Americas

[Visited: April 2023]

As soon as we get off our taxi at the entrance of Bazurto market, we know we have arrived in a very different area of Cartagena. Far away from souvenir shops, boutique hotels and fancy restaurants, this is the raw part of the colonial city that is much less known. This is the real Cartagena, with the real inhabitants. It is unpolished, it is raw, it is intense. Before we even cross the street, people in cars warn us of pickpockets. Yes, we have been told that it is not safe to come here. The first thing we notice, are a flock of birds sitting on electricity wires that run above the market stalls. We have arrived at the fish section of Bazurto market, and the smells that come with it penetrate us even before we get closer. Men are selling fish from rickety wooden tables, and the birds regularly dive down to get their share.
Taking care where we set out feet, we walk past the stalls, and turn into the market area. The atmosphere here is so different it feels like a different country. These are costeños, people living at the coastal area of Colombia. People chat, people negotiate, people laugh and people yell at each other: this is a lively experience. We walk past the fish section and arrive at the vegetable market of Bazurto. There are trucks delivering goods, strong young men carrying big bags, people doing their daily shopping. And we slalom through the market, just following our senses and our intuition. With our eyes and ears open, as there is so much to see and so much going on. This is a dynamic market, and we soon love it. We chat with people, we get smiles, we give some a box: it feels like we are part of the crowd.
We reach the other side of Bazurto market, which is a street with traffic. We walk for a short while, and turn into the market again. This is a different part: it is covered, it has small shops, and it feels like a souq in the Middle East. We keep on walking, taking turns as we make our way through to the half open market area again. Here, we find stalls selling kitchen utensils, pots and pans, brooms and soaps. This is definitely a more quiet part of the market, and we miss the bright smiles and people we met before. We make another turn, and find ourselves in the section with restaurants. Big saucers full of food are steaming and boiling on gas. Women try to convince us to try their food, but we have just had breakfast so we kindly decline. And then, we are suddenly out again, back at the fish market where we began. Birds are still waiting for a bite. We walk along the Caño de Bazurto towards Getsemaní.

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Bazurto market (Colombia)

Bazurto market > Colombia > Americas

[Visited: April 2023]

Around the World in 80 Clicks