Cartegena, Colombia!

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Cartagena (pronounced Carte-hey-na) is a bustling port town in the north of Colombia on the Caribbean Coast. I liked the feel of the city - it had a healthy mix of glamour and grit for me. Cartagena is probably the most visited Colombian for tourists, especially from the US as it's only about a 2-3 hour flight from Miami, so very accessible. Way back when, in the 1500s, Cartagena, was a political and economic center under Spanish rule. The port town held a throne, and was a center of trade for metals and slaves which is evident to this day via the electric Afro-culture and Gold Museums also.

We stayed in the old town, near the Spanish Fort and Castle of San Felipe. The Marlin was was a decent, budget hostel which was made even more fun thanks to our brilliant night manager, Jose, who had a great sense of humor. We were just a short walk from The Walled City which was full of narrow cobblestone streets and bustling tourism. The entrance is adorned by a beautiful Clock Tower, which reminds revelers of the local taverns and nightclubs as to what time it is!

Staying in Cartegena was another opportunity for us to have fun with friends. We had good times with our Dutch crew, caught up with Ulysses and Florencia from Argentina, enjoyed Sarah's Birthday Brunch with Tremayne and Marsha AND welcomed Dom Forth to Colombia!

The Dutch mafia were a solid bunch of lads that we'd met in Montanita and, as anyone who spent time with Dutch before will attest, they are just so much fun. Ulysses & Flo were a nice young couple that we met in Cartegena and became friends with. They were recording a TV show and blogging their travels which we appeared in when we visited the Parque Tayronna. Marsha was a great Aussie girl that we had met in Montanita, Ecuador and hung with here and Tremayne in Taganga. And our great friend Dominic from England was joining us from the US for an adventure holiday.

Sarah's Birthday was fun, starting with the brunch all the way through dinner at one of Anthony Bourdain's favorite restaurants in Cartegena called La Cevicheria. After that we were off to the Cafe Del Mar at the Fort for a few cocktails before we met up with the Dutch mafia to hit a disco-bar. The next night it was Dom's birthday! So we arranged to do a party bus which they call La Chiva (The goat!). The party bus was great laugh, full of singing, dancing and having fun. I think we even managed to pick up a pair of maracas!



Next up....the stunning, Tayrona National Park. El parque Tayrona.

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