Cristobal Colon Boulevard (Eng/Esp)

Continuing my walk along Avenida Perimetral, today I passed by Cristobal Colon Boulevard, another popular tourist spot in the area that’s very busy in the afternoon. You can see lots of people walking here—some out for exercise and others in groups enjoying the spectacular sunset with their families.

From this boulevard, you can see the Gulf of Cariaco, so it’s also relatively easy to view the other coastline. This place is famous because several years ago, the Cumana City Government inaugurated some wooden structures with roofs for people to enjoy, and a human trafficking ring brought a group of Warao Indians from Delta Amacuro state and forced them to live there, creating a makeshift camp that remained in place for several months.

The name “Cristobal Colon” has long been associated with this place, but almost no one refers to it that way. I remember that during the reopening, they relocated all the exercise equipment and bars, removing the ones that were on Perimetral Avenue, before reaching the The Chaimas intersection. During the first few weeks, many people came to this spot to exercise—I was one of them—but it turned out that the new equipment wasn’t the same size as the ones that had been removed; they installed a type of superbar that was very uncomfortable and caused injuries.

Gradually, those enthusiasts disappeared, and the equipment succumbed to salt damage. What still remains there is the sea; today it was very blue and calm, and you could see seagulls and shearwaters soaring through the sky, looking for the perfect opportunity to hunt. It’s impossible not to recall memories of my youth, when I could afford to come here regularly and this place gave me the balance I needed.