Safe and Sound in Colombia

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We have finally arrived in Colombia! I must admit that there were some minor hiccups along the way (getting sick and throwing up into a recycling bin at Pearson Ariport is definitely something that I will try and avoid in the future), however, we made all our flights and arrived in Cartagena yesterday evening.

The city is very charming, with it´s colourful architecture, and definitely has a colonial feel to it. Cartagena itself is surrounded by a fortress that was built to protect it from sieges by pirates and others in the 1700´s. It is said that it took the Spanish over 200 years to build it, but only 25 years after it was completed Cartagena declared it´s independence...so I´m not quite sure that their investment paid off!

The highlight of my first night in Cartagena was going for a beer in the Plaza de Reloj with two girl I met at my hostel and sitting outside on a patio, sipping a beer while listening to latin music....now this is what I call a vacation!

However, today we woke up early to journey to Taganga, which is a fishing village on the coast. It is here that I will take my Padi course to hopefully become Padi certified. The journey was around 5 hours, so we were starving when we arrived. There is nothing like some nice seafood and a beer by the water to satisfy and empty stomach😊 The city is a stark contrast from Cartagena, as the roads are generally not paved, and the houses consist more of tin roofs, which is more reminicent of my travels in India than the colonial architecture of Spain.

So today, me and my friend spent 2 hours watching a Padi video and reading about Scuba....hopefully this will pay off once we hit the pool tomorrow for our first ¨in water¨class!

That´s all for now....hasta pronto!

Caitlin

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Comments

[Stephanie]

Buen viaje!
This blog is such a great idea! I love your 1st post and look forward to following your adventures throughout your trip. What is the Padi certification? Have a great trip and be safe! Un gran beso y un abrazo muy fuerte :) xox - Steph

[Andrea]

Sana y Salva
Hola Catalina! Me alegra saber que llegaron bien a Cartagena y que te gusto la arquitectura... la cuidad definitivamente es muy romantica! I can't believe you actually got sick while still in Canada... I guess we always think it only happens down south... but hopefully you're good to go now! One thing about Colombia is that the beauty is in its imperfect and eclectic landscapes. You will find how different Cartagena is from Taganga, from Medellin and Bogota... so enjoy the contrasts you will find in rich & poor, the hot & cold, the mountains & valleys, the rural & metropolis... etc. Although when it comes to people... I can only say they are nice. (period) hahaha. Say hi to Amanda...