Tres Banderas Cartagena

... on to our day. 92F and humid. I’m already soaked. No tender today. We can walk off the gang plank right onto the pier. We’re greeted by the usual mascot (this time, a whale) for a photo shoot. Probably won’t buy any this time (unless there is a sale). Our tour is a walking and shopping tour. Just what we thought would be great since we can see some sights and do some local shopping. Again...BIG mistake ...

... before arriving. <br><br>Our first full day in Cartagena and we spent the morning wandering around the old city, admiring the beatifully restored buildings, enjoying the freshly squeezed lime and ice juices, and wondering how on earth we could possibly survive the unbearable heat that sapped all your energy and left you uncomfortably hot most of the time. <br>And we found ourselves the perfect solution, find a pub with some fans and some ...

... so the next morning we woke up early enough to get on a boat to Isla Baru. We took the 45 minute boat ride to Playa Blanca and sank our feet into the powder white sand. We rented a hammock on the beach under a thatched roof, swam in the warm water, and caught up on some reading. The water was saltier than any other we had swam in, to the extent that it felt silky soft. For food, we had stocked up on bananas, bread, tuna, and cheese - our new ...

... lava!). So we wallowed for a while, which was really cool. However they cram quite a lot of people into the crater and you have no control over your movements as the mud is so fluid yet thick, so you end up inadvertently groping a lot of people and getting groped in return! I'm sure not everyone complained! You then wash youself off in the nearby lake and get driven to a lovely little beach where you frolic in the sea whilst someone cooks fresh fish for your lunch - it ...

... maar drukkend heet is het zeker!!<br><br>Ook voor het eerst sinds een dikke 8 maanden de Caribische zee weer mogen aanschouwen :). Mijn rondje is bijna compleet!! Het meest Noord-Westelijkste puntje van mijn reis bereikt, vanaf nu is het alleen nog maar langs de kust richting het oosten (uiteraard met een paar tussenstops hier en daar :)<br><br>Het plan is om overmorgen alweer een bus te pakken en dan naar Taganga ...

... men with panama-hats and canes, as well as African dancers and fresh lime-ade salesmen, abounded, creating the quintessential Malibu-advert feel. Another prominent element of our time in Cartagena, which I alluded to in the title of this entry, was the delicious fruitjuices available from street stalls. I will long miss my maracuya (passion-fruit) and mango combo! We caught a night-bus that night so we could be in Medellin for the weekend.

... the normal deluge of rain that seems to hit Bogota every day. After having purchased bright Yellow ponchos for 5,000 Pesos (about $2.25) each, we were well prepared for the storm and enjoyed most of the first half from underneath our patriotic trash bags. Rigo and Lorena of course would not purchase Yellow and stood out in their white ponchos, with pops of green from their local jerseys grinning through. Though the entire game was a blast, a few things stood out. Most of all ...

... chosen stop for the night, chosen for its proximity in the midst of a rapidly approacing dusk then by virtue of its tourism treasures, most of which are still unknown and undiscovered.<br><br><br>The city is also known as the banana capital of the world, but compared to the Australian farming fraternity the Ecuadorians are a little shy when it comes to staking such a claim. Anyone who has traveled up the East Coast of Australia would be well aware of a fused national passion for bragging ...

... der eine sehr touristische Stadt bezahlen muss... Ich fand Cartagena -also die Altstadt- echt haerzig, doch mich hat es jetzt nicht aus den Socken gehauen... Einfach zu touristisch fuer meinen Geschmack... Aber egal, hatte dort natuerlich auch meinen Spass...=) War zum Beispiel fuer 7.- am Asian Dub Foundation Konzert. Ha, so witzig... War echt super, einfach chli komisch so unter kolumbianischem Himmel... Und die Leute hier verstehen ja nicht gerade viel von solcher Musik, die kennen ...

... because the one we stayed in for the two nights prior, had some sort of nasty centipede infestation. Don´t need to get into too many details except to say they were long, red, able to climb walls and came out at night....yuck!!!!!!! The new hostel, Hostel El Viajero was in a better location and cheaper to boot as it was located within the city walls. We decided to hit up the beach as everything is closed for the most part on New Years day. The beach was retardedly ...