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Published: July 27th 2009
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I arrived in Cartagena one day late due to missing the last bus from Santa Marta. From speaking to other travellers I had met in South America about Cartagena, they all described it as this magical city, so expectations were high. Cartagena is on the Caribbean coast, four hours drive from Santa Marta, so the weather was exactly the same as Santa Marta. I met a guy, Henry, in Santa Marta who left for Cartagena a couple of days before me, so we arranged to meet up when I got into town. The hostel everyone tries to stay at in Cartagena is called Casa Viena, which I, like probably a thousand others before me wasn’t able to get a room due to it being full. Forced to seek alternative shelter, I remembered Henry had the same problem when he came. He told me that he was staying at a place called Hostel San Blas. Not having a clue where hostel San Blas was, and carrying a 25kg rucksack in 35 degree heat wasn’t my idea of fun at the time, so I asked one of the ‘homeless/can get you anything you want’ guys on the street to show me where it
was for 2,000 COP (about 60p). He duly obliged, and tried to sell me everything you can image in our brief, but very interest 2 minute conversation to the hostel I thought to myself 60p for 2 mins work was a good rate, next time I will start at 1,000 COP. For the next 4 days in Cartagena, I would bump into this guy; Albert was his name, at least twice a day. One he saw me at the end of a street and started shouting my name and chasing after me. English Mark or Londres he would call me. Now the hostel wasn’t in the nicest neighbourhood so a guy doing this at 10pm at night could only be a bad thing.
The hostel San Blas was nice and clean, free internet (bonus), but no free breakfast (no-bonus), for 15,000COP a night, so I booked in for 4 nights. I couldn’t see Henry, so I sent him a Facebook message to tell him I had arrived and we should have a few beers if he was still about. He got back to me saying that he got the hostels’ confused. He was actually staying at the San Roque.
Intentional or genuine mistake, I will leave it to you to decide.
The old town in Cartagena is frozen in the 16th Century. From the buildings, to the streets are just as they were back then. The only thing which has changed has to be the amount of touts, which again can get you anything at a moment’s notice. From cock fighting tickets to cocaine, from emerald to cigars, the list was endless. I asked a guy if he could get me tickets for a cock fight where the cocks were on cocaine and smoked cigars in between rounds. He didn’t understand my humour. The city has a walled fortress which was built to keep pirates out, but today people can walk along the wall, or visit Cartagena’s very own, Cafe Del Mar to watch the sunset.
On Sat night, I met up with my ‘mate’, Henry for a bite to eat and some beers. Looking for somewhere to get the party started we ended up in what can only be described as an ‘escort introduction bar’. That wasn’t the market we wanted to trade in, so we asked a local (guy not hooker) were the best place in
town was, so we could throw some shapes, and enjoy some of the Cartagena nightlife. We got recommended a place called Mr Bebidas, which if anyone goes to Cartagena visit this place. Coyote ugly meets Gaucho Grill, and the place was wall to wall to wall to wall, floor and ceiling with women. Never have I seen anything quite like it. Individually, our Spanish wasn’t good, and together we figured it was even worse. When it comes to buying bus tickets or asking for hostel rooms I am ok. Trying to talk to any of these women about what time the next coach was leaving for Bogota, would result in a very short conversation. It was almost like a Moses and a burning bush moment for me, as it was that night that pushed me to learn Spanish. When you don’t speak the local language it makes it difficult. When having lunch one day, one of the local men sat next to me and wanted to chat, well I say chat, he spoke, and I just said ‘si’ in between mouthfuls. I think he was complaining about his mother in law or something. I understood wife’s mum and then a
few choice words. I promised myself as soon as I got to Medellin, I would take some Spanish lessons. So, at least when the next Eva Mendes look alike I see wandering around Colombia, I could ask her the time of the next bus to Bogota, and also comment how nice the blouse she was wearing was. From small acorns Mark...
The following day, I had booked up to visit the Islas de Rosario islands. I turned up at the port at 7.30am, not feeling great from the night before, and with the prospect of spending the next 90 mins on a boat. I was the only non Colombian on the boat. I quickly came to realise this when the ‘entertainment’ for the boat started shouting out where people were from. Then he asked anyone from abroad here. There was a muffled, ‘Boooooooooo’ from my corner. The trip consisted of a visit to the Aquarium in the Rosario islands, and then a trip to Playa Blanca, which is one of the beaches on the island of Baru. It is one of best playas I have been to. The water was crystal clear, the sand was white. Just amazing.
My biggest regret on this trip so far is that I didn’t spend a couple of days on the island. The beach was unbelievable. The boat headed back later that afternoon. I think that if I hadn’t been leaving for Medellin the next day I would have spent at least one night on the island.
A trip to Cartagena is definitely worth it, if anyone is thinking of doing Colombia. Writing this now, sat in a hostel in freezing cold Bogota, if someone offered me a ticket back to warmth, no threat of getting mugged and drinking water out of a coconut, the decision wouldn’t take long. The following night I took a night bus to Medellin with a girl, Tara, who I met in Angel Falls, Venezuela, then bumped into her in Santa Marta and then bumped into her again in Cartagena, and another girl, Ondrea who was staying at her hotel. The bus journey was 12 hours, which in terms of travel in South America was manageable.
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Dale
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Sweet!!
This looks moere a bit of me than bogota sounds!! that club sounds amazing aswell Whoop