There is a bit of Colombia, South America in Charlotte. It’s even better in the homeland.

I traveled to Colombia, South America with friends and family a few weeks ago, but here in Charlotte there is a growing population of Colombians.

There are nearly 50,000 Colombians residing in North and South Carolina, according to American Community Survey data from 2021. A decade earlier, combined, the Colombian population was half that size and about 6,000 Colombians reside in Mecklenburg County alone.

The growing numbers created a need for a new consulate, which opened to open in Charlotte in May. This consulate provides closer access to cities with sizable Colombian populations, including Raleigh, Durham and Winston-Salem, and speeds up documentation and legal processes for Colombians across the Carolinas.

With this population boom, much of the country’s spirit lives in Charlotte. The community brings a rich diversity — from great restaurants, such as, Savor Restaurant and Barto, which opened in May, to local dance clubs — that is inviting to Charlotteans who wish to learn about this group.

Experiencing the wonders and beauty of the Colombian culture first hand — in their native land — is the best. So, here’s why you should consider traveling to Cartagena, Colombia. It’s probably my favorite place in the world.

Dining and entertainment

I took a flight with my partner James Griffin, from Charlotte to Miami to Cartagena. After about six hours of flying and layovers, we made it to customs where we spent aboutthree hours in line in very humid air to get cleared.

It was about 5 p.m., when we officially got started with our evening in Colombia. We walked the walled city and immersed ourselves in its beauty. For dinner, we stumbled across a hotel restaurant nearby where I tried their catch of the day, which happened to be sea bass. This wasn’t just a regular sea bass.It happened to be the best fish I had ever had. It was so insanely fresh.

I’ve been out of the country a few times before but every time I go, I am reminded of how bad our food is in the states —over processed, overpriced and not nearly as fresh.

And speaking of fresh, I expected the bill to be just as much as I would expect to pay in the U.S.

I was wrong. If I had had this dinner in Charlotte, I would easily have paid at least $80 or more in U.S. dollars. In Cartagena, our bill was under $35 for two individuals. I should’ve eaten more.

Breakfast was even better. Can you imagine only paying $18 (in American dollars) for coffees, cakes and breakfast for two people? Normally if you’re getting a full breakfast it’s double the price.

The nightlife Cartagena is unlike any other place. In comparison, Charlotte’s nightlife is not that great unless you like listening to Drake over and over again at some bar or being at a brewery. The nightlife in Centro Histórico de Cartagena, the historical center of the city, is amazing. Everywhere we went was its own entity.

The bars had two, three floors each with a different vibe. The first floors were for diners where you’d see couples on dates, second was the bar and the third was usually the rooftop.

One of my favorite places I went to was Alquímico, which Forbes named one of the best bars in the world. The concept itself would make you wanna stay there. It’s a colonial mansion that mixes Colombia’s diversity with a twist on classic cocktails.

But more than that, there were wedding celebrations happening and street performers dancing in the parks for a tip. Most people didn’t start to fill the streets until about 11 p.m., which was when the party really started, but when you’re in the sun all day doing activities you’d never really make it past midnight.

Things you can do, things you can learn

Here’s a tip I learned by day two: Don’t tell anyone you’re from the United States. Vendors will try to haggle with you, that’s just what it is. They want you to buy their bracelets, keychains, paintings — even people in the streets with mini speakers making raps about you, but what they really want is a cash tip, especially from Americans.

Funny enough, while I was walking the wall, one tour guide came up to us asking where we were from. After telling him we weren’t American, he then said “good, Americans are arrogant.” I had to laugh.

Here’s when things get interesting — we went paddle boarding for the first time. In this section of the city, most people only spoke Spanish and although I know “un piquito” (a little) Spanish, Google Translate became a good friend. Our instructor only spoke Spanish and even though he understood me, it didn’t mean I understood him most of the time. Still, it was good practice!

We began paddling in the ocean and my partner and I thought “hey this will be a leisure activity.” Wrong.

We were paddling frantically for an hour straight in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, as if we were auditioning to be on the Colombian Olympic team.

The air was solid as if you were drinking thick water.

My partner wondered if we could try to stand up. Of course he decides to try and as he stands, his eyeglasses fall in the water so at this point, he’s blind as a bat. I attempted to stand too, but fell in, which made me feel even more exhausted than I was.

I told our instructor I couldn’t do it anymore. Who cares if I failed, get me to land! Our instructor hooks me onto his board and tells me to lie down. Cool. He gets an idea to hook us onto a speed boat, but I flip over — into the water. Mind you, I’m not wearing life jacket. Literally my flight or fight response kicked in because I thought I was going to drown.

Since my partner lost his glasses at sea, we had to find an eye doctor. He knows no Spanish, so I was his eyes and ears. Thanks to the eye doctor at Optica Visonarios, he was able to get an eye exam and glasses for $150. I should’ve got one, my eye exam and glasses were $600 in American dollars in Charlotte.

One of the items on our to-do list was to visit Rosario Islands, a national park with a stunning coral reef. We started our morning at 8 a.m., sailing over an hour to the island. The pier was loaded with other boats doing the same, exploring other islands around Cartagena.

After a while we docked midway in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and the boat crew announced that we could snorkel and swim. I opted out of snorkeling, but I did jump into the water and swam for a while. The waves were calmer this day and the sun was beaming. I definitely was getting a tan. If anyone tells you to not wear sunscreen, don’t listen, always wear it!

But after sailing for about four hours, we realized we were not going to Rosario Islands. We were just sailing by it, and if you wanted, while we docked close-by, you could swim towards it! Still, it was nice just laying on their catamaran, catching some sun. But the other boat excursions do take you to the island. We just booked the wrong one.

One of my favorite activities was visiting the salt mines and doing a mud bath in Galerazamba, a community about 45 minutes outside of Cartagena. During our tour, we learned about a monument dedicated to an indigenous woman, India Catalina, who was abducted at 14-years-old by a Spanish conquistador. She was returned some years later with and served as an interpreter and peacemaker with Pedro de Heredia, who founded the city of Cartagena.

But back to the mud baths, I highly recommend this activity. It’s very slimy but there’s health benefits like drawing toxins and impurities out of the body.

Another fun activity is learning how to salsa dance, which is a lot harder than I thought. My partner and I went to a local studio that was teaching one-hour beginner classes. Since then, for weeks I’ve had a seven count dance step stuck in my head. During the night we put our skills to the test and went to Donde Fidel and Café Havana, two popular bars where many go to dance. At Café Havana, they have multiple local bands come and play and sing popular songs. Caution, you will dance all night and have the best time ever.

The only hiccup I faced was traveling during a tropical storm. Our flight was canceled from Cartagena to Miami for one day and then our return flight from Miami to Charlotte was canceled. We ended up driving 10 hours through the storm.

All in all, I would do this trip over in a heartbeat. I’ll always remember the colors of the streets, the stunning sunsets, the music, the culture and scenery. Folks there made me feel like I was a part of their community and for that I am thankful for the experience.

Weeks later, I find myself yearning for Colombian coffee and “huevos divorciados” eggs with corn tortillas and spicy salsas.

For now, if you have any suggestions where I can find something similar in Charlotte, let me know!