The Bogota Orchids (our team name) had a wonderful time this weekend in Cartagena. It's hard to put into words everything we did and all the fun we had. We were very busy. On Saturday when we arrived, we went on a six plus hour walking tour of the city. We visited and walked around Old Town - the part of the city within the original fort walls - and New Town - the part of the city with multi-million dollar condominiums on the beach. Looks a bit like Miami beach. We also visited Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas - the old fort built by the Spaniards in 1536. Very interesting.
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View of Cartagena skyline from across Cartagena Bay
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On Sunday we took a two-hour boat ride to Isla del Rosario were we could relax and do different activities. I opted for the jungle tour. We walked through a village and then took canoes down a canal to a lagoon that led to the ocean. It was amazing to see part of the jungle on the ocean. The island has a rustic hotel and a small school for the children who live on the island. Our guide was Fillipe who has 4 children and 10 grandchildren - and he's 72 years old!! He didn't look more than 50 years old!! We had a great buffet lunch of fish, arroz de coco (coconut rice), fried plantas and fried yucca. On Monday, we had a traditional Colombian festival lunch in Old Town and found great Colombian presents to take home. (I'm glad I have an extra suitcase for souvenirs.)
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| Walking tour on Isla del Rosario |
Cartagena is a very vibrant and busy city. It has a population of 1 million people and tourism is important to the economy. Cartagena seems to be the place where Colombians come to holidays and special occasions. Walking around Cartegena Old Town at night was really fun. Music everywhere including Ballet Folkloria dancers and couples dancing Cumbia and Salsa in the square plus artisans selling their goods on the sidewalks. We saw four different weddings in the multiple churches in Old Town - even saw one bride arriving in a horse-drawn carriage. The gowns worn by the women were beautiful. Everyone in Cartagena dresses up - even to just walk around Old Town.
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| View of Cartegena from El Popa - Cathedral |
The tours were great and the visit to Cartagena was really great but the most rewarding part of the trip was the chance to really get to know the other people in the team. We don't have that chance while working in our individual projects. I feel a bond and a friendship with all of my team members - who I only met for the first time 8 days ago!! It really is an amazing experience that I will not forget.
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| Divya, Sri and Sabrina of the Bogota Orchids |
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