Karmi`s Unofficial Guide to Cartagena, Part 1

Where to stay:

Calle de Media Luna (Half Moon Street). There are a lot of hotels on this street, and it is next to downtown (the part of the city within the fortress walls). Six years ago, I lived on this street in the Hotel Doral. Hotel Doral now looks like a tornado hit it and is being remodeled by a rich Italian. Six years ago, there was not a foreign tourist anywhere near this street and I wasn`t fond of walking down the street by myself alone, even in daylight! Now there are several tourist hostels (Hotel Marlin, Hotel Viena, etc.) and then some others with fewer tourists (the cheaper ones- Hotel La Espanola, Hotel La Muralla). I live in La Muralla. Don`t worry, the mildew smell is only on the first floor, the rooms on the second floor don`t smell bad at all... unless of course an animal happens to die on the roof above your room, like what happened to me. But then the owner will happily change your room. Downstairs there is a room with a tv where there are usually a few people watching badly dubbed, American action movies from the 90s. A room here costs $5 a night, and on the other side of the street in the hostels a bed in a dorm room costs you $10. Hmmm... thats the price you pay if you want your neighbors and the receptionist to be English speaking, I guess.

Where to eat (if you are a vegetarian):

Corner store: I always buy things from the corner store for breakfast. They have cheese bread (which looks like the cheese bread in Brazil, but doesn´t taste nearly as good), big cookies, rolls, pieces of cake, and lots of other meat filled things which I could tell you nothing about. Across the street they sell arepas con huevo (thats like a thick corn tortilla filled with egg, ground meat, closed up and fried).

Gato Negro: This is around the corner and they sell breakfast to tourists very expensive. I go there just for coffee and to read the newspaper. Its the only place close-by where you can get coffee that isn`t instant and way too sugary. They have a copy of Colombia`s only decent newspaper, el Tiempo.

The restaurant on the parallel street: This is where I go for lunch. Everywhere here has the same things for lunch, at about the same place. I go to this place because it has the best hot sauce. Actually, it has the only hot sauce. The other places have that bottled-Tabasco-esque stuff and here they make the REAL DEAL. I get the same thing every day- fish soup (made with a little coconut, plantains, yucca, and other ingredients?), then the main course which is rice, beans, a couple friend plantains, a little salad, and more fish (either fried or cooked in coconut sauce). Sometimes when I get tired of eating fish, I ask for eggs (huevo perico, with onion, garlic and tomato). Today I am making myself a stove because there is a lack of vegetables in the food here.

Street food:

Arepa con queso: This is like a giant ground corn patty that gets crispy on the outside, and they slice open and fill with Parmesan cheese. The first three or four are pretty good, but then it gets old.

Bollo: This is like a tamale, but with no filling. Usually I buy it with a little piece of cheese.

Jugo: There is fresh lime-ade on the streets, tuti-fruti (punch made with real fruit and a lot of watermelon), and the juice stands where they will make you whatever combo you want. The best juice stand is where the flower market is (mercado de flores). There is also coconut water and people who sell premade juice in bags. Here in Cartagena, liquids sold in bags are cheaper than liquids sold in bottles. Its also the only place in South America where you can buy a 5-liter bag of water. Ha ha.

If you haven´t noticed, being a vegetarian in Colombia is a real pain... so bring a stove if you want to eat well.

Up next in my Unofficial Guide to Cartagena is Part 2: Where (and where not) to Hang Out. This might just be the most important part, so stay posted!