Blue Water Journeys

Cartagena Comes Alive at International Music Festival

admin2 — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:40:33 +0000

The arepas are hot, the micheladas cold, and the music ubiquitous. A thick blanket of humidity hangs in the air, and the sunlight is blinding, even behind layers of fog. This is Cartagena de las Indias, a port city on Colombia’s northern Caribbean coast and the seat of the Festival Internacional de Música (International Music Festival).

Surrounded by beaches, full of colonial architecture and named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cartagena has long been a popular destination for tourism, even when insecurity and violence in Colombia were at their height. With the renaissance of the past two decades, however, there has been an explosion of cultural activity. This January and February, Cartagena will play host to three major cultural festivals: the International Music Festival, the Hay Festival for literature and the Cartagena Film Festival.

One might ask how this city of 1 million inhabitants—as unknown internationally as beloved locally—has come to attract the attention of so many international artists. One reason: both the local and national government (i.e., municipal bodies and the federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism) have robust public policies promoting culture. Another, more practical reason is that the festival-as-cultural-commodity has found its optimal space here: Cartagena is beautiful (colonial architecture in the old city, picture-perfect beaches on the islands), strategically important (a port), and sought out by the elite.

In my short time here, I have already witnessed Cartagena—as a festival host—in action. On Friday night, the inaugural concert at the Adolfo Mejía Theater (named after a Cartagenero who composed songs about the city in a local musical style) in the Old City was clearly a place for the Colombian and international elite to see and be seen. Women in elegant gowns attended on the arms of men in white guayaberas, or linen dress shirts. President Juan Manuel Santos and investor, industrialist and philanthropist Julio Mario Santo Domingo (of the Emporio Santo Domingo holdings company) came with their families in tow. The program consisted of Johann Sebastian Bach, Joaquín Rodrigo and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, and was performed by the City of London Symphony and three soloists (one harpist, two violinists). The concert was everything one might expect of an opening night at a festival of international acclaim—dignified, reserved and respectfully yet enthusiastically received by its patron audience.

Audience spillover, mostly Cartageneros, watching on a TV screen nearby. Photo by Josh Weinstein.

Two nights later, an open-air, public concert in the Plaza San Pedro Claver was even more lively and impassioned than that on opening night. Maybe it was the open-air environment on a warm evening with a mild breeze, or maybe it was the captivating cello and violin soloists performing works by French composers François Couperin and Camille Saint-Saens.

My hunch, however, is that what imparted the evening with such emotion was the audience. While again consisting of the international and Colombian elite, now joining them were ordinary, middle and working-class citizens from Cartagena itself. If they weren’t seated among the 1,000-or-so white plastic chairs temporarily set up for the event, they were standing on balconies, watching from the fringes of the seating area or glued to a screen broadcasting the event in a nearby plaza. They brought their children; cheered and yelled “bravo” in the middle of a piece—disregarding their neighbors’ chagrin; and stayed until the very end, cheering louder even than the seated crowd.

Violinist Jennifer Frautschi (American) takes a bow. Photo by Josh Weinstein.

Before the concert had begun, a woman told me she thought this festival and its founding organization, the Fundación Salvi, are important for Cartagena because they give everyone, from the poorest to the highest classes, the opportunity to listen to music. This seems to be what the Festival Internacional de Música seems to be all about. And something that I’ll be exploring in my blog posts the rest of this week.

To see original article from Americas Quarterly Magazine, click here.

New York Times: Readers Rate Colombia #2 Favorite Destination

admin2 — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 22:39:51 +0000

Link to New York Times reader choice travel destinations selecting Colombia as number two favorite.

In a recent end of the year poll by the New York Times, Colombia is voted as the number two choice behind Istanbul. Colombia has recently gained much notoriety as an up and coming tourist destination since 2004-2005 when the security situation began to improve dramatically across the country. The historic colonial beach-side town of Cartagena and the capital city of Bogota lead the pack with recent tourist influx followed by once notorious Medellin, Colombia.

Read entire article here

Colombia as Travel Destination? Cartagena Invites You to Unwind

admin2 — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:49:01 +0000

When the humid Caribbean heat becomes too oppressive in Cartagena, locals and vacationers alike flee to the Plaza de Bolivar.

