Canapote

Canapote is a neighborhood just northeast of Marbella. My intention was to stay there for a couple weeks until I was able to find something better in El Centro. I had eventually found out that Canapote was considered to be a dangerous neighborhood. This is what was said by the locals.

After doing some in-depth research, the reputation came about from a situation that had taken place a few years prior.  Whenever I would move to a new location, I tend to walk around and check out the area and to find out about the neighbors.

The same held true for Canapote. I had the chance to walk around the neighborhood. I found out that Canapote is a very busy barrio in Cartagena. Therefore, I had decided to walk as much of Canapote as I could. I went as far as I could on the main thoroughfare of 33rd street. A lot was going on throughout the area from conchos (motorcycles), to jeeps filled with people, to taxis, and everything else with wheels.

Regardless, I was able to rent out an entire spacious house that had two-bedrooms with a patio, a large living room and a dining room. The patio area was in the back in case you wanted to wash your clothes and hang them out to dry.

A storage room was also available along with a second bathroom as well. It was idea for a family. The only family I had at the time was my college friend Stan who was staying at Martha’s in Getsemani.

However, that all changed when Stan called one day to see if I had any room at my place, which was an Airbnb house. I told him I did. Later that day, I looked up and Stan was getting out of the taxi coming through the gate with his suitcase. I assured Stan that he had his own room and bathroom and that all of the food was covered.

I loved that house, but I did not love the location because I thought that it was too far away from El Central. By the way, thanks for Mayra and Alex who were gracious enough to allow me to stay there. When I go back, I know where to stay in the days ahead.

I loved being close to El Central because there was easy access to everything there. I had shopped for groceries and general accessories. Canapote had caused me to step outside of my comfort zone. Not only that, but when the weekends came I did not want to be stuck in a neighborhood that I was not familiar with.

This Airbnb became my humble abode for a couple of months.

Maraya and Alex owned the Airbnb and they had rented it out to a lot of people. Alex’ mother used to live there, but she had passed away a year prior and so they had decided to fix it up and turn it into an Airbnb. It was a descent size house, and it was perfect for two bachelors who needed space and their own bathrooms and showers.

Not only that, but when it came to cooking food, we found ourselves making a lot of skillet fried bologna sandwiches with lots of butter. I hope that I don’t regret it later, but those bologna sandwiches were so good! And if we did not feel like cooking at home, there were always local restaurants and eateries nearby.

One day we had met Maria from Venezuela who was cooking at a little spot around the corner. Maria was one of the best cooks in the area. She knew how to flavor her food to such a degree that I would always come back for more.

For a full meal at Maria’s place, it costed only $10 pesos ($2.50). Maria’s place had become my hangout. She also made some great aerapas as well. Vanessa worked with Maria as well. Vanessa had to stop working there because she got into a motorcycle accident and injured her leg. The four of us had planned a double date, but because of Vanessa's injury we had to cancel. So I wound up taking Maria out and we were able to go shopping and hanging out on the beach several weeks later.

My famous photo of me relaxing in my Airbnb in Canapote in the evening.

The reality was that getting a good night’s sleep was impossible. The reason why was because the neighbors would blast their music from 10 p.m. to about 4 a.m. You have no idea what loud is until you bring out the woofers and the subwoofers and start blasting them until the wee hours of the morning.

I used to laugh and think, Oh, that’s just the culture! Manga was never that way, however. Manga was always peaceful and very quiet.

So, I do not know if this was a competition, some were outdoing others when it came to the noise level. It was unbearable. The truth is, I rarely got any sleep in Canapote.

Parade participants for the Independence Day celebration. They had a long walk ahead of them.

Some parts of Canapote I liked, and other parts I did not like. I think that is part of life. Some things are good that you will love, and other things that are bad that you may not like. Those parts that I did not like related to walking the crowded streets with the many conchos (motorcycles) or cars flying by.

The parts that I loved were the many vendors who sold the delicious cheesy breads and empanadas. The panderias or bakeries were often filled with some of the most delicious choices of breads in that area.

For $2 or $3 ($0.50-$0.75) pesos, you could get some soft, doughy, and buttery bread that had some of the tastiest cheese and jam in the area.

Those panderias were always so good. Not only that, but they offered cakes and various types of other breads. Walking around Canapote was always worth it because the panderias were so good.

Crespo, Cartagena

We would often walk around Canapote a lot. Sometimes we would cross the bridge and walk around Crespo. Crespo is another quiet area that draws a lot of travelers.

The reason for that is because it is right on the beach. I came to know Crespo very well during my time in Canapote. As a matter of fact, right on the corner of 63rd street is the Todo Rico hamburger stand, just one block from the beach.

Time will not allow me to tell everything in this blog, but this spot was always busy for tourists and residents. It is also a hostel called El Paisita. The gourmet hamburgers and hotdogs were just two of the many items they served.

The Todo Rico hamburger stand in Crespo was often packed, and it drew hundreds of people on the weekends. Always an idea spot for a date.

It is important to know that in many cases, I was always walking around with a friend that was outside of the main tourist areas. It is important to go places with someone and not alone. This does not apply to all cases. In my opinion, it just seemed good to go with someone as opposed to doing things alone. 

If you can find someone to run shotgun with you, so to speak, the trip can be a lot more enjoyable. If not, then find a tourist group of people who are doing things together.

I had come very close to moving to Crespo once my time in Canapote was drawing to a close. Crespo is right next to the airport, but far enough away that you hardly ever hear planes or cars. It is certainly a much quieter area than many places throughout Cartagena.

View of Marbella and parts of Crespo

I would often wear a blue shirt, khaki shorts, shoes with no socks from time to time. My attire was often idea for expats and tourists. It was because it was so hot that I had to wear them. Most Colombian men wear jeans and long sleeved or short shirts. If you are not wearing these things, you will stand out. I never wore fancy clothes just because I never wanted to draw any attention to myself. Besides, the weather was hot enough where a simple shirt and short pants were good enough. 

By the way, when traveling throughout South America, it's best not to wear jewelry and expensive clothes. It is easy to spot people who are tourists because they walk around with jewelry and expensive clothing. That's really the last thing that you want to do when you are in Latin America. 

I had made many attempts not to wear shorts, for shorts, as I had mentioned is a U.S. trademark for most American expats. Short pants and polo shirts. But in Cartagena, I needed the shorts because it was just way to hot for me. I was not used to wearing jeans in super hot weather.

I will say that whenever I wore jeans, there were situations where I did not get as much attention as I did when I wore short pants.

U.S. expats who were part of the Independence Day parade were dowsed with lots of foam from the crowd.