“The Calvary of Mompox”

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The Calvary of Mompox!

That’s how the headline reads from yesterday’s article in El Tiempo. A well written piece by a Spanish resident in Colombia who obviously went and visited our beautiful town in the recent past.

The article goes on to describe the problems in arriving, the lack of tourists, the dreadful December and January and as she states, the dreadful Easter season we are to suffer if the Government fails to put up a new bridge.

You can read the full article here: http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/caribe/problemas-en-mompox_8950532-4

But frankly, things are fundamentally wrong with the piece. Salud Hernandez, I put it to you: you arrived, yes? Then incommunicado is not the word you are looking for.

And for the jeweler to criticize the backpackers and travellers who do not buy in her store. I answer, there are more reasonable shops and to say that a backpacker does not spend is a fallacy, a backpacker spends on transport, accommodation, in the market, in the shops, in the bars, on the street.

Everyone from the hotelier to the taxi driver and juice vendor gain. The same cannot be said for those who arrive in their big 4x4s and wish for all three meals in their hotel.

Maria Bernarda, you are wrong to ask for another military bridge, yes, this would solve our problems but it would push us to the back of the line once again. They installed a military bridge a year ago and with the floods one of the struts sunk! Should the Government install another military bridge the project to construct a new permanent bridge will be shelved for a minimum of 5 years.

So, here is our response from the Casa Amarilla to the piece written by Salud Hernandez.

In Spanish and then in English:

Mompos por su situacion aislada ha mantenido su integridad y belleza. Llegar a Mompos siempre ha sido una aventura, asi que el pueblo es ribereno y uno siempre puede llegar por el rio como en el pasado, como Bolivar. Salud, tu llegaste, si o no?

Deja tu carro en Magangue y sigue un viaje de aventura. Los Colombianos tienen que reconocer lo que hay en su pais, bajense del carro y explore! Mompos no es un resort todo incluido. Desde Bogota o Medellin uno llega con facilidad por aire a Monteria o Corozal, desde alli es una cuestion de taxis collectivos.

Los mochileros Colombianos y viajeros extranjeros de todos los estratos sociales siguen llegando porque investigan el tema del transporte y no permiten que las malas noticias los detiene.

Y, los visitantes de afuera, mochileros y gente con plata, todos gastan en las tiendas, restaurantes, en la Plaza Santo Domingo, en los kioskos – entonces en lugar de criticar los pocos debes estar felicitando los que llegan y apoyan y ayudan al pueblo Momposino.

En lugar de leer de tanta miseria, mi consejo es de ir a ver el periodico Britanico The Daily Telegraph el cual tiene tres reportajes excelentes sobre Mompos en los ultimos anos y que el periodista extranjero reconoce la belleza a pesar de los problemas.

Creemos que el reportaje va a ayudar que el gobierno haga algo? Mas bien estas perjudicando a la gente Momposina mas o menos aconsejando que no vienen los turistas al pueblo.

English Response

Due to its isolation Mompos has maintained its beauty and integrity. Getting to Mompos has always been an adventure, and this is a river community so one can always rely on river transport in which to arrive, such as in the past, just like Bolivar himself. Salud, you got here, yes or no?

Leave your cars behind in Magangue and venture out a little. Colombians need to reclaim their country, get out of your cars and explore! Mompos is not an all-inclusive resort.

From Bogota or Medellin there are direct and accessible flights to Corozal and Monteria and from these towns it is just a question of collective taxis to get to Mompos.

Colombian backpackers and foreign travellers of every social strata keep arriving in Mompos because they investigate the issue of transport and don’t let the negative media stop them.

And, travellers from overseas, backpackers and those with no budget whatsoever all spend their money in the shops, the restaurants, the Plaza Santo Domingo and the kiosks – so we should be applauding those that make the journey and support and help Mompos.

In lieu of reading about such misery, I direct you to the Daily Telegraph newspaper from the United Kingdom which in as many years has published three excellent articles on Mompos in which the foreign journalist understands completely the beauty of the town in spite of its problems.

Do we really believe that this article is going to push the Colombian Government into action? More likely by writing such a negative piece you are further damaging Mompos’ prospects by giving advice to those travellers to not come to this town.