Also, if you find yourself rather parched while exploring Cartagena, there are many street vendors selling cold bottled water at very reasonable prices.

1. Pack your patience (PyP): Once you leave your shoes at the hut there’s nothing protecting your feet from the hot rocky ground. It is uncomfortable but unless you want to carry your shoes to the top and potentially get mud on them (and I’m not sure what the rules were on that because some people did it and some people were stopped at the bottom), you won’t see your shoes again until the very end.
2. You’ll hand whatever camera taking device off to a stranger. They’re dedicated to your group so you may find comfort that this person won’t run away with EVERYONE’S things. Our camera guy made sure that he knew how to work all of our devices before we went up. Make sure your person does too so that you can get good photos.
3. The stairs up (and down too) are steep. They feel normal at first but the higher up you get the larger step you have to take. You’ll soon find that the top railing isn’t supportive enough and you’re holding onto the bottom railing. Also, closer to the top, the staircase seems a bit unreliable, but it is. Don’t worry 😅.
4. There’s a ladder to get in and out of the volcano. I had to let my friend go first just to get an idea of how to position myself getting on it. Take your time and don’t rush. You’ll find your footing.
5. PYP: I was very clear once I got in the mud: 🗣 DON’T TOUCH MY HAIR. Even with the little bit I have now, I’m not about that life. I was not interested in getting mud above my neck at all (unlike others as you can see in the photo). HOWEVER, people are going to splash 😑. As others try to maneuver in the mud, you’ll see some trying to use their swim techniques in the mud and well, just like when you’re in the water, it goes everywhere.
6. PYP: You can’t touch the bottom 😱. Don’t freak out. It’s probably due to some properties in the mud that keeps you afloat. If you’re a swimmer then you’re prolly not concerned; but if you aren’t, just mentally prepare yourself to not be able to stand up.
7. They tell you that you can get an “optional” massage but it’s not really optional. By the time you enter the volcano you are immediately told to relax and the stranger mud workers get to work on you. It’s worth it though so just go with it.
8. There’s someone by the exit ladder that removes as much excess mud off of you before you completely get out so that you’re not dripping in mud.
9. Your bathing suit will be safe. I wouldn’t wear a light colored one still but the mud doesn’t stain. By the time you get out and walk yourself to the the pond (fresh water due to the plants), you’ll be mud begone. If you have a friend with you, make sure you guys help get the mud off places you can’t see (like your face).
10. You may run into someone who offers you a random pair of shoes. It’s a lifesaver. But they want their coins. Which leads me to my last point…
11. Everyone has their hand out. So be sure to pack about 50,000COP (~$20 USD as of 2018) in smaller bills to tip the following: the camera person, the “masseuse”, the shoe people, the cleaning ladies.

After the Volcano, we were escorted to lunch at a beautiful beach. The lunch was the best meal during the entire trip for me. I’m not sure what type of fish it was but I got the fried fish and it was AMAZING. The dining area is a bit uncomfortable because there are flies and bees swarming due to the food. Keep swatting and eat as quickly as possible. Other food options included baked fish, fried chicken, and a vegetarian option. I should save you the trouble and let you know now that seafood (especially fish) is your best option in Cartagena. After lunch, we had an hour at the beach before we headed back into the city.

This was a rather full day for us. We returned to our hotel, showered, and headed out to dinner. We were originally heading to a highly rated restaurant but it was closed until mid-June due to renovations 😒. However, it was due to this restaurant that we found ourselves in Plaza Santo Domingo. It’s a rather busy square a night due to the multitude of restaurants, shops, and live entertainment in the city. There’s also a lot of people trying to sell you stuff. ALL. THE. TIME. So again #PyP. The square gives off New Orleans vibes with balconies facing the square; there’s even a sign that says “Bourbon St”. Within this square is a large statue named Gertrudis by the famous sculptor Botero. She’s a well-known attraction and legend says that if you touch her (some say boobs, or butt, or anywhere), that you’ll return to Cartagena.

Museo del Oro Zenú is a quick museum to get through especially if you plan to just do the reading like we did as opposed to getting a guided tour. It talks a lot about pre-colonial Cartagena and the things indigenous people did before the Spaniards arrived.

Next door to the gold museum is the Emerald Museum. We were greeted by an English speaking tour guide who walked us through the small museum. As you exit the museum portion you enter the shop where you can find beautiful pieces of emeralds set in various jewelry styles. Be warned though, jewelry in Cartagena is expensive (in USD). Most stores state that their jewelry is set in at least 18K gold which is expensive in and of itself. Then tag on the authentic emerald. This store is one of the more reputable ones in Cartagena but if you’re balling on a budget like I am don’t even kid yourself by browsing. You’ll be quickly humbled.

A few steps away from these two museums is one of the Choco Museums in the Old City. This was the most fun as there were FREE SAMPLES! Once you go upstairs you can learn about where cocoa beans are produced and consumed, and learn about the process by which we get the various flavors of chocolate we have today.

