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April 06, 2005
After four days sunbathing in the Carribean, I'm back to Bogota, enjoying my last days in the city. I was in Cartagena, a beautiful town still surrounded by the same walls built by the Spaniards in the 16th century as a means of protection against constant pirate attacks.
Cartagena's old town is a gem, but what surrounds it is dire poverty and deserperation from a people whose only means of survival lies on the crowded tourism industry. The city is one of the poorest in Latin America, with 70% of its residents making less than the Colombian minimum wage of roughly $300. It's also the main destination for people who are displaced by Colombia's conflict and poverty. From the plane, one can see the slums on the outskirts of the city, the humble homes of the people who clean our hotel rooms, cook our food, wait out tables; the same people who smile to us, who tell us they're pleased to serve us, who wish us a nice day as we walk to the beach.
Posted by Fernanda Santos at April 6, 2005 02:51 PM