Mompox

The day after returning from Villavicencio, Elizabeth and I were picked up at four in the morning by Toto Express, a transportation company.  We were on our way to Mompox (or Mompos), a colonial town butting up along the banks of the Magdelena River.  

Although we were told the ride would take about four hours, we weren't surprised when it turned into seven.  The most interesting thing that happened was that halfway through, our driver stopped the van a few times to pick up some traffic cones for apparently no reason.  He hoisted a couple onto the roof, but we were lucky enough to have one squeezed inside the van with us. 

Once we arrived, we set our luggage down and headed out to explore.  We saw pretty much the whole colonial part of town within an hour or so but enjoyed walking around viewing the architecture.  Mompox is hot and extremely humid.  There is no cooling ocean breeze, so we were drenched within minutes.  The town is very laid-back and has a familial atmosphere: kids and families hanging out were everywhere.

Only one church was open for viewing the entire time we were there.

A market area by the river.

Our hotel was an old colonial house situated right along the river bank, so we were constantly strolling up and down a cobblestone walkway bordering the river.  Although this iguana is just a baby, we saw several giant, scaly ones as well.

Do you see the iguana?

As we went to dinner the first night, we were accosted by a friendly but pushy paisa lady who insisted we have a drink with her and her family.  They were all nice but quite drunk and a wee bit dysfunctional.  A bottle of aguardiente and some delicious Italian food later, we said our goodbyes to their generous hospitality and relaxed the rest of the evening.

The next morning, we spent some time in the cemetery.  I realize this sounds a little macabre, but in all the literature we read on Mompox, the cemetery was a must-visit site.  Although it was pretty rundown, there were tombstones ranging from hundreds of years old to weeks old, so it was at least something to do.

Finally, it was time to jewelry shop!  I am not much of a shopper, but this took way longer than we expected due to there being so many pieces to choose from.  Mompox is known for its handmade, filigree silver jewelry, and Elizabeth and I wanted to take full advantage of it.  We visited several shops and walked away with a small trove of plata.  I could have bought everything at the last store but decided that wouldn't be very practical of me.

In the afternoon, we took a three-hour "river" tour.  We thought we'd be on the river the whole time viewing wildlife, but there was some island hopping as well.  

Many different species of birds lined the banks.  When we passed the blackbirds roosting in the trees, I just kept hoping they'd find someone else's eyeballs to peck out.

After twenty minutes on the boat, we disembarked onto a dirt road and took a donkey-pulled cart to the opposite side of the island, sitting on life vests to cushion our tushes.  The mosquitoes immediately smelled our blood and began attacking.  "Always be prepared" is my motto (and maybe the Boy Scout's as well), so I took out my spray only to find that it had exploded at some point during the flights from Cano Cristales.  Greeeeeaaaaaattttttt...... With the daylight, I could at least see the mosquitoes buzzing around and whack at them, but on the return trip, I was theirs for the feasting.  

We had ridden to a tributary of the river and proceeded to plow through an island of water plants at full speed to continue on our journey.  Spiders, leaves, and grasshoppers flew into the boat, suddenly joining us on our tour.

We hung out at another island for a while just talking and enjoying the sunset before returning to Mompox the same way we had come.  

That night, we enjoyed a delicious dinner before turning in early for our four a.m. pickup the next morning.  All in all, it was nice to see another part of Colombia and relax a bit before beginning classes again.