A visit to Colombia is incomplete without paying homage to one of the most prolific authors we have ever seen—Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The Nobel laureate, whose 10th death anniversary falls on 17th April, travelled extensively. Still, no place was as close to his heart as Colombia’s Caribbean hamlet of Cartagena, even though Gabo, as he was popularly called, was born in the town of Aracataca, got his education in the capital city of Bogota, and breathed his last in Mexico City. In Cartagena, Gabo lost his heart in this beautiful port city and owned a house that still belonged to his family. Located at Colombia’s northern edge, Cartagena is a Caribbean gem that travel enthusiasts often overlook for places like the Bahamas and Puerto Rico.
Gabo once said, “The truth is that there’s not a single line in my work that does not have a basis in reality. The problem is that the Caribbean reality resembles the wildest imagination.” And how true that is! The city welcomes you with open arms, breathtaking sunsets, and an incredibly cathartic atmosphere that makes you want to lose yourself in the city. Come evening, and the city transforms into the epitome of celebration—cockfights can be seen at every corner, restaurants offer free Salsa lessons with each bottle of cervaza (beer), and women sell fresh fruit punch with local rum, complete with their typical headgear that doubles up as a fruit bowl. But perhaps the most exciting thing about Cartagena’s nightlife is the Rumba en Chiva—a bus ride around the city fuelled by local cocktails, snacks, live music and a lot of Salsa dancing.
Time stands still in Cartagena’s old walled city. Established in 1533 by a Spanish conquistador, the city was named after the Spanish city of Cartagena, named after Carthage in Tunisia. Soon, the new port in Colombia’s Cartagena became a trading hub between colonial Spain and its overseas empire, gaining notoriety for exporting stolen indigenous gold and silver to Spain and importing enslaved Africans. Today, the original walled city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its ramparts starkly contrast with the tall skyscrapers that are just a stone’s throw away.
For Gabo, Cartagena was much more than a city. He once said, “All my books have loose threads of Cartagena. And, with time, when I call up memories, I always bring back an incident from Cartagena, a place in Cartagena, a character in Cartagena.” Indeed, Cartagena is where Gabo’s magical realism comes alive. A walk around the city is incomplete without visiting Gabo’s seafront house, which was believed to be the fictional house of Fermina Daza, one of the protagonists in the enduring Love in the Time of Cholera. The Cathedral of San Pedro Claver is a short distance away, where Gabo spent much time contemplating and gathering his thoughts. The houses and hotels of the 16th-century walled city, painted in a glorious pastel shade of golden yellow, are typical of Colonial Spanish architecture, with their lovely little balconies. They look like they have been taken straight out of Gabo’s works.
Gabo’s presence in the streets of Colombia extends far beyond Cartagena. A few hours away is the sleepy town of Aracataca—Gabo’s birthplace and the inspiration for the city of Macondo from "One Hundred Years of Solitude." Here, one can visit several monuments that are mentioned in Gabo’s magnum opus, including an old railway station and the town’s river. Down south, the capital city of Bogota offers the perfect change from the Caribbean weather. In the sunny yet cool streets of the historic La Candelaria area, one can almost feel Gabo’s eternal presence as one walks towards the Gabriel Garcia Marquez Cultural Centre, which houses a vast library and an auditorium for literary discussions. It was in Bogota that Gabo first began writing.
After a cup of joe from Colombia’s famous Juan Valdez Coffee, it’s not hard to see why—the city has an evocative charm. The surrounding Andes mountain range is enough to fuel one’s creativity. Colombia has seen several creative geniuses, but Gabo remains the most globally recognised. In Cartagena, history comes alive, bringing the past and present together—despite One Hundred Years of Solitude, and even in the Time of Cholera, in our case, in the time of Covid!
