Jan05-10: Cartagena.
We flew directly from Bogota to Cartagena. Once we arrived, we noticed that Colombian people looked much different. They were darker, almost black. We booked an AirBnB with a Colombian family that was slightly outside of the city center. The family was was extremely friendly and welcomed us into their home. Once settled, one of the brother's from the AirBnB, walked us to the main road to get a taxi. On our way to the main road, our host shouted at us to follow him and hand him my wife's purse, as he claimed that a motorbike with 2 people on it, was following and planned to robe us. The craziest moment was when he jumped in the middle of the busy road, and stopped a van, so we can jump to its back seat, for our own safety. At that moment, we had no clue what is happening, after, we got off at the next intersection, our host explained us that we almost got robbed. Everything happened so fast, that we didn't even have time to get scared afterwards. After the shocking stage, we realized that we can't get too comfortable, because after all, we are in Colombia, South America!
We were shocked by how busy the city was. We loved the historic city center, it is surrounded by a stone wall which was used in past wars for protection. Each building had character. The whole old city had an up beat energy. Everyone looked happy, people dance and were full of energy. It was terrific to experience it. At night the city was lit up with new year lights and it was beautiful.
The next day, we went to the Castillo San Felipe, which was built in the 16th century. It was such beautiful and historic castle, well maintained. We decided to stay there until the sunset, which turned out to be a great decision due to a live electronic piano performance, by a very talented musician. On the same night, we met with to of my wife's friends from work, for dinner and drinks. After that, we went to a crazy hostel party.
Over the next few days, we spent time on the Bocagrande beach, which was surrounded by big chain hotels and casinos. The beach itself was live, as there a promotional event, hosted by Coors Light. There was a classy lounge, set up by them, so we took advantage of it, and enjoyed the sunny days! 8 beers for $7, how can you not say YES to it.
Over all, we loved Cartagena, and we'll highly recommend it to anyone who are looking to see and experience a little bit of everything. From historic sites, to lively musical energy, and beautiful relaxation on the beach. No to mention, the great quality of food that Colombia has to offer, especially, their fried FISH. You can easily lick your fingers, after this damn delicious fish! These 5 days were remarkable, and a BIG thanks to our AirBnB hosts, who were very friendly, and took care of us from A to Z. They even went clubbing with us, on our crazy night out!
Adios Colombia, until the next time.
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