Cartagena

My expectations for Cartagena were set pretty low, the Caribbean coastal city has a reputation in Medellín for being super touristy, expensive, and filled with persistent street peddlers. Even with some truth to those things, I found the city to be absolutely beautiful and we would have really missed out had we decided to skip it. Not to mention we had visitors joining us there! My mom and Johnny flew in from Michigan and the four of us explored the old city, some of the surrounding areas, and enjoyed a relaxing few days at the beach.

Old City

Cartagena is a former Spanish Colony and has been deemed a World Heritage Site. Because of this, the old city has remained largely unchanged and is really a spectacular view of the past. It is completely surrounded by a massive stone wall and the inside is a maze of narrow streets adorned with beautiful balconies filled with hanging foliage. During the day, the heat is extreme. But once the sun sets, everyone hits the streets and the old town buzzes with the sounds of music, street vendors, and horse carriages. It was by far the most walkable city we have been to since we arrived!

---

Cartagena also delivered some of the best bars and restaurants we’ve been to during our trip. The old city is known for the rooftop bars and Caribbean food, of which we experienced many! We finally got some excellent seafood – tons of ceviche and grilled seafood like octopus, langostinos, mussels, crab…YUM.

We also went to a bar called Alquímico, recommended to us by our friend Christian, that has been rated one of the best bars in the world. Easily the best and most unique cocktails I’ve ever had and the bar itself was beautiful.

---

Along with the massive wall that used to protect the city, there are several forts that defended the bay and open sea. We had the chance to visit a couple of them on a city tour and it was a very cool glimpse into the past. The buildings are impressive from the outside, but the engineering on the inside in preparation for an attack was amazing.

Outside the Old City

Once you leave the walls, Cartagena is a different city. There is no more romantic Spanish architecture, but rather brand new high rises for the ultra rich towering over the shanty towns for those living in poverty. Much less romantic and much more real. One thing that moved outside of the walls in the 1970’s is the Bazurto Market – a major hub for local shopping. After reading in our guidebook that this is a must-see for anyone wanting to experience the local and less polished side of Cartagena and it was “not for the faint of heart,” we knew we had to go. So we booked a tour for the four of us to check it out… Sorry mom.

We were picked up by our guide and he immediately gave us the ground rules. “Keep your items close to you, hang on tight to your phone or someone will take it, people will be trying hard to get your attention so just ignore them, and are any of you wearing flashy jewelry? No? Great, let’s go!”

The market was a marvel. A maze of little booths selling everything you could possibly imagine. Shoes, clothes, fruits, vegetables, fish, meats, herbs, home goods, you name it. As our guide led us through the labyrinth of stalls, the chaos was almost overwhelming. It was hot, the smells were pungent, people were everywhere and everyone was yelling. Sometimes to us and sometimes to each other. At one point, we walked through this dark, hot, dingy alley lined with pot after pot of boiling stews, rices, meats, and other delicious looking foods all in big kettles over burning wood. We had to keep moving because the second we stopped, people were all over us aggressively trying to sell us what they were cooking.

After wandering through the market for an hour, we found a quieter corner and enjoyed some fresh squeezed juices before heading back to the walled city. It was a bit of a whirlwind of an experience, we didn’t even take a single photo!

Isla Barú

After 5 days in the city, we felt it would be nice to explore another side of Cartagena’s appeal – the ocean! While the city is on the water, the surrounding beaches are not necessarily the nicest to visit. With some advice from some of our teachers in Medellín, we booked 3 nights at a small resort on Isla Barú, about an hour boat ride southeast of Cartagena.

The resort was beautiful and I was more than happy to do nothing for a few days. We spent our time swimming in the ocean, laying by the pool, and indulging in plenty of food and drinks. The time flew by!

---

After the resort we spent one more night in the city before parting ways with my mom and Johnny. It was very special that we were able to share some of our experience them! Absolutely unforgettable.

Alex and I just arrived in Bahía Solano on the Pacific Coast of Colombia. The phone and WiFi service is very spotty here. We left our laptops in luggage storage, so I am attempting to write via the WordPress app. And I guess I can’t add photo slideshows on the mobile version. Clickable galleries it is from now on! Good practice for when we start our hike next month. Here, we plan on taking an open water diving course to become certified scuba divers – this area is known for having some of the best diving in the world. We will also be here to ring in Alex’s 50th birthday which we will spend out on the boat for a day deep-sea fishing!