Cartagena : Colombia’s Caribbean Stronghold
Cartagena is a spectacular historic port city founded by the Spanish in 1533. Located on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, it was strategically constructed between the Magdalena and Sinú rivers. It became the main port for trade between Spain and its overseas empire. During the colonial era, it was a principal port for the export of Peruvian silver to Spain, and the well-fortified central city was highly defensible against pirate attacks in the Caribbean. It is the capital of the Bolívar Department and is the fifth-largest city in Colombia.
The modern city—named after Cartagena, Spain—was founded on June 1, 1533, but settlement by various indigenous people in the region around Cartagena Bay dates from 4000 BC. Old Town Cartagena is famous for its enchanting colonial architecture, towering cathedrals, and charming pedestrian neighborhoods. In 1984, Cartagena’s colonial walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Visited in Chapter 72 of The Travelers Within: Into The Unknown
An Excerpt from the Book
“Desperation driving him, Simon stormed from the hotel at 2 a.m. on a b-line towards Cartagena’s infamous Calle Media Luna in the rough and tumble Getsemani Barrio. Yet when he arrived, Simon was appalled by what lay before him.
The whole abrasive scene was one of depravity and over-indulgence on a grand scale. The narrow street was packed with hundreds of young tourists clamoring about outside of thumping nightclubs, wired on cocaine, drunk on cheap rum, screaming, hollering and vomiting in the streets. Local vendors sold cocktails and beers from rickety bicycle carts that lined the packed road, and it wasn’t long before the pressing crowds, the cacophony of competing club music, and the wild eyes started to get to Simon.”
From The Author
“Cartagena is an enchanting city. When I was a child, I was a huge fan of the film Romancing the Stone – a classic 80’s adventure flick where Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas go on a wild journey through Colombia to reach the fabled walled city. Ever since then, it had been a dream of mine to visit Cartagena. When I finally made it there years ago, the cobblestone Old Town was even more beautiful than I had imagined. Yet there was definitely a darker side to the town. While Colombia has done a tremendous job putting the legacy of Pablo Escobar behind them, a drug culture still exists, especially among the tourists that visit the fair city.”
Several Books, One Global Adventure
The Travelers Within is a travel adventure fiction series following a motley cast of characters on a wild and profound journey through the bizarre locales, unfamiliar cultures and perilous dangers of the world.
When office worker, Simon, is unexpectedly thrust into the wilds of Central America, he soon learns to trust his instincts, harness his unknown personal strengths and open himself up to the unlikeliest of friendships along the way. Inspired by extraordinary, real locations and remarkable stories from the road, The Travelers Within is a journey beyond all limits.
BOOK ONE: INTO THE UNKNOWN
NOW AVAILABLE in KINDLE & PAPERBACK
The Travelers Within: Into The Unknown
Simon had always followed a typical routine in life. Work, TV, Sleep, Repeat. But when a wild series of events lands him deep in Central America, Simon’s world takes a dramatic turn to the extraordinary. With no previous experience in third world travel, and driven only by a newly ignited lust for life and the need to survive, Simon sets forth on an epic journey through the dangerous mountains of Guatemala, the smuggler’s jungles of Nicaragua, the islands of Honduras and more.
Meeting a wonderful and eclectic cast of characters along the way, Simon eventually links up with Jonah, a young survival expert with a plan as bizarre and terrifying as anything Simon could have ever imagined. Inspired by real places and stories from the road, The Travelers Within is told with intrigue, suspense, humor and insight, capturing a visceral spirit of adventure and bringing out the wanderlust hidden deep within all of us.
“Into The Unknown is an enthralling combination of thriller and travelogue. It’s packed full of incident and exotic scenery, and, as you’re reading, it feels like you’re right there—in every stunning new location, on every new adventure.”
-Sue Paulson, U.K. Readers Digest
