As I sit down to write about the last few days, I find myself in a perfect Saturday morning setting. We slept in and woke up to no alarm, and then I made a coffee, which I am currently sipping by the outdoor patio at our hostel. I can hear the birds chirping and the sun is shining. One of the things I’ve missed most about home is sipping coffee slowly in bed with a good book, and I think I’ve found an equal bliss here.
The city of Cartagena has a population of just over 1 million people, split into old city and new city. The new city is lined with high rises and modern buildings, while the old city has a castle and protective walls that date back to the 1500’s. Founded by the Spanish, Cartagena became a major coastal port to get from north to south and vice versa. Because of this, the old city is walled on either side. We stayed inside the walls of the old town, experiencing the work of the Spanish from hundreds of years ago. On Wednesday, we spent the day wandering the old town, and we saw the Puerta del Reloj (clock tower), Plaza de los Coches, the monument of Pedro de Heredia, the Covento de San Pedro Claver, Iglesia (Church) de San Pedro Claver, Plaza de Bolivar, on top of many elegant hotels and restaurants. Walking around Cartagena made me feel as though I had been transported back to Spain; the unrelenting heat with the occasional breeze that feels like heaven each and everytime, the architecture, and the tourism. People on the streets are trying to sell you everything Cartagena, from tourist hats, to bags, to key chains, to jewelry boxes, to shot glasses. For those of you who know my obsession with tacky souvenirs – no, I did not buy anything! Wednesday evening we splurged and got massages, and although it was good, I must say it was a tad bit more violating then the massages back home. From there, we met up with my lovely friend Meg from Vancouver, who had just arrived from sailing the San Blas Islands from Panama. A few Aguila and Mojitos were consumed and it was an all around nice night! It is always nice to see a friendly face from home when traveling.
The following day, Ryan and I got up and walked to Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas (Castle of San Felipe), which was built in the 1600’s. The castle itself is fairly unimpressive, but the view is worth the walk up, and the castle has a series of complex tunnels underneath them that smell like dust and urine. We walked them for a few minutes before getting claustrophobic and getting out immediately. Although I didn’t love my experience in the tunnels, the logistics behind them is incredibly impressive! After another fresh smoothie for lunch, Ryan and I did a tour to one of the weirder tourist attractions outside of Cartagena: Volcan de Lodo El Totumo, which is a miniature volcano located 50 km outside of Cartagena. Upon arriving, you strip down to your bathing suit and walk up a set of rickety stairs to the top of the volcano, where you stand in line to get into the mud located sum 6 feet below. By this point, you’ve given your camera to one of the workers and he is snapping photos of everyone while waiting. As we stood over the 6″ by 6″ mud bath packed with tourists, Ryan, who hates crowds, became slightly anxious. I think he may have hated me a tiny bit in that moment for making him go to the mud volcano! Our turn came around and I climbed slowly down another rickety ladder and into the thick gooey mud. As soon a I was submerged, a man tipped me back and steered me horizontally through the mud and proceeded to massage me. I’m not going to lie, this was weird. I simply let it happen though. Ryan successfully fended off his attacker and enjoyed the mud from the other side of the volcano. After my massage was over, I was steered over to Ryan, where I attempted to balance vertically. The mud was cold and thick and it felt like I was swimming in honey. It was easy to balance if you stood vertically (feet not touching the ground), but if you made any swift movements, you would tip over precariously. It was all very strange. After our time in the mud was over, we ascended another rickety ladder, although this one was caked with slimy mud, making it incredibly challenging to climb. After having our photo snapped a few more times, we made our way to the water to wash off. We had been warned that local women will try and bathe you for a small fee and we successfully “no gracias-ed” them for all of 30 seconds, at which point 2 women cornered us, pushed us down and began dumping water over our heads insesently. At this point, I felt it was easier to let the woman wash me than continue to fight her off. She proceeded to untie my top, rip it off and wash it for me, while I yelped and attempted to keep myself covered. Once again, all very interesting, and an experience to say the least.
The rest of our Thursday was fairly uneventful and we spent the evening attempting to relax and sleep before our adventure to Playa Blanca on Friday. We now need to catch a flight to Medellion, so the rest of Cartagena is to be continued….