Magical Realism in Colombia

Lindsay McClure heads to Colombia with the World Class Kite Academy and discovers a land filled with wind, flat water and smiles!

While breezing through the homeland of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the grandfather of Magical Realism, the World Class Kiteboard Academy found bits of unreality emerging out of the Colombian landscape. 

Traveling with World Class Kiteboard Academy is different than the average kiteboarding vacation. We wake up as early as 6 am, workout, hammer through a day of school, then head to the beach. When we arrive at the beach, we don’t go unnoticed. In Colombia, we rented a commercial bus with a driver. We burst out of our bus every afternoon, looking like a rag-tag regional soccer squad. Fifteen minutes later, twenty-plus rippers would be in a rehearsed circuit, throwing tricks and cheering each other on. The mission of the World Class Kiteboard Academy is to provide a college-preparatory education and athletic training opportunities for the world’s top junior kiteboarders, with a focus on global travel and cultural emersion. 

Core Kiteboarding | View in Mag

Cabrinha | View in Mag

Monday through Friday, we dedicate six hours a day to high school classes. Just like any other high school, we teach math, science, history, literature, language, and technology classes. As teachers, we have the flexibility to adapt our lessons based on our location. For example, the History of the Americas class studied Colombia’s bloody past and the hard-won peace deal between the FARC, Colombia’s infamous Marxist guerrilla group, and the Colombian government that was signed weeks before our arrival in Colombia. Our neighbor in Santa Veronica shared her family’s deadly saga with the FARC in an impromptu lecture that combined history and Spanish. The Economics class examined the factors that are bringing opportunistic Venezuelans across the border into La Guajira, Colombia, hawking plastic soda bottles full of cheap Venezuelan gasoline.

In the Literature of the Americas class that I teach, our focus was on the style of magical realism exemplified by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Magical realism is a genre born out of a simple world where people are content to explain unusual occurrences as products of magic. Although most of the students at WCKA were adamant that magic doesn’t exist, their perspective changed as soon as we started talking about once-in-a-lifetime kite sessions. These magical experiences usually presented themselves in the form of heaven-like flat water spots. Colombia is no Brazil in this respect; world- famous mirror-flat lagoons don’t dot the coastline. But, at nearly every beach we visited, locals would watch us ride and then approach us to tell us that, if we followed their instructions they could direct us to a perfect piece of flat water, usually just around that corner or across the bay. Pursuing these pots of gold made for some of our most memorable sessions.

As we planned our trip to Colombia, there was no slider park or Red Bull contest to center our plans around. In Colombia, we were digging for treasure. Sometimes we were rewarded by the journey, sometimes we were rewarded by the destination, and sometimes we had to go to bed at the end of the day without a reward.

Colombia, as a kiteboarding destination, is a bit like the Wild West. It’s a destination where the sport still feels young and raw. The kite spots are still relatively empty and unknown. Love of the sport supersedes all other aspects of the sport. Kiters in Colombia certainly don’t ride because of the scene, because a kiteboarding scene there is nearly non-existent - which isn’t due to lack of wind. It could be a lack of publicity or a reputation of danger that has kept kiters from visiting Colombia en masse.

WCKA arrived in Cartagena, Colombia after spending two weeks across the border, in Punta Chame, Panama. Cartagena, the oldest city in South America, is a charming, Afro-Colombian city that is steeped in layers of history. The colonial downtown is bound by hefty brick walls built to protect the city at the end of the 16th century. Fanning out from downtown are rough neighborhoods and rugged favelas. Cartagena’s most popular kite launch, La Boquilla, is situated in a busy, beachy suburb. Every afternoon, locals come pouring from the streets onto the beach. Pop-up beach parties, pickup soccer games, constant moto traffic, and hustlers selling their wares leave La Boquilla feeling more like the inner city than a tranquil beach. Crossing the frontier between the beach to the water changes everything. The kite scene on the water was quiet and uncrowded. We were in Cartagena for one week and experienced 13 or 9 meter conditions, with side shore wind and knee to chest high waves.

FacePlant | View in Mag

Cabrinha | View in Mag

After a week of gentle wind, we were ready to chase the strong wind that locals kept promising we would find if we headed north. Our next stop was the quiet town of Santa Veronica. In Santa Veronica, we alternated between two launches: Salinas Del Rey and Puerto Velero. Salinas Del Rey is a wave spot with little peelers coming off an upwind point, wrapping through a small bay. Puerto Velero is a small strip of land with flat water on one side and waves on the other. The flat water spot is produced by offshore wind, which makes the conditions slightly gusty. The wave spot features a beach break with varying wave height, depending on the wind and the swell. We rode 13m, 12m, 9m, and 7m during the week we spent in Santa Veronica.

One of our mystical, Colombian sessions took place at Puerto Velero. Following some local info, a few members of the WCKA team pursued a flatter flat water spot that was rumored to have steadier wind. We were told that, just a little out of view, around the corner and beyond the marina, we would find a freestyle utopia. Just how far around the bend or how heaven-like the conditions would be were questions we didn’t have answers to. When asked about how far downwind we would need to travel, and how far back upwind we would have to return, the answers we received were vague: “Not too far. It’s easy!”

Following a treasure map that was drawn in the sand, we decided to check it out. We started downwind, went around the inflatable aqua fun park, past the marina, and we kept careening downwind until we found a cove protected by a thin strip of land that blocked the chop while allowing steady wind to fill our kites. The water near the shore was as flat as any Brazilian lagoon, and we were the only kiters there. As we enjoyed our little slice of magic, the sun dropped lower over the ocean and the water started to glow in shades of yellow and orange. Little schools of flying fish launched through the air in sync. Local fisherman paused on the shore with looks of curiosity as we savored our session.

