Last May, photographer and blogger Marianna Jamadi joined forces with international development consultant Katalina Mayorga and led a tour group to Cartagena, Colombia. Travelers signed up for the adventure through the travel company Marianna and Katalina had just founded, El Camino, which specializes in experiential travel that includes a photographer. The vibrant culture of this port city—a fusion of Colombian and Caribbean—appealed to them as adventurous travelers, while its walled city (Ciudad Amurallada), appealed to them as photographers.
Just a forty-minute boat ride from Cartagena is Islas del Rosario, a thirty-island archipelago surrounded by crystal clear water to swim. The group opted for lobster lunch on Isla Grande.
Volcano Totumo, thirty minutes from Cartagena’s city center, is what Marianna and Katalina describe as a must-do. When you arrive at the mud bath, locals greet you, help you in, and then massage the warm, thick volcanic mud into your skin along with the characteristic sound and sensation of bubbles exploding. After a mud soak, you’re led to the nearby lagoon where the women help you into the water and wash off the mud.
The Getsemani cultural center, Centro Móvil, hosted the group for salsa and champeta classes. Champeta is a type of folk music and dance that originated in a region of Colombia influenced by Africa and Euro-African colonial settlements, the Atlantic Coastal. Later that night, the group danced on the Chiva night bus.
Mercado Bazurto is a buzzing maze of a market just outside the city center of Cartagena. Colorful, vibrant, and unpredictable, you’re as likely to pass a butchered animal being carted through the small alleys as you are fresh and colorful fruit, and of course there are also the smells of all kinds of edibles. As a photographer, Marianna is drawn to the markets; vibrant with locals, colors, and the sustenance of life, they are often the heart of cities and cultures.
As a surprise, Marianna and Katalina planned a private cooking class for their guests with Luis, a local chef. The travelers, with help from Luis, made coconut rice and a local favorite drink, limonada de coco. The regional cuisine is particularly rich and learning to cook traditional dishes can provide a sense of cultural integration. Besides, local recipes are the best gifts to bring home.
Located just outside the walls of the colonial city, streets are lined with murals by Colombian artists such as Ceroker, Yurika, and Dexs, among international artists. What was once a seedy neighborhood, the Getsemani district is in the midst of a transformation into a hub of creatives and street art. Public art has become a way to express and celebrate Getsemani’s cultural heritage. In December of 2013, the district was chosen as the location of the First International Festival of Urban Art. Attracting artists and art enthusiasts alike, Getsemani is quickly becoming a destination in the Colombian art scene.
