Cartagena’s Top 3 Iconic Surfaces To Do Lines Off Of
There are few cities in the world that scream “history” quite like Cartagena, Colombia. That’s mainly because it’s typically screamed at high volume, extremely rapidly, and in conjunction with several enthusiastic tangent thoughts on interest rates, finally opening a bar, and whether you think civilian phone tapping is an invasion of privacy if you have nothing to hide but you swear you heard breathing on the line last Friday when you called Aunt Marcy who’s dating a new guy who works at the hardware store but lives the next town over.
Yes, Cartagena is peerless in terms of both well preserved Spanish colonial architecture and readily available cocaine. That’s why we’ve put together a quick list of the best surfaces in town upon which to inhale a piece of local culture. They say to really know a place, you have to smell it. If that’s true, prepare to consider Cartagena the new back of your hand.
La Popa Monastery Cross
We can’t talk about drugs and not mention the highest point in the city of Cartagena. The beautiful cross outside this hilltop holy site not only inspires quiet contemplation, but also serves as a perfectly level sniffing surface complete with stunning views once you lift your head up. And forget dollar bills. If you roll up a recently peeled paint chip from the 400 hundred year old building, you’re essentially sending vibrantly-colored history straight to your bloodstream. That and a lot of ethyl acetate. Monastery? More like Tony Montanastery.
The Shores Of Playa Blanca
In Colombia, if “Blanca” is mentioned it’s likely not referring to pristine sands. Only a 30 minute boat ride out of town, this beach boasts budget accommodation, cerulean waters, and an atmosphere that says “you’ve been doing this the past 6 days, you can’t stop, you’ll die.” But getting the perfect bump here doesn’t have to be about beach volleyball. There are several stray branches of driftwood or plywood hostel decks that could serve as makeshift granite countertops. But if you really want to take off the tourist hat and get a sense of the local flavor, you’re going to have to draw a line in the sand. And then you’re going to have to put that line inside your nose. It’s true that doing sand snorts isn’t easy. The bright sun, grainy surface, and ocean breeze can make Playa Blanca the “Donde Esta Waldo?” option of Cartagena’s different rail-friendly locales. But after running back and forth across the beach nonstop for 4 hours and showing 16 different people your “handstand” you probably won’t be concerned about a few stray stray pebbles in your left nostril.
The Wall
In the 1500’s, when the idea was first proposed to surround Cartagena with almost seven miles of rock, they probably didn’t understand how ironic it would end up being. But as it stands, and the wall still does, there is no structure more iconic off which to send your night into a rapidly accelerating death spiral. Most tourists will head straight to the oceanfront Cafe Del Mar for the buzzy vibe and semi-ambient sunset jams. But if you really want to experience Cartagena, walk around the city to the other side of the wall, where there’s no sightseers, no cocktail specials, and no crowded ATM booths. Just you. You and and the sounds of horse carriages trotting on the cobbled streets below, you and the smell of seafood cooking in nearby local homes, you and the feeling that the world isn’t actually that big, and that as long as we try to learn about each other, be kind to one another, and treat people with respect, we can make everywhere a better place to be. And then do some cocaine there.
