Are there any Central or South American cities/areas that would be convenient for a long weekend?

[Anonymous]

Don't waste time with Cartagena, it's an unauthentic Disneyesque tourist trap for those who don't know better (mainly cruise passengers).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't waste time with Cartagena, it's an unauthentic Disneyesque tourist trap for those who don't know better (mainly cruise passengers).

Please explain how a city founded in the 16th century can be an inauthentic Disneyeque tourist trap?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't waste time with Cartagena, it's an unauthentic Disneyesque tourist trap for those who don't know better (mainly cruise passengers).

Please explain how a city founded in the 16th century can be an inauthentic Disneyeque tourist trap?

It's due to the amount (and class) of clueless visitors the city receives and the businesses that cater to them, including primarily cruise ship passengers. Even during the violent days, visitors still flocked to Cartagena. It's not an authentic Colombian experience. A good comparison might be Tijuana.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't waste time with Cartagena, it's an unauthentic Disneyesque tourist trap for those who don't know better (mainly cruise passengers).

Please explain how a city founded in the 16th century can be an inauthentic Disneyeque tourist trap?

It's due to the amount (and class) of clueless visitors the city receives and the businesses that cater to them, including primarily cruise ship passengers. Even during the violent days, visitors still flocked to Cartagena. It's not an authentic Colombian experience. A good comparison might be Tijuana.

Hardly. Tijuana is a border crossing city.

Cruise ship passengers are temporary and can be avoided, as can the areas they tend to frequent. They don't determine the architecture and authenticity of a city, which is what would make it "Disneyeque"--being fake. Cartagena isn't fake. Overrun by tourists at times, but hardly manufactured to be something it's not.

Clearly you didn't enjoy it, which is fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't waste time with Cartagena, it's an unauthentic Disneyesque tourist trap for those who don't know better (mainly cruise passengers).

Please explain how a city founded in the 16th century can be an inauthentic Disneyeque tourist trap?

It's due to the amount (and class) of clueless visitors the city receives and the businesses that cater to them, including primarily cruise ship passengers. Even during the violent days, visitors still flocked to Cartagena. It's not an authentic Colombian experience. A good comparison might be Tijuana.

Hardly. Tijuana is a border crossing city.

Cruise ship passengers are temporary and can be avoided, as can the areas they tend to frequent. They don't determine the architecture and authenticity of a city, which is what would make it "Disneyeque"--being fake. Cartagena isn't fake. Overrun by tourists at times, but hardly manufactured to be something it's not.

Clearly you didn't enjoy it, which is fine.

Wow, you clearly feel strongly about this.

Besides Cartagena, what other places did you visit in Colombia, and what did you enjoy about them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't waste time with Cartagena, it's an unauthentic Disneyesque tourist trap for those who don't know better (mainly cruise passengers).

Please explain how a city founded in the 16th century can be an inauthentic Disneyeque tourist trap?

It's due to the amount (and class) of clueless visitors the city receives and the businesses that cater to them, including primarily cruise ship passengers. Even during the violent days, visitors still flocked to Cartagena. It's not an authentic Colombian experience. A good comparison might be Tijuana.

Hardly. Tijuana is a border crossing city.

Cruise ship passengers are temporary and can be avoided, as can the areas they tend to frequent. They don't determine the architecture and authenticity of a city, which is what would make it "Disneyeque"--being fake. Cartagena isn't fake. Overrun by tourists at times, but hardly manufactured to be something it's not.

Clearly you didn't enjoy it, which is fine.

Wow, you clearly feel strongly about this.

Besides Cartagena, what other places did you visit in Colombia, and what did you enjoy about them?

Caqueta, Bogota.

It's the misuse of the terms and comparison of two unlike cities that I was pointing out, not an overwhelming love for Cartagena or Colombia.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think I’d do Costa Rica for a long weekend. It’s a long trip from San Jose to the beaches and other areas of interest (like the volcano). The cloud forest outside San Jose is nice but I wouldn’t go just for that. Maybe someone who has taken one of the hop flights to arenal will disagree with me—I’ve been curious about those.