6 to 14 April 2017 - Cartagena (Colombia)

After a hot and humid walk out of the campsite to the truck at a more reasonable hour than on previous days we left for Cartagena near midday. Stopping on the way there was a surprise when a stowaway was found on the wood rack at the back of  the truck when we stopped for fuel. He was swiftly sent on his way! Arriving at the Hotel Villa Colonial at 1800       hours there was time for a walk around the area near the hotel before bed.

The last unloading of the truck

In the morning a walking tour of the Old Town had been arranged for 0800 hours, necessary to be finished by the heat of the midday sun as it was expected to be 34C later that morning. During the walk it was pointed out that the inhabitants of a house could be determined by the type of door knocker on the front door. One with a lion on meant the person in there was in the military; a hand indicated that they belonged to the clergy; iguana that they were royalty. There were other types of door knockers as well, the nun face on an old convent and the man's face on a house near the naval museum.

       

The old city is enclosed by a 14 kilometre wall a lot of which is still standing was started in 1856. As it was a trading and shipping post for the colonial Spanish it was well fortified with a large fort not far from the hotel. Sir Francis Drake did once take the town but was known as a very cruel man, not liked by the indigenous population. The port was the transit point for the plundered gold and goods to be transported to Spain. As a Spanish holding there were many churches and colonial style houses in the city, the houses having high entry doors so that a person could ride into the house on a horse.

Over the following days I spent a lot of time wandering round the city looking a the Old Town, it's people (including visitors from other parts of Colombia as it was a favorite holiday place) and the old buildings. I'll just put some photos of what I saw and particularly liked about the city.

  

         
      

Buy my hats, sunglasses, beads and if I see you taking a photo of me in my traditional dress you will have to buy something or pay for the photos.

  

Then there are the buildings in the Old Town from Spanish Colonialist to Republican, wooden balconies to concrete balconies.

       Then not forgetting the wall surrounding the Old City.

                                                          

There was also a fort which was started building in 1630 and which saw attack by pirates, the Spanish and the English, all wanting the wealth of the area and access to a very good port.

The new part of the city could be seen across the water with this looking like any city in the world.

 

There were other things in Cartagena apart from old buildings and streets. Buskers, skaters, the beaches, an indigenous food festival and a shopping mall with animated animals to keep the children entertained were some of the things.

   

     

I also had some fun by going to a mud bath at the Totumo Volcano. This is/was a volcano that tops about 15 metres from the ground which is filled with warm mud. I went there with some of the group and it was a somewhat weird experience as the mud kept trying to make me and others float. Once this happened people required help to get vertical again. Apart from paying for the journey and the bath the local people had various ways of taking further money from everyone. If a photo was required with one's own camera then one of them would charge £1 to do this. A massage in the pool cost a further £1 (almost obligatory) then it was a further £1 to have the mud washed off by the local women in the nearby sea. It was a laugh anyway!

     

Cartagena was the end of the overland trip for all of us including the driver, Tanja and the leader, Adam. People slowly left to catch planes or buses home or to continue their holiday. Before we all split up to our various destinations we had a meal together. I did not take the following photos that evening but I did find them in my camera later. Maybe some of us will see each other again.

 Kelly and myself in masks, Tanja and Adam with us. Me with a blue mouth after eating a blue coated cupcake.

 

I have many more photos of Cartagena and could write more but that would be going on for too long. I really enjoyed being in Cartagena and would happily return any time. All the others had left by 10 April while I stayed on until 14 April when I left for Central America and Guatemala.