Cartegena

With last minute flights from Medellin up to the coastal port town of Cartegena running at half the price of a 12hr bus journey (Avianca discounts their last minute tickets), I was glad to avoid another lengthy road trip across Colombia. Waiting for our luggage at the airport I met Maddy and Lawrence who were also heading to Mamallena hostel. I was game enough to split a cab with these pommy lads who reeked of trouble, it was Lawrences 25th Birthday in a few days and I was convinced to hang around for the festivities. The celebration coincided with the weekly Wednesday night roof top party across the road at Media Luna hostal, attracting hordes or gringos, it is recommended to get in line early if you don't want spend half your night waiting to get in.

After consecutive nights on the dangerously tasty Medellin rum, enjoyed at the lively square just around the corner from Media Luna street where our hostel was located, we made the debatable decision for an early morning trip out to Santa Marta beach. Having woken up too late for the bus/boat transport, we somehow ended up with 4 of us bundled in the back of a taxi for the hour long journey, tensions high until we finally reached the refreshing cristal clear waters that almost made the ordeal worthwhile. The beach itself while beautiful, is packed full of touristic restaurants, lounge chairs for rent and a never ending stream of locals trying to offload their tacky souvenirs. I was smart enough to leave my memory card in the tablet back in the hostel locker, rendering my camera was rendered useless.

Cartegena is a very active colonial port town on the northern coast of columbia with warm Caribbean waters lapping its shore. The UNESCO listed heritage site includes a high walled old city that has a maze of cobble stoned streets, lined with restaurants, cafes and brightly coloured fruit touting ladies who are all rather shy of the camera lens(unless your a customer). We were staying on Media Luna which has numerous hostel offerings just outside the old city, there are also many hostels scattered throughout the old city itself.

Amongst the countless  people watching nooks there are horse drawn carts dragging lazy tourists and romantic couples up and down the narrow streets, with very few cars inside of the city walls. One very unusual site was the dentist theatres with their glass walls, anybody walking past can share in one of the most terrifying experiences for most people.

A must do when visiting Cartegena is to enjoy a beer or cocktail during sunset at Cafe Del Mar. Located up on the city wall, the cafe has a spectacular view out across the ocean where you can sit amongst the turrets and relax to some soothing beats.