Decameron Isla Palma All Inclusive

... other, stopping on one that had a few shacks on it for a lunch of freshly caught fish and coconut juice out of the coconuts, relaxing on the beach and swimming in the clear blue waters and then cruising back.................our last look at the Caribbean before we headed east and inland to our next destination, the towns of San Gil and Barichara.

... boat, it was quite an eyeopener. Stopping at one of the most beautiful, white sand, turqoise sea, you get the idea, islands in the group we were hassled by every man and his dog to buy lunch, fruit salads, liquers, snorkels; the only way to get away from them was to go in the sea, so we swam about for a while and even then they were harassing us from the shoreline, persistant little blighters. Anyway, we decided to have lunch after ...

Woke up at 6 this morning wondering why some one was using my shower. Off with sleepy mask, out with ear plugs and omygod it's raing in my room. Floor's underwater and the ceiling fan's making a fine job of spraying the walls too. Rushed downstairs and woke El Capitan, the night man, who produced a bowl the size of a paddling pool to catch the flood - it's about 4 inches deep now and rising. Waiting ...

... feasibility for kiteboarding. How could I say NO to that? We found ideal conditions in Coveñas, a small fishing village along the Caribbean where we attracted quite a local crowd and interest once the kites were pumped up and flying in the air. One of the locals invited us ...

The air is thick and hot as Ben and I ride into the subtropical village. We are on taxi motor-bikes, being ferried into a place that few foreigners enter. The road is rocky and natural and made of a chocolate mud stew as it passes through the farm country. We are not far from Cartagena, maybe 50 km, but this is our third connection of the day. It takes two bus rides and the motos to get to this fairly remote local. We land in this alien town ...

Is easily one of the most beautiful cities of the Americas. I don`t want to waste too much time depicting what my pictures will do in seconds (although the battery died and I don`t have sufficient photos), so here´s the short story: The old town is a magical conglomeration of three story houses illustrated in a myriad of colors. Flowers and fauna hang from the balconies. Churches ...

... manouevering around the potholes with precision. We breakfasted as the rain eased up - Ed 'Iron Guts' Germain on fish soup, me on my usual scrambled eggs with fresh juice. This set us up for a quick bus ride to the next village on the coast, Corveñas reputed to be a decent beach. If a crowded, fairly dirty beach with various sound systems blaring among the rubbish is a decent beach, then I guess it was! Still, nothing could take the shine off our next ...

Wow, here we are, South America! The flight was so short, it was amazing that they managed to serve snacks and drinks, but they did. So here we are, standing in line for customs longer than the flight took. It's nice, and it's hot; hotter than Panama. The agricultural dept of Colombia accept Gillies papers from Costa Rica without any fuss, and 29000 pesos later we'e out looking for a taxi to old town. We find that the Hotel Viajero liked ...

I spent my final days in Cartagena walking the streets taking photos. The city walls and the buildings contained within are interesting to explore - every street seems to transform as the sun passes overhead to alter the angle of light and shadows cast. I made it out to the "Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas", which is one of five Spanish defensive forts (and arguably the most impressive) built around Cartagena during the 17th ...