some things I've never even heard of. I try to look for the humor in all of it though.
The most egregious instance came last night as I walked with two guys I had met in the hostel through the main square. I heard, "Yo whatsup m*thaf*cka! Hey my n*gga! Over here pahtnah!! Why you no respond man?" In my head I said to myself "keep walking, keep walking," until I realized he had gotten up to follow us. I knew a crazy conversation would ensue. This man had lived in New Jersey before, in Plainfield to be exact, where his family owned a restaurant. He told me a free meal waited for me back in NJ if I told them I spoke to their cousin, the short guy with the gold teeth. He went on and on for about 20 minutes about his stint in a Texas prison , and how his sentence was reduced from 6 to 3 years, after which he was deported back to Colombia. He told me he had three kids in the US and they all spoke Spanish and were quite smart. After twenty minutes of non-stop chatter, we told him about the friend we were supposed to meet (who of course didn't exist). It was hilarious to see him bothering a group of three Americans an hour later on the street, yelling to me asking if I knew them. The only other thing that matched this insanity was when this old lady passing by us on the street grabbed the balls of my friend from Ireland , and then cat-called him afterward. My mouth dropped. Good ol' sexual assault on the street. For some reason, all of this, despite how inappropriate it is, has just made me laugh.
People are generally extremely nice here in Cartagena even if they refuse to leave me alone or attempt numerous times to lead me to whorehouses. In a tourist area like this one, it's all business for them. Women are commodities, and everything is an opportunity for money-making. Despite these issues though, the pleasantness of the spirit of Cartagena's people matches the real wonder of Cartagena's layout and architecture. The old city is surrounded by magnificent walls and towers. Inside are winding, narrow streets and airy plazas, with horse-drawn carriages on every road. The romanticism of the place hits you immediately, with the lovers on the corners and the artistic brilliance in old statues and modern art. The square outside of the old city is magnificent as well, with fountains, colonial buildings and the vast Caribbean waters. Walking through Cartagena is like walking through a dream to be honest. The only thing is that it's a very hot dream. The weather is scorching and each day we all pray for a breeze, which surprisingly never comes despite the proximity of the water. The humidity is astounding. For this reason, I haven't been out for too long during the day, since I would most definitely sweat my clothes off (I sweat like Shaq!). I plan to venture out today though to take some daytime pictures. The weekend should also bring some more options as well. Like in Medellin and Cali, Cartagena is also a pretty chill city, with most people staying inside during the week, leaving empty streets late at night and very few places open.
I knew I would immediately like the city though when, on my first night, I wandered into a plaza where this dance troupe called Grupo Candela Vivo was playing some amazing cumbia music, very popular African influenced rhythm here in Colombia. I met some of them afterward - they were young, interesting, and quite talented. They also danced to folklorica music, which I saw the following evening. They're practicing every evening in the square for upcoming shows. This kind of spontaneous cultural exposition, free music and art coming from true musicians and artists, reminds me of Salvador in Brazil, which I am still hopelessly in love with. After a day exploring outside Cartagena, passing small islands and swimming at Playa Blanca, I hope I can see some more live music and performances this weekend and learn more about this romantic city. I'm sure the random shoutouts will continue...
mi color! love it...
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