A town called Mompox

Mompos bestaan nie, ons droom oor haar elke nou en dan, maar Mompos bestaan nie...

Ons droom oor 'n lank vergete dorp, vasgevang in die herinneringe van jare lank verby, toe dié eensame dorpie die vlam van vryheid vir 'n bottende kontinent gebaar het...

Ons droom oor 'n afgeleë eiland in die Magdalena rivier, wat blink soos 'n pêrel wanneer die tropiese somer son dans oor haar wit koloniale mure...

Ons droom oor kleurvolle kerktorings wat dryf op 'n wemelende horison en trots hul boodskap van beskawing vêr oor die wilde rivier vlaktes versprei  

Ons droom oor salige skemeraande, wanneer die Mompisanos uitkom om die wêreld te aanskou op die wiegende ritme van hul mecedoras, en net die invallende duisternis 'n teken is dat tyd wel aanloop...

Ons droom oor haar elke nou en dan, maar Mompos bestaan nie...

Albertus van der Merwe - Dis hoe die res van Kolombië vir Mompos beskou, veral een van my gunsteling skrywers, en gewese inwoner  van Kolombië, Gabriel Garcia Marquez - "Mompox no existe. A veces sonamos con ella, pero Mompox no existe"

After a 7 hour drive from Taganga, we arrived in the beautiful, river side town of Mompox. The town of Mompox lies about 5 hours (drive) south of Cartagena, and was built nearly 500 years ago on an island (the biggest river island in South America) in the Rio Magdalena. 

Rio Magdelena

The town, with its well preserved colonial architecture, and strong historic roots has the feel of a place that has somehow been forgotten by time. 

Traffic in Mompox

It was once one of the main trading centers in Colombia, and ensured the passage of goods from the northern coastline to the big cities inland. It was also where Simon Bolivar, the great liberator of the North, raised his army that marched on Caracas. 

Now, however, the place is more myth than town and given its relative isolation, it has fallen completely off the gringo trail. Which for visitors, like us, is actually great. We got a rare unfiltered glimpse into not only rural Colombian life but what also felt like a piece of Columbia's past! 

And after a day or two we realised the secret behind Mompox's mythical allure, it's not because time has forgotten about it, it's just that it moves really slowly! 

We arrived at our Hotel (not hostel) quite late from Taganga and quite tired from the bumpy ride. 

After our Minca dorm escapade we felt like we had earned the right to spoil ourselves by booking some nice accommodation in Mompox.

Hotel Portal de la Marquesa

Hotel Portal de la Marquesa is a big old colonial house, with high ceilings, the typical Hacienda-type courtyard, thick old walls, original iron windows and the most beautiful doors and archways - my parents would've loved it.

Rumour has is that the great liberator himself, Simon Bolivar, also stayed in this house, many many years ago - knowing Colombians and their affinity for stretching the truth, I'd say rumour being the operative word!

Another luxury was the satellite television we had in our room (something we've gone without for months), so we got to watch some Olympics. Lekker Wayde!

Plaza Santa Barbara 

Much of our time in Mompox was spent wandering the streets lined with old colonial-style buildings, and just enjoying the slow rhythm of the town and its people. 

As the days are scorching hot we often just found some rocking chairs (mecedoras) in the shade, usually outside an old café, and enjoyed some fresh fruit juices and/or cold beers. 

Mecedoras (rocking chairs) out on the streets -
a common sight in Mompox

Mompox is recognised for its world famous silver filigree jewelry. Formerly the native artisans worked in gold but this is becoming less frequent. The work is all painstakingly done by hand, coiling silver to make incredibly intricate, ornate and precious earrings, bracelets, necklaces, broaches and rings. The workshops are usually in the actual stores so you can see how they go about making the intricate pieces, which was great to see! Needless to say this was right up my alley and I had to drag poor Albertus through every jewelry shop in Mompox at least twice during our 3 day stay there!  But it wasn't for nothing, I managed to bargain some very reasonable prices and bought myself the finest and most beautiful silver earrings and a necklace. 

 Silver Filigree Artisan working meticulously

When you do an extended budget trip, shopping is something that you firstly have no money for and secondly no space for...so on the rare occasion that you do buy yourself a gift it is the biggest treat and pleasure! 

Since Mompox is off the beaten track and the tourist count quite low, it was so refreshing to see all the plazas and cafés filled with locals, which are often the places that are mostly occupied by the gringos. We spent our evenings eating some good and very cheaply priced food, and watching the town unwind at the end of the day. 

Quick card game on the sidewalk after school

We also went on a boat cruise on the Magdalena river and enjoyed views of the more rural farm life. 

We wondered why these guys climb so high up in the trees lining the
river bank...until we saw the big caimans in the water!

The surrounding river wetlands and its abundance of bird life reminded us a lot of Africa and then the really beautiful sunset just topped it off so poetically. 

It was good to escape into a relatively untouched microcosm of rural Colombian life for a couple of days, and with the antiquated feel of a town like Mompox, we really felt like we traveled back to Colonial Latin American times...

Mompox cementary

Speaking about colonial Latin American times, next we head to the capital of colonial Latin America...Cartagena de Indias!

Adios Mompox!