From Cartagena, I went inland to the small town of Santa Cruz de Mompos. Mompos is located on an island in the middle of the Rio Magdelena – the largest river in Colombia. This river runs over 950 miles through most of the western half of the country.
The histories of Mompos and Cartagena have long been intertwined. They were founded just 7 years apart by two Spanish brothers. Both grew into important port towns, one, within Colombia, the other between Colombia and Europe. When Cartagena was frequently under siege from pirates, the families of those defending the town would flee to Mompos for safety until the town was secure. Mompos was also the first city in Colombia to declare independence from Spain – followed less than a year later by Cartagena.
I think the sibling rivalry between the two cities continues today – when I asked in Cartagena for assistance in getting to Mompos I was told that it wasn’t possible to get there at this time and I should stay in Cartagena. So much for brotherly love!
Fortunately, it was possible to get there, although not altogether easy to do. My trip involved two buses, a boat, and a taxi. By far, my favorite part was the boat – a water taxi. Just hop into the next taxi crossing the river, give them $3, they’ll throw your bag on top, and off you go.
While technically, the Rio Magdalena is not a “bayou,” Mompos has the comfortable, relaxed feel of a sleepy town on a quiet, slow-moving river. Not quite as glamorous as his older brother, Cartagena, Mompos remains a beautiful , if not a little run down, city.
In fact, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Colombia’s most famous author and Nobel Prize for Literature winner, based many of his books on Mompos, including “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”
One afternoon I took a boat trip down the river a bit. Just 5 minutes from town we were surrounded by muddy river and thick vegetation. The grand homes with Spanish tiled roofs gave way to the thatched roof huts and dugout canoes of the local farmers and fishermen.
My favorite memory from Mompos, however, was a surprise visit from a local resident. . .a howler monkey.
He even leaned down to shake my hand and welcome me to town (or maybe it was to grab the banana I was holding?). What a cutie!
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