{"id":3669,"date":"2012-05-03T11:33:02","date_gmt":"2012-05-03T16:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=3669"},"modified":"2016-06-30T13:12:08","modified_gmt":"2016-06-30T18:12:08","slug":"colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Colombia Travel, Both Magic and Real: On the Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n

\u201cWhat matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it\u201d (Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez)<\/p>\n

\n

\"The<\/a>
The Great Gabo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

I once met Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez\u2019s biographer, who assured me (over a questionable plate of unagi<\/em>) that Colombia\u2019s best-loved writer was, in fact, the world\u2019s<\/em> best-loved writer. If we include, he told me, every country in the world in a survey, rather than just the major literary nations, then Gabo comes out on top. He has carved out a reputation as not only a literary genius, the \u2018inventor\u2019 of magical realism, but as a down-to-earth champion of the left, a real <\/em>Colombian. You only have to read his Nobel Prize speech from 1982 to see how dearly he values this continent.<\/p>\n

Colombia is his birthplace, and the inspiration for his work, from iconic novels like One Hundred Years of Solitude <\/em>and Love in the Time of Cholera, <\/em>masterful novellas such as Nobody Writes to the Colonel, <\/em>and wonderful autobiographical works like Living to Tell the Tale. <\/em><\/p>\n

So where can you go to follow the Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez trail?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"One<\/a>
One Hundred Years of Solitude: Inspired by Aracataca?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aracataca<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gabo\u2019s birthplace and, some say, the true inspiration for Macondo, the iconic town whose fortunes rose and fell throughout the narrative of One Hundred Years of Solitude. <\/em>In fact, a referendum to change the town\u2019s name to Aracataca-Macondo in 2006 only failed to pass due to low turnout.Two museums dedicated to Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez can be visited, and walking tours to see the train station, the statue of Remedios the Beauty, the author\u2019s birthplace and his first school can be arranged through the main hostel in town, The Gypsy Residence. This is where the Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez trail should begin for any serious enthusiast, as it began for Gabo himself, 85 years ago.<\/p>\n

How to get there: <\/em><\/strong>it is easiest to come from Santa Marta, where a direct bus will take about 1 \u00bd hours and cost around $10.000.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Over<\/a>
Over the rooftops in Mompox<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mompox<\/strong><\/p>\n

Often inaccurately cited as the setting for the 1981 novella, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, <\/em>Mompox<\/a> (or\u00a0Momp\u00f3s) remains a step back in time, a living reminder of Gabo\u2019s Colombia. This sleepy, riverside town on the Magdalena River seems to embody everything Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez wrote so passionately about. Whilst the Magdalena may not still be the river of crocodiles and singing manatees so evocatively portrayed in Living to Tell the Tale, <\/em>Mompox is about as close as it gets to the old Colombian bayou towns where the boats that carried Gabo from his coastal home up to Bogota used to make port.Isolated, peaceful and welcoming, Mompox is a travellers dream, and especially so for someone whose imagination has been captured by the work of Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez.<\/p>\n

How to get there: <\/em><\/strong>It is satisfyingly challenging to get to Mompox. Those wishing for a touch of the romantic can take bus from Cartagena to <\/em>Magangu\u00e9, and then a short boat journey up the Magdalena to Mompox.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Colourful<\/a>
Colourful walls in Cartagena<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cartagena<\/strong><\/p>\n

1985\u2019s Love in the Time of Cholera <\/em>is set in an unnamed coastal city, one which is clearly Cartagena<\/a>. You only have to read the loving descriptions of the colonial architecture and narrow streets to see Cartagena in your mind, and the good news is that the old walled city remains much as it was in Gabo\u2019s day. The author retains a house here within the city walls, which will be pointed out on any walking tour of the city. You can also see the fortresses and cannons which used to keep out the \u2018pirate\u2019 Sir Francis Drake, often mentioned by the author in his descriptions of Colombian history.<\/p>\n

How to get there: <\/em><\/strong>Regular buses travel to Cartagena from all over Colombia, and there are also flights available. Book early and they can be cheaper than the bus from Bogot\u00e1.<\/em><\/p>\n

