City of Romance

Cartagena

The city was buzzing, it was "holy week", the Easter holidays were here and everyone from Colombia and Argentina wanted to be on the Caribbean coast. Behind the old fortress walls in the "old city" we found a hostel with a small pool to cool down in. Cartagena has to be one of the most beautiful cities we have explored. The old aging structures and colonial architecture with Caribbean spin.

Fortress walls

Beautiful streets

The main square empty in the heat of the day

Amy chillin in the hostel pond

Caribbean spin

Colorful markets

At night when the air cooled the city came alive, live music, vendors, and restaurants opened their doors and windows. Budgeting only $5 each per day for food it was the vendors windows more often than the restaurants doors. 

Enjoying wine on the wall out of hand made coco nut copas. 

Busy night scene at the main entrance to the old city

The doors of Cartagena were amazing! All unique and had different bronze knockers. 

Kite surfing School in Cartagena

Deciding we had to try it, over the course of five days we made our way to the beach on the public bus for our lessons. Kite surfing is already an incredibly technical sport but when you add in the fact that none of the instructors spoke english- another element of difficulty is introduced :|

Starting with kite control on the sand we understood the power and volatility of the kites. 

 Like a monster in wait a kite settles restlessly on the sand.

Pump Pump Pump it up!

String out the lines (5 of them) on the handlebar.

Launch

Aims 11m squared kite. That should hold ya! 

Grab your board...... or tableta in Spanish 

Watching a beginner get thrown 10m onto her face only to stand up, loose control of the kite and get thrown through two beach tents made us slightly wary of how much power we are controlling. Walking down the beach our instructors would take us upwind launch us into the water and say "vamos." Okay here it goes, moving the kite to the "power" position up we went standing and riding the waves. It wasn't that easy though, both Amy and I on one occasion crashed our kites into the water and got blown down the beach being rescued by a jet ski. Opps :)

Amy zipping across the horizon with a ton of horsepower in that 11m 

Chris heading out

There goes Aim again

Chris coming in HOT!

Mud Volcano Baths

Cartagena is not an adventure capital, there are beaches, museums, markets, and also a volcanic up welling of mud where you can immerse yourself in the oozing sludge. Some were hailing how it was so good for your skin but looking at the masses of people in the tub of warm grey bubbling muck it was just a dirty experience. It was quite enjoyable suspended in the mud weightless. There was no bottom, but no matter how hard you tried you couldn't sink deeper than your chest. The more you kicked your feet, the more smelly sulfur bubbles made their way to the surface. 

Behold the Mud Volcano!

Amy lowering herself onto some unsuspecting camouflaged muddy person.

"Missed a spot pal! on second thought I will get it"

 Swamp things

Cartagena being our last stop in Colombia we will be sad to go. A country filled with polite, beautiful and proud people. Never once feeling cheated or in danger this country would be one worth returning to. 

Colombia, you will be missed.