Getsemani

Getsemani is an amazing place that you absolutely have to visit when you are in Cartagena. Getsemani is considered to be one of the oldest neighborhoods in Cartagena. Some sources indicate that this quaint little neighborhood dates back to the 16th century.

A group of people known as the Getsemani Lancers were known to have resisted the Spanish until Cartagena had won its independence back in 1811. The Popular Quarter is another name that was called Getsemani and it was ran by merchants, freed slaves, and craftsmen. Some of these occupations and trades are still evident to this day throughout the barrio.

The history about Getsemani and even throughout Cartagena is certainly a rich place filled with culture and history through and through. For me, and because I was new to the area, Getsemani is a socially fun place that should be on everyone's list when visiting Cartagena. It stays crowded all year long and the music blasts from Thursday to Sunday mornings every week.

The music there and elsewhere throughout the city is a mixture of Latin, Colombian, Venezuelan, Mexican, and African sounds all jumbled and masterfully synchronized to create incredible rhythmic melodies that will cause your feet to dance, your arms to swing, and your hips to move.

The weekend hustle and bustle of Getsemani at Cafe Havana

You will hear songs filled with horns, drums, bungles, and singing all at once. As a matter of fact, and this is a side note that I want to emphasize, you will hear this type of music everywhere you go in Cartagena. I really enjoyed the sounds of all of the variations of music because it was so different from where I had come from.

You do not necessarily hear the Top 40's from the 70's or 80's. Instead, you might hear the Top 40's from Colombia during a period in time where you were not necessarily living in the country way back when. So the music and sounds are rhythmic and perhaps that will be a discussion for another segment. And yet, Getsemani gives it all to you and more on the weekends.

The truth is Getsemani would make me laugh and smile so much. Perhaps it was a place where I would often talk about the good times that were ahead and forget about the cares of yesterday. Talk about having a blast and a night full of fun. Oh, my goodness. We also made new friends and would eat food from many of the amazing vendors in the night.

If that were not enough, the taxis were always available to go somewhere. This was especially true on the weekends. The weekends in El Central were always full of music and walking. Similarly, Getsemani was always a place the was mellow and tranquil with hundreds of passersby.

Manga was certainly my favorite place to go during the day. However, at night my other favorite place was always Getsemani for many reasons, one, of which, was that the food was always just right for the amount that I needed.

Most of the crowds, by the way, would converge at the plaza of Iglesia de la Trinidad. Iglesia de la Triniada was a great big yellow Catholic church that was centrally located in Gethesamani. If you mention this church to taxi drivers, many, if not most, would know the exact location in Gethesamani.

What made this place so amazing was that just about southwest or so of the church is Calle 28 (28^th street). Calle 28^th was full of residents who had turned their kitchens into restaurants. It was the most amazing thing. 

People would put out plastic tables and chairs and serve meal and drinks from their kitchens. Usually, much earlier in the day, and I would be remiss if I did not mention this, but the residents would bring out the big speakers.

Unfortunately, if you were living in Gethesamani, forget about sleep. Unless you were used to the noise, and most tourist were not, a person could be sleep deprived for several days. And that is exactly what happened to me. I did not get a wink of sleep for six months!

Just having a great time with friends out in Turbaco!

The second part was this – Colombians not only knew how to enjoy life, but the people that I had met knew how to salsa . Gethesamani had so many dancers of the classical Latin dance genres of Salsa, Merengue, and Bachata.

People were always dancing on the weekends, and in the colloquial expression of what they say in Oklahoma, “They were getting after it!” The men and women would grab each other and freely dance without any apprehension or apologies. The people would dance until two or three in the morning. I had never seen anything like it.

As I had mentioned earlier, I was just walking through in the street below in order to get to the other side of the crowd. At one point, I had decided to sit down a table for just few minutes. Suddenly, I looked up and a woman was approaching me to salsa. It was through the encouragement of my friends that I decided jumped up and join her. I stood up, grabbed her by the hand and we began to salsa the night away. It was so much fun and I could do nothing but laugh!

Although, my salsa must have lasted for about fifteen to twenty minutes, it seemed like it lasted for at least an hour. I just know that it was so much fun! It was that night that had I began to consider Getsemani as my favorite place to be. It is a place that is filled with great times.

This is especially true if you are bored with nothing to do in Cartagena. One thing is true about Getsemani, it is a place full of tourists where people are excited about being in Cartagena. That excitement can be addictive at the same time.

Even though Getsemani was the place that I did love, I do not know if I could handle the constant loud music on the weekends. However, the food, the crowds of people, and the salsas left me loving every bit of it.

What was so funny about the Getsemani and El Central is that you may tell yourself that you are just going to be there for about an hour and then go home. But, that hour would easily turn into five quick hours and you would be amazed at how fast the time flew by.

It is there that you will come across restaurants that serve aerapas (a'rey pas) with all types of meats and vegetables. Aerapas are not heavy on the stomach and, depending on the type you buy, you do not feel bloated after having one or two.

If you are hungry, food is always readily available for just a few pesos at one of the many vendors. Those vendors can fill you up with sausage and potatoes or aerapas with butter and cheese at a very low Colombia price usually for $5-10 pesos ($1.25-$2.50 USD). Believe me, it is worth tasting at one or two in the morning, if you are looking for something light!