Bogot\u00e1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez lived in Bogot\u00e1<\/a> in the 1950\u2019s and worked for the newspaper El Espectador. Whilst not a fan of the city (the coste\u00f1o<\/em>Gabo was not fond of the rain and grey skies), some of his earliest work was written there and he was also present at one of the cities defining moments, the assassination of \u00a0Jorge Eli\u00e9cer Gait\u00e1n, and the subsequent wave of violence that filled the city, known as the Bogotazo<\/a>. <\/em>You can visit the place where Gait\u00e1n was fatefully shot, and imagine the scene as Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez describes it in Living to Tell the Tale. <\/em>You can also visit the\u00a0Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez Cultural Centre in La Candelaria<\/a> to see what exhibitions they have on.<\/p>\n

How to get there: <\/em><\/strong>Bogot\u00e1 is the capital city of Colombia and is therefore the easiest city to travel to. Arrange a Bogota tour<\/a>, either walking or cycling in order to see the places mentioned.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Gabriel<\/a>
Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So these are the main stops on the Colombian Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez trail: all very different places, yet they all have a part to play in the Gabo story. They encompass many sides of Colombia, just as the author himself still does.<\/p>\n

If you’re interested in any (or all) of these tours, don\u00b4t hesitate to contact See Colombia Travel.<\/a><\/p>\n

Chris<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhat matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it\u201d (Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez)   I once met Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez\u2019s biographer, who assured me (over a questionable plate of unagi) that Colombia\u2019s best-loved writer was, in fact, the world\u2019s best-loved writer. If we include, he told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[71,35,19,3,115,128,624,625,626,4,112,66,97,767,114,57,110,1520],"tags":[2976,2975,223,58,289,2871,2926,2865],"yoast_head":"\nColombia Travel, Both Magic and Real: On the Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez Trail - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Colombia Travel, Both Magic and Real: On the Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez Trail\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cWhat matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it\u201d (Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez)   I once met Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez\u2019s biographer, who assured me (over a questionable plate of unagi) that Colombia\u2019s best-loved writer was, in fact, the world\u2019s best-loved writer. If we include, he told […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-05-03T16:33:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-06-30T18:12:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/036-1024x768.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chris\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\",\"description\":\"Colombia Travel Blog: An international perspective on travelling in Colombia by world travellers.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/036.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/036.jpg\",\"width\":3648,\"height\":2736,\"caption\":\"gabriel garcia marquez aracataca\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/\",\"name\":\"Colombia Travel, Both Magic and Real: On the Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez Trail - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-05-03T16:33:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-06-30T18:12:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Colombia Travel, Both Magic and Real: On the Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez Trail\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc\",\"name\":\"Chris\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Chris\"},\"description\":\"I'm Chris and I'm the Colombia Travel Blog's resident Colombia travel expert and our editor. In nearly 4 years in the country, I have visited 31 of Colombia's 32 departments, and that last 1 is on the way! Colombia has been my home for years and I'm still not bored of exploring its diversity and magic, and getting to know its wonderful people. You can follow more of my adventures on Facebook @ChrisBellTravel and Instagram @ChrisBellColombia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/author\/chris\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Colombia Travel, Both Magic and Real: On the Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez Trail - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Colombia Travel, Both Magic and Real: On the Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez Trail","og_description":"\u201cWhat matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it\u201d (Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez)   I once met Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez\u2019s biographer, who assured me (over a questionable plate of unagi) that Colombia\u2019s best-loved writer was, in fact, the world\u2019s best-loved writer. If we include, he told […]","og_url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/","og_site_name":"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","article_published_time":"2012-05-03T16:33:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-06-30T18:12:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/036-1024x768.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Chris","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/","name":"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","description":"Colombia Travel Blog: An international perspective on travelling in Colombia by world travellers.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/036.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/036.jpg","width":3648,"height":2736,"caption":"gabriel garcia marquez aracataca"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/","name":"Colombia Travel, Both Magic and Real: On the Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez Trail - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2012-05-03T16:33:02+00:00","dateModified":"2016-06-30T18:12:08+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/colombia-travel-both-magic-and-real-on-the-gabriel-garcia-marquez-trail\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Colombia Travel, Both Magic and Real: On the Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez Trail"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc","name":"Chris","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g","caption":"Chris"},"description":"I'm Chris and I'm the Colombia Travel Blog's resident Colombia travel expert and our editor. In nearly 4 years in the country, I have visited 31 of Colombia's 32 departments, and that last 1 is on the way! Colombia has been my home for years and I'm still not bored of exploring its diversity and magic, and getting to know its wonderful people. You can follow more of my adventures on Facebook @ChrisBellTravel and Instagram @ChrisBellColombia","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/author\/chris\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3669"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3669"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23586,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3669\/revisions\/23586"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}