The trip back upwind was work, but it was also an opportunity to tour the remote shoreline of the little bay. Hundreds of palapa huts lined the shore, and behind them a lush, tangled jungle extended up the mountainside as far as the eye could see. We arrived back at our bus after a giant, red sun had already fallen below the horizon. And our friends and classmates were treated to stories that started with: “You should have been there!” and, “You’ll never believe…”

In Cartagena, we found Colombian culture and in Santa Veronica we found consistent wind, but we wanted more. So, after two weeks in Colombia, we loaded up our bus again, looking for somewhere that had it all. Google Maps told us that we could make it from Santa Veronica to Cabo de la Vela in eight hours. However, mechanical issues, exhaustingly long meals, slow-moving mandatory police escorts through notoriously dangerous stretches of highway and other surprises nearly doubled our expected travel time. Along with the unexpected delays, we were also seduced into spending some time in Uribia and Palomino, in the heart of indigenous Colombia. Uribia is a busy commerce center where members of the semi-nomadic Kogi tribe brush with contemporary society. Palomino, a backpackers haven that feels like the setting of Jungle Book, sits at the base of the dramatic Sierra Madre de Santa Marta mountain range.

FacePlant | View in Mag

Ride Engine | View in Mag

Finally, we arrived in dusty, sweaty Cabo de la Vela. The town, two rows of wooden huts at the end of a beat up, dirt road, is three hours beyond major settlements and paved roads. The only power in Cabo de la Vela was supplied by generators that ran for limited periods of time each day. Wifi was a foreign concept and a weak cell connection from the local carrier, Claro, came and went. Cell phones and computers became passé, and connecting with people face-to-face came back into vogue. While the town was lacking infrastructure, it certainly wasn’t lacking wind. The WCKA teenagers rode on 4, 7,8, or 9 meter kites most days. The locals in Cabo de la Vela, members of the Wayuu indigenous tribe, are a creative, resilient people who have survived centuries in barren, far-north Colombia. Like the cacti that survive in the desert, the Wayuus had a tough exterior, but they were full of life at their core. Local kiters rode with loads of power and precision, buzzing around each other in an impressive circus act. Locals as young as eight were hidden in gear many sizes too big. Not hindered by their ill-fitting gear, they spent every afternoon throwing huge, unhooked tricks and fearless kiteloops. The camaraderie between the WCKA team and the locals made the energy on the water hyper- competitive. The WCKA team saddled up and adjusted to the powerful, gusty conditions. We learned new tricks from the Wayuus, and they quickly picked up tricks from us. The week and a half that we spent in Cabo de la Vela was the cherry on top of our sweet month in Colombia.

One of the most interesting aspects of kiteboarding is that nothing is guaranteed. Even the biggest kites need a breath of wind to fly. Straying from bread-and-butter kiteboarding destinations can be a risky call, especially when traveling with 16 opinionated teenagers. Luckily, in this case, we came home with more than just a suitcase full of sand. Our minds are full of memories, our hard drives are full of footage, and the lessons we learned about this magical country won’t soon fade away.

The Keys To Colombia:

Food

The traditional Colombian breakfast consists of eggs and arepas, which are fried discs of cornmeal. Don’t miss out on the classic, bandeja paisa, a mountain of traditional ingredients and flavors, often eaten for lunch or dinner in many parts of Colombia. The bandeja paisa generally consists of red beans, coconut rice, ripe plantain, arepa, ground beef, sausage, chicharron, avocado, salsa and a fried egg. Expect your lunch to be served with a piping hot, sancocho, which is a soup with either meat and fish in a broth with corn, yuca, and potatoes.

Lodging

In Cabo de la Vela, check out Hospedaje Jarrinapi, one of the nicest accommodations in town. In Santa Veronica, Casa Agua Vela is hostel run by a super helpful French kiter, Romain and his Colombian wife, Zaira. This small accommodation is situated on a steep cliff overlooking the ocean. In Cartagena, Nativo Kite School + Posada Kalea is one option that combines a small hotel, restaurant, and kite school directly on the beach.

Getting There

Bogotá will likely be your first stop in Colombia, whether you’re coming from North America or Europe. From Bogotá, Avianca, LATAM or Copa will likely take you to your final destination: Santa Marta or Cartagena. If you’re planning on staying in Cartagena, you could manage without a rental car, but if you’re heading to Santa Veronica or Cabo de la Vela, a rental car will help you get there. Be aware, if you’re heading to Cabo de la Vela, the access road is long and unpaved. If you reach Cabo de la Vela and want to venture further, find a 4x4 outfit to take you out to Punta Gallinas.

Ozone | View in Mag

FacePlant | View in Mag

Safety

Colombia has a long history of violence, and travelers need to be smart. However, travelers who exercise a reasonable level of caution will find the country warm and welcoming. When shopping, it isn’t uncommon for tourists to be short-changed, so agree on a price before making a purchase and then count your change in front of the merchant. With an exchange rate of roughly $3150 Colombian Pesos (COP) to €1, be ready to deal with some big numbers.

Weather

The best season for wind is December through April. The wind in Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas can be 25 knots or more. In Cartagena and Santa Veronica, expect strong to moderate wind during the season. The air and water temperatures in Northern Colombian coast are hot to the point of being uncomfortable, so be ready.