As we continued to stroll throughout the Old City, we ran into a young lady from Houston, TX doing missionary work in Cartagena who referred us to a restaurant called La Mulata that was nearby which was perfect timing as we were looking for food! We arrived at the restaurant and I instantly fell in love with their logo which included an African-American woman with an afro depicting the major sites in Cartagena. The restaurant seemed to be very popular amongst Americans as we ran into a few groups of people from the US dining here. We were provided a fish soup after placing our order. And then our food came 🤤. A filleted fish topped with shrimp, calamari, and a fried plantain shrimp with sweet rice and an avocado salad on the side. It was great! I strongly recommend you stopping by for a bite if you come to Cartagena. The inside of the restaurant was adorned with photos and art from African-American musicians and artists. I also noticed some photos in the corner with the hashtag #SerNegroEsHermoso on a few photos which translates to #BeingBlackIsBeautiful ✊🏾🖤.

1. If you have work to do, take your laptop. Don’t carry it around with you everywhere you go and if you’re really worried about it, make sure to lock it up in your bag or in the hotel safe (if it’s small enough).
2. If you anticipate having to do video calls with your advisor or boss, pay the extra money to stay in a hotel. The wi-fi is much more reliable #thankmelater
3. You don’t have to stay in your room to do work! I did some video calls in my room and one I was prepared to do it out on the roof by the pool. Make sure you’re appropriately dressed though – just because you’re by the pool it still doesn’t excuse you from showing your PIs more skin than normal. Just grab a shirt.
4. Be mindful of the timezone difference and try to reschedule meetings for early in the morning. I normally meet with my advisor at 1pm ET but asked if she would be available to meet at 10am ET (9am CT) so that I could get my marching orders for my dissertation and still have time to enjoy the day with my friend.

However, before we got to the pool, I was dying to go to the beach where a big “Cartagena” sign can be seen from the main road. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to get there because it doesn’t show up on Google! Well according to the Swarm App, the sign is located on Chiringuito Beach. It’s a popular photo location so be sure to be patient as people take turns taking photos. People are super nice about letting you get your photos with the entire sign to yourself (unlike in Amsterdam) so you can get a few good shots with just you and the beautiful sign.

After a day at the pool, we decided to check out this restaurant we had walked by previously that seemed popping due to the upbeat music they were playing. Well, this restaurant served typical Colombian food and overlooked Bocagrande beach. What I ordered was particularly my favorite meal but my friend said that her food was good. I was more interested in the artwork inside the restaurant depicting a colorful painting of the famous Palenqueras.

From here we headed to the suburb of Getsemani which is known for its beautiful street art. Again, not realizing we had passed through part of this town when we first walked it on Day 1, we found ourselves posing in front of the beautiful artwork in tremendous heat while dripping in sweat (the things you do for a good photo!). There was no rhyme or reason to how we found the art honestly. We just randomly decided which street we’d walk down and found ourselves in front of the art! I do have some tips on how to get to the places we went.

1. We started at the Afro ladies. We took a taxi over the bridge from the shoes towards Getsemani and just told him where to start. When coming from the bridge towards Getsemani, this art will be on the left away from the marketplace so try to communicate that to your driver. The Afro ladies are on the main street near a body of water so they aren’t hard to miss.
2. From there we continued to walk down the main street until we were approaching a point where we couldn’t go anywhere but right. We took a right before  the last right you can make. From there I think we just walked straight. Essentially you want to make it to a small square where there’s a large yellow church with big hunter green doors. There’s a sign detailing Getsemani in this square. In this square is where you will find the painting of the Native American woman and the bird.

As I’ve mentioned before, it is extremly hot in Cartagena so we stopped into a small ice cream shop to cool off and grab a small bite to eat.

We found ourselves back at Plaza Santo Domingo and Old Town Cartagena had come full circle for us. We grabbed dinner at Restaurante San Francisco Javier, a restaurant at the “top” of the plaza of the same name and at the border of the Walled City overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The setting was beautiful with the outdoor seating and ocean view. They also had live entertainment as the evening began. We got a pitcher of sangria and the crab cake sliders btw #amust.

Benkos Biohó led the slave revolt that enabled enslaved peoples to escape to Palenque where he was known as the king of the people in this town.

Palenque is a rather poor town that just recently got running water and electricity within the past 3-5 years (crazy right?!). There’s no real indoor plumbing. There are toilets but a bucket filled with water is needed to flush it (I think my friend used it to wash her hands #laughsinpoor 😂).There was no toilet paper (thank God for flushable wipes I keep on me). There was no air conditioning only fans (if that). Our guide told us that the traditional Palenque house is made with materials that help keep the inside cool which consisted of a mud, branches from palm trees, and animal hide for the walls, and various parts of the palm tree to create the roof.

Although the town is poor, the people are rich in history and storytelling. We spoke with local musicians and were offered to purchase traditional Palenque candies (wasn’t my favorite at all), turban scarves, and a book that tells the history of the role natural African-American hair played a role in liberating slaves. In addition to speaking to the town’s elders, Palenque’s walls were also adorned with street art promoting positive affirmations about being of African descent.

We eventually walked to the secondary school where we got to speak to some middle school aged young ladies. They were fascinated by my friend’s hair was surprised that we were the same age (because they thought I was older 🙃🙄😑). They wanted to take a picture with us and you know we couldn’t say no. As you see sis in the middle was serving face.

I recommend everyone visit Palenque while in Cartegena especially if you’re black.