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Welcome to Cartagena de Indias!
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Spirit Airlines announced daily flights between Fort Lauderdale and Cartagena, beginning on 8th of May 2008. Read below for detailedl press release.
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From 29th of February until 7th of March Cartagena hosts the "Festival Internacional de Cine y TV de Cartagena". This years invited country is France, honoured with hommage to François Truffaut. Storyboard artist Lucas Gray will teach workshops about his work on the Simpsons movie and the national TV "Grammies" are to be hold on Plaza Aduana. Movies screened in the competition for "India Catalina" Awards show a wide range of Latinamerican and Spanish Cinema, including Colombian movie "Los actores del conflicto" by Lisandro Duque Naranjo.
One of the main attractions of the Cartagena Film Festival is its location: Visitors can attend open air screenings on Plaza Aduana, Plaza Trinidad and Plaza San Diego or watch movies surrounded by the wonderful athmosphere of Teatro Heredia, Hotel Santa Teresa or the Naval Museum. Free screenings are offered in popular neighbourhoods like Olaya Herrera, Las Gaviotas, El Socorro and Fredonia. Details you can find on the website of the festival: www.festicinecartagena.org
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Colombian immigration laws permit a maximum stay of 6 months per year as a tourist. Visitors of most countries do not need a visa in advance but get the visa stamped into their passport upon arrival. Be aware that the immigration officer decides about the initial period of your stay: 30, 60 or 90 days. If you plan to stay more than one month you should advise the officials on arrival - before your passport gets stamped! - If you wish to stay longer than the period authorized on your initial entry stamp you should go to an immigration office and ask for an extension. Do this in time, a few days before your visa expires as there is some paperwork involved: You might have to give fingerprints and you will have to pay a fee of roughly USD 40 to a bank account. Be aware that Colombian authorities are very strict with these dates - Whenever you pass your maximum stay you will be fined before you can leave the country!
If you need a visa extension in Cartagena you will have to go to the foreigners department of local DAS office in the "Pie de la Popa" neighbourhood.
Immigration Office Cartagena:
DAS (Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad)
Extranjería
Carrera 20 B No. 29-18 Pie de la Popa
Tel: 6568003 - 6560646 - 6562524- 6664665
Open from 8-12 and 2-5, monday through friday.
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Last week the British consulate of Cartagena was opened. As the Ambassador Haydon Warren-Gash stated Britain is the second biggest foreign investor in Colombia with mayor investments in mining, energy and financial sector. The opening of the local consulate tributes to the significant growth of British tourism in the "Heroic city" as well as the cultural importance with events like Hay Festival, International Classic Music Festival as well as the Film Festival of Cartagena.
British Consulate Cartagena
Edificio Chambacú
Carrera 13B No. 26 – 78
Oficina 416
Telephone: (+575) 664 7590
Fax: (+575) 653 8050
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The third edition of Hay Festival Cartagena de Indias will take place from 24 to 27 January 2007. This years special guests include British filmaker Stephen Frears as well as Senegalese singer and guitarist Baaba Maal.
Hans Christopher Buch and Marcos Aguinis, Germany, Ariel Magnus, Pedro Mairal and Daniel Mordzinski, Argentina; Mónica Alí, Bangladesh; Joao Paulo Cuenca and Nélida Piñón, Brazil; Wendy Guerra, Cuba; Jorge Edwards, Chile; Rosa Conde, Juan Cruz Ruiz, Enrique de Hériz, Cristina García, Belén Gopegui, Jorge Herralde, Pepe Surela, Pablo Jiménez Burillo, Jesús Martín-Barbero, Alfons Martinell, Ana María Moix and Fernando Rodríguez Lafuent from Spain are just a few of the many invited writers, editors and journalists from around the world.
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"A serious contender [for] the worst movie ever made from a great novel ... Skip the film; reread the book." states Time Magazine. " Los Angeles Times writes: "the novel has made it to the screen in the form of a plodding, tone-deaf, overripe, overheated Oscar-baiting telenovela ... Doubtless it's an enormously daunting task to adapt a book at once so sweeping and internal, so swooningly romantic and philosophical, but it takes a lighter touch and a more expansive view than Newell and Harwood seem to bring."
Terribly bad critics, we don't mind: This film is a must see, maybe not for movie lovers but for anybody interested in Cartagena. As the film is not released in Colombia yet we still have to wait until we can see this the "la Heroica" on the big screen. Meanwhile we stay with the trailer on the official homepage or just watch "Behind the scenes" : (Click below...)
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Banks are closed until tuesday, "Porro" music playing everywhere: The "Fiestas de la Independencia de Cartagena" - (Cartagena Indepence Festival) has started. Today, Thursday, is the day of the biggest parade, "El Bando". Carnaval groups from all over Colombia as well as the local beauty queens will present themselves to the public: Best place to watch, drink and dance is Avenida Santander, the main street between Cartagena's city wall and the sea. The party starts at 2PM and will continue until next monday.
The "Fiestas de la Independencia de Cartagena" is an local event, not no be mixed with the national beauty competition, "Concurso Nacional de Belleza". Both events are held at the same time. While the first is an popular event held as a tribute to the independence of Cartagena, the second is an commercial event which ends in the most important national TV show on monday night, when international stars accompany the coronation of next Miss Colombia. - The popular "Indepence Queen" of Cartagena will be crowned already one day before in an mass event on Plazas de los Coches.
The fiesta of Cartagena is wild: If you want to take part don't take cameras, watches and wear old clothes. Peolpe throw paint, oil, powder and fireworks. While todays "Bando" is the biggest and most popular event of the festival there are several other parades during the next days. The most tradional and maybe most beautiful parade is the "Cabilde de Getsemaní" on Sunday. The parade ends on Plaza Trinidad, where exactly 196 years ago the indedepence of Cartagena was declared.
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Cartagena is music, everywhere and anytime. You will listen to music in public transport, streets, bars and even offices. Latin Music in its different flavors dominates the local taste: From Champeta, to Vallenato, Latin Rock or localized Reggaeton. But the most loved music still is the Salsa Music of the 70's and 80's with its heroes like Hector Lavoe, Willie Colón, Ruben Blades, Celia Cruz and -last but not least- Cartagena born Joe Arroyo.
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American Airlines will increase its flights to Colombia. The most important change: From December 13th 2007 the airline will offer daily flights from Miami to Barranquilla, which is an excellent option for travelers heading to Cartagena! In addition American Airlines will increase its flights to Medellin, Bogotá and Cali, as well on a daily schedule.
More good news: National Colombian flights will become cheaper in near future. In July 2007 the government liberated the minimum air fares for national flights. Before the fixed minimum fare for a flight between Cartagena and Bogotá was $557.000 Pesos, about USD 250.00. Fernando Sanclemente, director of government entity in charge of airline regulations Aeronáutica Civil stated that the liberation of flight prices should benefit national tourism. In many cases for Colombians it was cheaper to fly to foreign destinations than spending holidays in their own country. Without doubt international tourism as well will benefit from lower national air fares.
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Cartagena, Colombia
