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Published: September 16th 2007
Cartagena pulsates with a rhythm unlike any other. As I stood on the balcony of our lustful hotel, couples made out on the couch in the darkened loungeroom while they waited for rooms that were rented by the hour. Across the road, pimps hawked the scantily clad young girls outside the door of a conspicuous brothel.
Along the path, a man sat on the sidewalk and worked on smashing open a safe. No one paid him any attention.
Below, backpackers waited amongst piles of garbage for a room. Narrowly saving their washing from being scooped up by the garbage men.
On the corner, two men stand with a hotdog stand. One has coffee in a thermos and sells a cup of the over sweetened brew for $1.
In the square, a mime torments passerbys with his antics to the amusement of the cafe crowd. A salsa band competes with the thump of a nightclub while traditional dancers struggle to differentiates the beat.
Horse drawn carriages carrying tourists clatter through the cobbled streets lending an old world charm to the softly lit city.
The jumble of sounds reverberate of the fortified walls of the city and
any cool breeze is kept at bay making the interior almost unbearably sultry.
Atop the walls of the fort sits Cafe Del Mar, a infamous outdoor club with feathered and winged dancers, a dj playing from within a turret and drink prices expensive enough to prop the Colombian economy.
During the day, rows of clothing stores overflow with trashy nightclub wear and overzealous shop assistants follow you like a shadow and struggle to be heard over the instore band or thumping club music.
Ferries leave to the nearby islands, the roar of the speed boat motors only slightly dampened by the brass band that is crammed amongst the passengers, the drummer playing his instrument on an angle and the tuba threatening to leave several passengers with permanent hearing impairments.
A stunning place, Cartagena captivates you and threatens to keep you in its warm embrace.
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Shella
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Little Adsy
Guess who I saw on Friday night behind the bar at Ambar???? A hot young gentleman who thought I didn't recognize him. Well I didn't at first. We chatted and the first thing he said to me was did yo hear my mum went sky diving, and I am like yeah dude, I was just on MEL's blogg yesterday.....Groovy. If only I was 10 years younger, we could of been sister in laws........