Cartagena - Blogabond

We came to Cartagena in the late afternoon after a 4h minibus ride that went without incident.
When we came there we had arranged a Tahitian Divemaster to host us called Erv. So as soon as we got off the bus we just took a taxi and went straight there.

view from Erv's apartment

It turned out that she was living in one of the houses that our bus had driven past and both me and Steffi had commented on the super white entrance.
The apartment building was really close to the water and from Erv’s apartment we got an amazing view of the ocean.
First night we didn’t do much we just went for dinner together with another couchsurfer who was also sleeping at Erv’s place.
The next day we went to explore the Old city which is really beautiful. It’s an old colonial town surrounded by a wall and also a huge fortress close by.
We spent the whole day walking around the city and looking at the buildings and we also had lunch with another guy from Couchsurfing named Jorge living close by who told us about the city and what you could do and gave us some inside info.

Crazy dancers

That same night when we were on our way back to the apartment we stumbled on a really cool live dance performance on one of the plazas it was different kinds of traditional dances and I think we spent at least 30 minutes just sitting there watching the moves, the colors and listening to the rhythm. Sometimes it was so fast that just looking at it made you tired.
That night we had dinner at Erv’s place that Rihanna (the other couchsurfer) had cooked. It was really good and when I get home I really need to get better at cooking food. Pasta and tuna just isn’t enough.
Second day, we went to the Castillo, a fort close to the old city center, that was used to protect the city from the pirate attacks and also to keep it from being conquered.
Cartagena has a really interesting history, it was the most important town for the Spanish in the South America because it was from here they shipped all the gold and other treasures they found while conquering the continent. Therefore it has always been other nations and also pirates who have attacked the city and tried to take its treasures.

To say the least the fort is huge! It has underground corridors and different batteries with cannons and everything you can imagine from a real fort. I found it really fascinating and the fact that the fort had been in battle several times gave it just something extra.
After the fort we went walking around the old city some more and just covering the areas that we hadn’t had time for the previous day. We also found a coffee shop that was really expensive considering it was in Colombia but the brownie we had there was the best I have ever had and considering it “only” costed us less than 49SEK for two cups of coffee and a super brownie. After that we figured we might as well just go back and chill for the rest of the day. I also cooked dinner for me Steffi and Rihanna sausages and potatoes. As I said it’s really advanced cooking.
Third day of our time in Cartagena we didn’t do anything really we had decided to go on a Chiva buss that night so we just rested up and washed our clothes and all other things that you just have to do every now and then, That night we went to the Chiva bus which is basically a chicken bus with a live band that takes you on a tour of the city while you get free rum and coke as much as you can drink, then drop you off at the wall around the city to meet up with the rest of the Chivas before going to a bar and there ending the tour. It is an really cool way to get to see the city and also Steffi got to hold a sloth looking like Sid in Ice Age before we got to the bar where we sat and chatted until late at night.

When me and Steffi finally decided to call it a night, this was about two hours after Erv had gone home we found her asleep and snoring outside her door since, she had tried banging on the door she said but Rihanna had her earphones on and didn’t hear. So what do you do when it’s late at night and you have forgotten that the key is downstairs in the reception? You sleep on the floor, that’s what you do.
Our last day in Cartagena we were both really hung-over at first. Could it be the free rum? Any how we didn’t do much except argue with the laundry lady who had made one pair of socks and a shirt disappear but we got it back after an hour, that I spent sitting at the laundry place looking pissed off so I guess that one point for us. That afternoon we caught the 12hour bus to Medellin to se Pablo Escobar’s hometown! But that’s another story.
Cheers
Chris

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Steffi & Chris on December 12, 2009 from Cartagena, Colombia

from the travel blog: 212 days

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