Bienvenidos a Cartagena de Indias (pt 2)

We are warmly welcomed back to the North Star hostel in Bocagrande, Cartagena. 

Bocagrande, Cartagena

Adam is waiting and eager to tell us all his recent escapades! We spend the evening having a good chin-wag and eating chicken at the famous Kokorico, hmmm! Adam orders a WHOLE chicken!

Greasy chops, gloves & a whole chicken!

There are lots of chains selling broasted, fried or barbecued chicken everywhere in Colombia (very tasty!). The following day my bank card does not arrive (it is floating around in Miami apparently). The flight from Miama to Cartagena is surprisingly cheap because it is such a popular route (here they call it "the silicon run"). The others have gone to La Isla Rosario so I head to the Surf club with Pedro on a mission to sell a surfboard. I try 'limonada de coco' and spend the next few hours relaxing near the beach, watching the surfers (talking to crazy beach-bums) and watching the waves crash against the Tierra Bomba. In the afternoon, we wander the Old City, a World Heritage site. It is like wandering around a film set! The buildings are so well preserved. There is a fantastic atmosphere here - people selling fruit, donkeys and carts, horses and carriages, vendors and people rushing around doing their errands. It is nice to have a local guide - spending time in bookshops, coffee-shops and wandering the various stalls and shops. Later I visit the modern art gallery in the Old Town which is well worth a browse.

Approach to the old town

Donde Fidel & La Candela

Wandering the Old City

Lemon Pie building

Rustic balconies

Colourful Mamas

Cartagena is just about the hottest place I remember being in my life! The humidity smothers me, all day, every day. This is not balmy, it is bloomin' boiling!!!! We all whinge about how sweaty and shiny we are, even late at night. It is time to say goodbye to Mauri as he travels back to Medellin, and then to Norway. Next day, myself and the Norwegian ladies have a day of shopping. The shops in the old city are wonderful - lots of boutiques with beautiful dresses, shoes, jewelery and bikinis. We are a bad influence on each other, and end up buying more that we should! And now that we have new dresses....we will have to go and dance some more to show them off!

Adam's Birthday celebrations begin this evening. We make a dash to the supermarket and prepare a spread.. lots of nibbles, wine and topped off with strawberries and champagne! The other guys in the hostel look on in envy as we three lovely ladies run around creating the feast!

Party nibbles!

We play '13' for the first time since Chile. Once again there is a really nice group of people at this hostel, and we have a good laugh. We go back to Tu Candela for more dancing!

Plaza de San Domingo

Birthday Boy & his fan-club, Tu Candela

The following day my bank card arrives, wohoo! Today is Adam's actual birthday (26 years today!). We spend most of the day at Club Nautico talking to various captains about sailing to Panama in the coming week - this turns out to be a huge effort on our part, far more complicated that we could have imagined and we end up spending a great deal of time at the Club over the next few days (more about this in my next entry).

Club Nautico, where we spend many hours trying to organise a boat-trip to Panama

There are not really so many things to do in Cartagena once the beach and Old City have been explored, so aside from hanging out at the yacht club, we relax. In the evening, we gather the troops and go to a very nice bar/restaurant called Cafe del Mar. There is great view of Old City, the 'new city' (high rise) and the ocean - and for the first time in days we finally cool down with the sea breeze!

Cafe del Mar

I eat Ceviche de Corvina for dinner, which is delicious. Suddenly there is a heavy rain shower, and we all have to squeeze inside. Once the shower passes, we move further into the Old City and get recommended a 'great bar' which actually turns out to be a strip-club where it costs $10.00 USD for a drink! Colombia is not cheap but that is ridiculous! With general consensus, we move swiftly along to another place. We spend the night dancing once more, the music really is too good to sit down! A good night is had by all. Some of us (less sensible folk) continue to another place later which turns out to be a mafia club, it gets a bit seedy. I am relieved to leave. There are some dodgy characters in this city, to say the least...

On every street, every Plaza there is music

and dance!

The most narrow street in the Old City

Adam and Angelica show us their moves!

We travelling-buddies pose for a picture

The Chicas

The next day, I decide that I need a change of scenery from North Star and move to another hostel in the centre of town - Media Luna Art Hostel. This hostel is brand-new (work not yet completed) and luxurious (Olwyn you would adore it!). 

Media Luna Art Hostel

Adam goes to Taganga and the Norwegians go to Playa Blanca, I decide to stay in the City. Not on my own for more that a couple of hours before I find out that "Canada" (aka Alan from Toronto) is in town and staying across the road. We have fruit smoothies, and wander the Old City (again!). I am starting to become oblivious to the comments from people on the street, and also, to the amount of people offering drugs. It is probably hard to imagine but I feel completely safe here walking around, despite being approached constantly. Colombians like to laugh, so as long as you smile, make a joke or keep walking there is never any hassle. There are more tourists here than anywhere else in the country, but we are still a novelty it seems! In the evening, a group of us head to Havana Club, Media Luna where there is a fantastic live band - salsa, cha-cha, rumba!

Havana Club

Canada sails off to Panama the following morning (he has chosen a smaller boat which we posh ladies are not willing to squeeze into!). The Norwegians return in the evening. I relax by the pool.

The food in Colombia has been a mixed adventure! The traditional dishes in the centre of the country, such as bandeja paisa and arrepa, are tasty but stodgy. They serve bananas with everything. The food is different according to each region as a result of climatic and cultural influences. Here in the north the fish and shellfish are fresh and delicious, whereas in the south the stews and soups are delicious. There are also many more Carribean and Indian influences in the cooking (and people) in the north. The differences between northern and southern Colombia are great. In the north people are darker, more laid-back and more gregarious, perhaps people are more sophisticated and westernised in Bogota and more genuine/down-to-earth around Medellin. These are big generalisations of course! The landscape, the food, the weather, the music, the architecture, the colours, the clothes - everything changes throughout the country which makes Colombia an interesting place to spend time. My favourite restaurant in Cartagena is El Bistro, in the Old City. For best value and delicious, my favourite is Crepes and Waffles, Bocagrande. I have also eaten in some dodgy-looking cafeterias in the backstreets around Media Luna which have been pretty tasty (and cheap). In one particular place the waitress told me what I was having without further discussion (it was a good choice though!). Some meals have been less than average. The fruit is outstanding, there many fruits which I had never tasted before.

After many days of talking and negotiating we have organised a trip on converted fishing boat with a French captain. We are very excited, but still have three days until we sail......anyone for a walk around the Old City?!?