Cartagena, Tayrona, and Protesters | Colombia Vlog EP6 | Mark Wallace

Today is Tuesday and now we're going to... How do you say Caucasia? Caucasia. Adios. Our family. Adios Juan. Hasta luego. The final leg of our Colombian adventure was meant to take us from Medellin to Cartagena and along the coast to Tairona National Park. We then planned to head south to Cucuta to work with the International Rescue Committee and finally return to Bogota. But things didn't go as planned. Just days after we left Medellin civil unrest erupted in Colombia and we were caught in the chaos. This is the first part of that story. We began by heading north from Medellin to Caucasia. The roads we're on today are pretty exhausting because it's really winding and there are a lot of trucks. It's hot and then cold and sometimes maybe rain. And so to be safe we are taking a break and having our lunch but now it's time for some mandongo. It is delicious. It's con arroz. So rice and... Avocado. Avocado and yummy yummy stuff. I don't like mandongo. Cheers man. We're feeling a little bit tired and so it's really important to stay hydrated and awake and alert. And to be really awake. Yeah, so this is... I keep it. Pure sugar. Yeah, it's like sweet milk with sugar. Sugar sugar sugar. Oh, here he goes. It's not uncommon for the military to inspect vehicles in Colombia. They'll check your passport and make sure your vehicle is legal and insured. And in some cases they'll also search your bags and make sure you don't have any illegal contraband. In my experience Colombian soldiers are very professional. If you cooperate the entire search lasts just a few minutes and then you'll be on your way. After our inspection was over we made the final push through the mountains and arrived in Caucasia. There are a few clubs and bars close to the highway in Caucasia but because of the strict curfew almost all of the restaurants were closed. We looked around and finally found a nice place to eat. Let's just see how tasty this is. In the morning we rode from Caucasia to Covenas where we found a great hotel right on the beach. We spent the afternoon enjoying some cold cervezas and playing in the Caribbean Sea. The next morning we made the short ride from Covenas to Cartagena. We spent a week in Cartagena enjoying the cafes and restaurants. Due to the pandemic the streets that are normally filled with tourists were almost deserted. But that didn't prevent us from drinking a lot of coffee and from strolling from the old walled city to Getsemani a neighborhood filled with art cafes, restaurants and colorful streets. In the evenings we would return to the walled city to enjoy the sunset and then experience the vibrant nightlife. Each night at 10pm sharp the police would arrive and enforce the pandemic's curfew forcing everyone to return to their homes and hotels. But in Cartagena it seemed that not even a pandemic could stop the party. Our cab driver Alfredo turned up the volume and introduced us to Toto La Mamposina. Her album Tambulero was remastered from tracks recorded 24 years earlier. The following morning we rented a boat and headed to Playa Blanca and the Oceanarium on Rosario Island. After a full day on the island we returned to the city and prepared for the next leg of our journey. The next morning we headed from Cartagena to Tairona National Park but we ran into the first sign of trouble when we arrived in Barranquilla. We were experiencing heavy traffic and saw a lot more police than normal. We knew something was off. We could see police turning vehicles around just ahead of us. We decided to take a detour through a neighborhood to try to get around the traffic jam. It seemed that our plan had worked but soon we were stopped by the police. Last time there was a protest I just kept going and going and eventually... We could have a juice and try but will we get in trouble? Can we go this way until they stop us? Or are we getting in trouble? Let's go and then... Can we go here? We can go until they stop us. We rode on and we could see police roadblocks on the opposite side of the road but nobody was stopping us so we decided to keep heading east. I've spent a lot of time in Colombia over the years. Protests are not uncommon. Sometimes on a motorcycle it's possible to ride on the side of the road and just get around the roadblocks and protesters and that's what we decided to do. It was April 28th 2021. The President of Colombia had proposed increased taxes and reform of the healthcare system. Both of these proposals were opposed by most Colombians. In addition police brutality failure of the peace process with the FARC and underfunding of the educational system were all major issues. On April 28th 2021 the citizens of Colombia had had enough and nationwide protests erupted. Between Barranquilla and Santa Marta is a village named Tazajeras where we met these kids. Aileen took some time to give them some toothbrushes and show them how to brush their teeth. We gave them stickers and showed them our motorcycles. The pandemic had hurt the Colombian economy with 42% of Colombians earning less than $90 per month and some even less. There are entire towns that are impoverished. Conditions like these and the government corruption that led to these conditions are what incited tens of thousands of protesters to demand change in Colombia. The poverty of Tazajeras stands in stark contrast to the modernity of a city like Cartagena. From Cali to Cartagena Bogota to Medellin citizens across the country were taking to the streets but we had yet to get this news and so we said goodbye to our new friends and pushed on. We rode past Santa Marta with no issues and finally arrived in Tairona. We began our visit by following the local custom of putting our stickers on the sign to the park entrance. Then we spent the next few days exploring the jungles beaches and coastal roads. After three days in Tairona National Park we decided to head back to Bogota. We were hearing news of roadblocks violent clashes with police looting and danger. This was in stark contrast from what we were seeing in Tairona but our friends in Bogota and Medellin were all telling us we needed to return to the city as soon as possible. We rode back to Santa Marta and rested for one last night before making the return trip to Bogota. The city was so peaceful and we had no idea what was in store for us the next few days.