Carnival in Colombia! - Barranquilla

10/02 - 12/02

If you find yourself in South America during carnival season, attending a carnival is almost mandatory. Since we visit Rio de Janeiro, where the largest carnival parade in the world takes place, at the very end of our trip, we decided to go to the second largest carnival in Barranquilla, Colombia!

After the rather calm days in Palomino, we were ready for a bit of action and were looking forward to the carnival spectacle. Getting to the hotel in Barranquilla wasn't as easy as expected, as the city and the surrounding area were in a state of emergency during the few days of carnival celebrations. Our hostel in Palomino kindly organized a direct connection for us in a minivan. With Daisy and other travelers, we were picked up at a gas station in Palomino and drove along the coast for almost three hours in a southwesterly direction. After a while, the car stopped for a small snack and restroom break at a kiosk, where we bought ourselves a cheese empanada each. Luki generously poured homemade hot sauce on his pastry - a decision he would later regret!

Since many streets in the center of Barranquilla were closed due to the parades, the driver had to drop us off far outside the city center. So we found ourselves under a highway bridge with a German guy, whose accommodation was also in the center, and tried to hail a taxi for the rest of the way. As this proved impossible and the guy luckily had internet on his phone, he simply ordered an Uber and took us with him. Already during the drive to the hotel, we realized that Barranquilla is a really unattractive city.

Once we arrived at the hotel, we took a short nap in the room and thought about how to spend the rest of the day. Luki searched the internet, but didn't really find any useful information. The lady at the reception was the right person to ask for help. She explained to us that we had already missed the main parade that day, but there were still smaller parades scattered throughout the city, and she showed us the way on Google Maps.

During the Uber ride, the German guy told us that throughout the entire carnival season, people are armed with foam and flour and like to throw it at others. So we were already wearing previously worn clothes and set off. After about 15 minutes, we arrived at the smaller parade, which was already in full swing. We walked along the barricades and found a spot from which we could see the dancers well - on the way, we naturally bought cans of beer. In front of us stood an older man who cheekily offered us a shot of liquor - I declined, but Luki indulged! The Colombians were very nice indeed! :)

After watching the dance groups for some time as they continuously came down the street, we decided to move on. Shortly after we turned into a side street, I got a face full of foam - I think I still heard the words 'Aaaaaah, GRINGOS!' before the young guys decorated my head and face with foam. Of course, Luki didn't get a drop of it...

We went to the end of the main street, where the so-called 'Baila La Calle' - at that point we still had no idea what it was - took place in the evening. When we arrived, there was already a lot going on. The entrance was free, but we still had to go through a security check, where men and women had to queue separately and were checked. I got a little restless, because I definitely didn't want to lose sight of Luki in the crowd, but everything went smoothly.

Inside, we strolled up and down the street and got an impression of the event. The fenced-off area consisted of a wide street, with small sales booths and stands randomly lined up on both sides. Some played extremely loud music, so we were constantly bombarded with sound. The visitors danced to salsa and reggaeton music and seemed to have a great time. We had trouble getting into the mood. While walking around, we also tried to find something to eat. Unfortunately, the offerings were anything but appealing, so we decided to skip solid food and instead opened two cans of beer again. Luki started to feel more and more uncomfortable and complained of weakness. Although I would have liked to party a bit, since he wasn't feeling well, we decided to go back to the hotel.

Unfortunately, Luki's condition did not improve overnight. Due to nausea and stomach pains, he couldn't sleep properly and also didn't touch breakfast. At this point, I started to worry that he would get sick and our carnival experience would be ruined. In the room, he had one of his famous bathroom concerts - his second on this trip. Fortunately, he felt a little better afterwards, but to be on the safe side, we stayed in the hotel for the rest of the morning so he could get some rest.

At noon, we made our way to the big parade, which took place on the closed main street 'Via 40' in Barranquilla. Although Luki was still a bit wobbly on his feet and I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to stand around in the heat, he insisted on attending the parade. The concierge of our hotel arranged a taxi for us, which should drop us off as close as possible to Via 40. The taxi driver had to make a few attempts before he let us out at a suitable spot. There we were immediately approached by a bunch of ticket sellers, each one holding tickets in our faces. We weren't sure if they were real or if we would be ripped off when buying them. So we walked a bit further towards the event. Since the appearance of the tickets didn't change and the price was very moderate, we took the risk and bought two from a guy. He then explained to us how we would get to the grandstand with our seats. The entrance was not easy to find, but a few minutes later we were already looking for a suitable seat. The parade was supposed to start at 1pm and we took our seats shortly before.

At 3:40pm, the first floats finally arrived - a little bit late according to South American time perception. Until then, we struggled on the narrow grandstand, which was covered but quite uncomfortable. The stands filled up more and more and it became crowded. We found the parade itself absolutely unexciting and accordingly disappointing. After an hour and a half, during which we hoped it might still become exciting, we gave up and made our way home.

Luki finally decided to at least eat some fruit. He bought a cut mango from a street vendor. The vendor automatically drizzled lime juice and something that looked like sugar on the pieces of mango without asking. Right from the first bite, we noticed that the white stuff was salt! A very peculiar combination. I couldn't eat it, but Luki forced himself to eat a few pieces - the salt seemed to be just right for his exhausted body. On the way, we stopped at a small restaurant so I could eat something. During my dinner, we witnessed a fight between a young man and an obviously homeless person - the homeless person attacked the man with a wooden rod, and the man tried to defend himself with a metal pipe.

We spent the rest of the day in the hotel room, reflecting on our experiences. Unfortunately, alcohol was still out of the question in Luki's condition.

Conclusion:

Even before the trip, it was clear that we wanted to attend the carnival in Barranquilla. We planned the remaining destinations in Colombia around the stop in Barranquilla and I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, my expectations were not met and Luki's health problems prevented us from fully enjoying the festivities. The most important ingredient for a fun carnival - alcohol - was missing in every possible way.

Barranquilla is not a particularly beautiful city with many poor people. The carnival is far less spectacular than we thought and we were quite disappointed with the main parade. However, I am convinced that it may have been partly due to us having a false image in our heads - we expected huge floats with beautiful men and women performing dance shows. Maybe we simply overestimated our enthusiasm for carnival - either way, we gained another experience!

See you soon!

E&L

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