The plaza, surrounded by tall palm trees, features four fountains bubbling away. Overlooking the idyllic scene is a bronze statue of Simon Bolivar sitting atop a horse, in memory of the father of Colombia’s independence.

Time, perhaps, for a coffee? A street vendor comes along with a thermos bottle to pour the hot, overly sweet beverage into a tiny cup.

One simply doesn’t want to get up from the wooden park bench with its wrought-iron arm-rests. Here on the Colombian coast, life just goes slowly along.

Visitors involuntarily adapt themselves to the relaxed pace. In the colonial old city centre, which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, one can casually indulge in idleness.

The low-built houses are a riot of colour, as if from a child’s paint box. A cobalt-blue house stands right next to a mustard-yellow one, and they face, across the street, a house painted a Bordeaux red. Almost all the facades have carved wooden balconies from which lush bunches of flowers hang down.

Whoever dreams of the Caribbean scarcely thinks about Colombia as being a travel destination. Leftist FARC rebels, who for years took hostages and kept them in the jungle, rightist para-military groups and drug cartels have given the country a bad reputation.

But nowadays, at least, the FARC can only claim to control remote jungle regions.

For travellers, the country can now be considered just as safe as many other Latin American countries. In Cartegana, a 90-minute flight north of the capital Bogota, the political problems appear to be just as remote as, say, the politics of the city of Berlin appear to people living in a tiny hamlet high up in the Bavarian Alps.

During the Spanish colonial period the coastal town was the most important harbour on the Caribbean coast and a hub for all of South America.

It was from here that the riches – huge quantities of silver, gold and emeralds – seized by the conquistadores were shipped back to Spain. The gold museum located on the Plaza Bolivar offers some beautiful examples of how the Indios had once artfully processed their treasures.

Those taking a stroll through the alleyways with their colorful houses can scarcely avoid stopping along the way to see what the many fruit vendors have to offer with their wooden carts shaded by an umbrella.

Deep-red water melons and luscious, orange mangos sliced into strips are offered in plastic cups. Unusual, but very refreshing, are the green papayas on which salt has been sprinkled.

In the Getsemani district one finds mainly ‘afrodescendiantes’ – Colombia’s descendants of former African slaves.

Above all in the evenings, the action is found on the streets. Children are playing football, women are washing vegetables and chatting, while old men are simply sitting on the broad wooden chairs and watching the action.

Here is where Cartagena’s most famous Salsa Club, the ‘Cafe Havana,’ is located. When you hear the rhythmic music, you automatically start to move your hips.

The Colombian salsa dancers refrain from complicated acrobatics such as the kind taught in European dancing schools. But instead, they perform the basic formations all the more elegantly.

Original article by By Ulrike Koltermann.

San Blas Islands:An Unspoiled Tropical Paradise

admin2 — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:56:58 +0000

Just off the coast of Panama, San Blas Islands is a group of hundreds of tiny tropical unspoiled paradises. Here the Kuna Indians still wear traditional clothing and live a very relaxed lifestyle they enjoy sharing with visitors to the islands.

San Blas is famous for its natural beauty and the mola, a brightly colored fabric complete with geometric designs and native jungle animals created by Kuna women.

For a better view of this unique destination, check out this video below:

San Blas Islands, blessed with generous coral reefs and brilliantly colored fished is also a great place for snorkeling. Blue Water Journeys visits the San Blas Islands during the Cartagena and San Blas: Where Nature and History Meet cruise. To book your cruise now, click here.

10 Incredible Tropical Paradises

admin2 — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:55:30 +0000

The world is discovering what we knew all along! San Andrés & Providencia are on Lonely Planet’s top 10 of Incredible Tropical Paradises.

8. San Andrés & Providencia, Colombia

If you like your tropical paradises ‘Caribbean’ flavoured, then you should probably visit this little-known haven, with its swashbuckling English, Jamaican and pirate history. There’s a big Rastafarian influence around these parts; we’re sure you don’t need us to tell you the attendant treasures of such a culture. What we will tell you, though, is that beautiful beaches, coves, caves and swimming holes combine with native architecture and lots of reggae, rum and cocktails to provide sensual delights.

A trip to the ‘perfect islet’ of Johnny Cay is a must; boats leave from the dock near the Decameron Aquarium.

To read the full article, click here.

