New experiences for everyone....

A week before I arrived in Colombia I had an email from Explore advising that the program had been changed. Today was the day that a new destination was on the itinary. One that even the tour guide had not been too. However to be honest I did not care! After my two cocktails I was suffering bad and just wanted to sleep on the bus!

We headed 2 hours out of Cartagena towards the Maria Hills, and the town of San Jacinta. Until relatively recently even Colombians avoided the area, as it was run by the paramilitary and the drug cartels. The 22,000 people suffered a lot of violence and corruption, and are only just recovering. 

They are about to open a small archeological museum to display artefacts found in the region dating back to 4000BC. It has not been completed yet but we were given a personal tour by the professor in charge.

We then headed through the streets to meet a lady who had a weaving cooperative in her house. Traditionally all of the women wove, whilst the men farmed, but during the troubles men took to weaving too as they could do it at home out of the way of danger. The local handicraft is hammocks, and they can take 2 weeks to make. They live off a minimum wage of about $250 a month,

Her kitchen was something else!

 

The professor had then lined up the local children (who are now on holiday) to perform some of their local folk dances. They were very shy, they had never performed to anyone but their families before. Unfortunately all the photos are on my other camera! The dances were all about flirting, and the children also played the drums and local wind pipes.

After a quick and basic lunch of chicken soup it seemed wrong not to buy a hammock to help the local economy! How will I get it home?!

An hours bus journey and we arrived in San Basilio Palenque. With just over 2,000 people this village is on the UNESCO list because it was established by ex-slaves who originated from African and managed to fight off the Spanish. They are noticeably African looking, and they have their own language and traditions. Marriage outside the village was discouraged although this is now changing and they were spared some of the problems with the drug cartels because no one could infiltrate the village without standing out!

We were invited into a local house for coffee and sweets before heading to another village hall for more dancing. I must admit that a couple of us decided it must be the kind if day the Queen gets!

Unlike the children earlier in the day these dancers were super energetic and quite raunchy! Beyonce would have been hard pushed to compete!

We wandered around the village and seemed to be the centre of much attention! We were even introduced to the local superstar, a man in his 80's who has won a Grammy and been on an international tour, but lived in the humblest of houses. He decided that he had to have his photo taken with me, as I had "winked" at him! I believe that may be code for "now we are married"!!!

By the time we got back to Cartagena we were all quite frazzled so a quick dinner in the neighbouring square seemed ideal, but if course we had forgotten the go-slow attitude here! Luckily before we started to chew the table in desperation a random group of locals showed up and started dancing! It truly was a dance-tastic day!