Cartagena, Colombia

January 10, 2015

Cartagena, Colombia

After 6 days at sea, we arrived in Cartagena - hello Colombia! We had a hard time finding availability at the hostels since it was high season and there was a huge music festival in the city. Finally found a place, Casa Nativa, that’s located in the Old City. Great location.

The Old City of Cartagena dates back to the 1500’s. There are cobblestone streets, hanging vines, old cathedrals, and tiny candlelit restaurants within the old city walls.

Taxis are replaced by horse drawn carriages.

Street vendors sell fresh fruit, breads, pastries, and candies.

Boutique hotels are hidden behind giant wooden doors that tower two stories high.

Sparkling lights hang from the trees in the park

Live music is played throughout the restaurants and streets. The city is absolutely vibrant.

Our first night we had dinner at a cuban restaurant with our friends that we went sailing with. All are from Brooklyn, two of which are tattoo artists and the other is a producer/filmer. The tattoo artists were traveling around South America filming a documentary on tattoos’s and the stories behind them.

Day 2 we woke up and walked around the city for hours, eating street food and drinking wine. Cartagena is very touristy, but it's mostly wealthy South Americans. Not a lot of western tourism. No Asian tourists.. not one.

After two days in Cartagena, we headed to Santa Marta where we would be camping in Tayrona National Park for a few days.

On our way back from Santa Marta, we stayed in Cartagena on more night before flying out to Bogota. We spent the day walking the streets buying dollar bracelets, eating street food, and enjoying the 90 degree weather before heading to a colder climate for the next 2 months.