South American Cruises – Blue Water Journeys

admin2 — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:08:03 +0000

Blue Water Journeys: small ship expedition cruise and adventure vacations for curious travelers seeking an authentic and unique travel experience.

Five-Star Pacific

admin2 — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 02:46:49 +0000

Tuesday, June 30, 2010

Following the proposal to turn the Pacific into a luxury destination is the signature Colombia Ecotourism, in association with Aviatur begin operating cruises on the Pacific Coast from August 3.

According to the representatives of the firm, the initial bet is to go through an area with 83,000 square kilometers ideal for ecotourism, for the Pacific region is the second most biodiverse planet.

Throughout the cruise, travelers can find beautiful beaches, mangrove areas, forests and mountains. Besides having the ability to perform activities such as whale watching, bird and fish, diving, kayaking and hiking ecological zones of which up the cruise.

“For those who still have doubts about how beautiful can be the Pacific, it was time to take a look at the Coast and see the beauty,” stated the President of Colombia Ecotourism, added that reservations are made through agencies Aviatur.

It is an ideal vacation for families, because the minimum age for boarding the boat is 5 years. For children under the age of 5, parents must sign a liability release and maximum can be placed two children per cabin.

In addition, cruise ships crossing the Pacific and the Gorgon, Malaga Bay and the border with Panama, can also become an exclusive service to schedule trips for schools, incentives for business trips, conventions and even weddings on board.

In the future, the goal is that the ship may be in the maritime agenda of Colombia, which begins with the sighting of whales, and then articulate it with events like the candle in the championship Cabo de la Vela, the Moon Festival Green San Andrés, the National Beauty Contest in Cartagena and the Festival of the Sea in Santa Marta, among others.

In addition to reconciling domestic and foreign tourists to this area, one of the least explored of Colombia, another objective is to link communities to serve the tourist facilities and services.

On board the Sea Voyager

The ship Sea Voyager cruises held until last December for the National Geographic. She has international classification and is is 100% friendly to the environment as their waters is discharged into the sea before it produces its own fresh water, has a filter to control its air emissions and effective handling of waste is recyclable and biodegradable.

It includes 31 cabins with private bathroom, air conditioning and sea view, is fully carpeted, has a gym, spa, library and dining room for 130 people.

Additional to that is equipped with audiovisual aids for seminars and conferences.

It includes areas such as a lounge bar, a sun deck (where you can sunbathe or enjoy the stars at night) and an observation deck for sightseeing. Passengers are served by 27 Colombian crew. There will be a general practitioner, two divers instructors, a marine biologist and a hobby.

Ecological plans

The first trip will begin on August 3 in Balboa, Panama, and will end in Buenaventura.This cruise passes through the Pearl Islands in Panama, the Cape National Park in March, Bahía Solano, Utría Cove, Nuquí Arusí Thermal, Bahia Malaga and Buenaventura. After 17 cruises that will continue as a port of Buenaventura.

Most plans are designed for five days and four nights, but other than seven days and six nights, available from U.S. $ 1,200 per person.

There will be tours of Gorgona with activities such as whale watching and others who will visit the two oceans (Pacific and Caribbean) with stops in Capurganá, Zapzurro, Rosario Islands and Cartagena. By year’s end can take a bearing at the Tayrona Park and the Cabo de la Vela.

The Sea Voyager Reaches the Pacific Coast

admin2 — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 02:44:55 +0000

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

This August, just in time for the peak of whale watching season, Colombia Ecoturismo’s 65 passenger expedition vessel, the Sea Voyager, will arrive in the waters of the Colombian Pacific.

The ship, until recently under the management of National Geographic, itineraries will feature destinations famous for whale watching, such as Cabo Marzo, Solano Bay, Utria Cove, Gorgona, Nuquí and Malaga Bay.

The ship can accommodate 65 passengers, and in addition to whale watching, will offer other activities such as snorkeling, diving, fishing and exploration. The Sea Voyager will also be using smaller vessels, called Zodiac boats, to transport passengers to remote and unspoiled locations large cruise ships do not have access to.

The representative of this project are Aviatur Group, Jean Claude Bessudo and Captain Jorge Murillo, representing Colombia Ecoturismo and her US sister organization Blue Water Journeys.

With this would be the second ship devoted to the activity of whale watching, the other is the Sea Wolf, Asturias company, based in Buenaventura.