Cartagena is one of the most beautiful cities I have seen so far. I do have to say that I have only seen the ancient town within the city walls. There is also a modern part of the city, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have liked it that much.
Narrow streets, fruit sellers on the street, salsa music coming out of every single bar, ancient buildings and hot temperatures.
We were staying in a very popular hostel: El Viajero. Every night we met new interesting people, each with their own amazing traveling story!
At night there was a good atmosphere at the bar. Happy hour and jummy mojitos! I only tried these the last 2 days of our stay tough. At arrival I got sick...stomach issues for 2 full days. I didn't leave the hostel, maybe only to go to the supermarket for food and the rest of the day I would spend in bed. Bummer!
Luckily the hostel was a very chill place to be during the day.
Around day 3 it was about time I would feel better and go out and explore this wonderful area! We booked a full day trip to the mud volcano and a canoe tour in the mangroves of La Boquilla.
An interesting fact about the mud volcano: inside there is no gravity! We could go inside and bathe. There were people inside waiting to give us a massage while we were floating. It was a very interesting experience!
After 15 minutes we had to get out, 'cause it got crowded. A few meters away from the vulcano there is a river where you can wash off the mud. OR, you can get washed by a local woman. Since the mud was even in my nose, ears and hair, I let the lady wash me. I felt like a little kid again, when my mommy or grandma used to wash me. *nostalgia*
In between activities we got a local lunch and some time to chill on the beach. Me and Liesje got a massage on the beach. That was só relaxing!
Time for some action, we thought! Not really...in the canoeing tour, a canoeer was included. We just had to sit still and enjoy the view and all that nature had to offer.
The day after we did a free city tour, which was very interesting! We learned about the history of 'la heroica' and about Simon Bolivar. We also learned how to distinguish the inhabitants of a house just by looking at the doorknob.
e.g. Mermaid = sailors, fish = fishermen, hand = priest,...
If you walk around in the city you will see for sure a few pelanqueras. These are ladies, who are descendants of the ancient slaves, dressed in very colourfull dresses and wearing a basket of fruit on their head. Initially their purpose was to sell the fruit, but nowadays they see themselves as a tourist attraction and they charge you money if you want to take their picture. You can still buy their fruit, but make sure you also get a photo!
Next: Playa Blanca - Isla Barú
Labels: Colombia, Travel
