Cartagena

Having paid to be in Santa Marta Marina and talking to other yachties, we decided to do a land trip to Cartagena and not take the boat. There are three different ways to get from Santa Marta to Cartagena; 1) Public bus but the bus terminal is a taxi ride away from the marina 2) Private bus (Marsol) that pick you up from marina and drop you off at your hotel 3) Taxi. We chose option 2, a little more expensive than the public bus but way more convenient given we speak limited Spanish to get around. We had read reviews that Marsol were always late and it took forever going from hotel to hotel picking up paying guests but we figured time was on our side. It costs COP$82000 /$45 /£28 one way for a 5 hour (if you're lucky) bus ride from door to door.

A mini bus picked us up at the marina 30 mins late – not too bad. It was air conditioned and despite the reviews, we had just enough legroom even if I was sat over the wheels with a funny little box on the floor bending my knees towards my chin. We were the last on the bus which meant we got the worst seats and had to stretch to hit the air conditioning but it did mean we didn't have to tour the rest of the hotels picking other people up. We had two rest stops en route, one just before we passed the Rio Magdalena. People here like in huts with no walls and their makeshift abodes sprawl for as far as the eye can see. Very similar looking to a favela, these guys make their money by peddling snacks and drinks to the passing traffic and buses that stop at roadside shacks allowing their passengers to stretch their legs. We must have passed at least 8 checkpoints along the route where you need to pay before continuing on, I can see where most of our bus fare goes!

Four hours from door to door we were dropped off at Casa Lucy, a gorgeous old house in the centre of Cartagena Walled City that had been recommended by other yachties who had also stayed there. Lucy the owner rents out most of her rooms. The front door is huge solid and wooden with an equally sized brass knocker. As you knock, the sound echoes around the courtyard inside. You step through a smaller door cut out of the bigger door (similar to Wizard of Oz!) and enter into another world. The place is full of antiques and your eyes instantly settle on the outside courtyard..inside...full of plants and tweeting birds. The smell of old things hit your nostrils as your eyes adjust to the dark interior.

We were lead to our room which was quite simple but decorated with molas. Made me even more excited about buying these in the San Blas! It stank of damp but I think that all added to the experience, it is a very old building after all. Our room wasn't ready so we put our things in the locked trunk in our room and headed out for some lunch. We found a stall selling bread looking items. Tried a maize ball with cheese in, breadstick with cheese in and an empanada with cheese in. Yep they like their cheese here! After dampening our appetite we went for a walk along the old walls, attempting to walk them all. We were greeted by gorgeous views but had to dodge a lot of cruise ship crowds, easily identifiable by their pasty white skin and tourist looking hats. When the sun was going down we walked back to the hotel for a shower then went out again for dinner. We wandered the streets looking for the cheap grub we love in Santa Marta but struggled so in the end we settled on a pizza overlooking a gorgeous plaza. A great spot for people watching.

Breakfast at the hotel was amazing. We had a platter of fruit, Colombian coffee on tap, orange /lulo juice, cumin bread, toast with fruit jam and syrup, carrot muffins, cereal then I asked for an arepa con huevo and Dylan had scrambled egg with bacon and tomato. YUM. We were thoroughly stuffed by the end of it. All of this is served in the pretty corridor outside of the rooms right near the courtyard. 

The second day consisted of more wandering about the town, going to the different plazas and more people watching. We tried out a coffee from Juan Faldez, a chain of coffee houses the equivalent of Starbucks in Colombia. It was great coffee but not cheap! Wandering about the town we marvelled at the gorgeous balconies that overhang the streets bursting with plants, painted vivid colours and backed by solid wooden doors with intricate carvings. Everywhere you look there is something of interest. You could spend weeks in this city just wandering the streets with your eyes to the sky. At one of the plazas we found a local guy selling fantastically bright watercolours of Cartagena. We bought one and look forward to hanging it in our home when we get one...At around 2pm we realised that we had seen all the major attractions and although it would be great to spend another day of wandering, our monthly budget would thank us greatly if we cancelled a night at the hotel and went home that day instead.

Sad to leave Cartagena but with the dented budget in the back of our minds, we boarded the bus at 2pm and headed for Santa Marta. Being first on the bus this time meant that we had the pick of seats so chose one right near the air conditioning at the front right behind the driver, also meant more leg room. The downside to being the first on the bus was that we got to visit every other hotel en route to pick up other guests. The return journey took us 6 hours! Looooong.

An entertaining moment on the bus was when we hit the highway after Barranquilla. It seems the drivers here participate in a game of chicken. The buses pull out in front of each other, revving the engine to max and using the opposite lane to overtake, with oncoming vehicles edging that bit closer. With front row seats to this spectacle, Dylan and I grimaced and clenched our teeth (and Dylan says sphincter...eurgh) when at the last minute, the driver cuts up someone in his own lane and swerves back in, narrowly missing the oncoming vehicle. No sooner had our heart rates lowered...he's at it again! Stopping at another of the roadside shacks, we tried out a snack - cheese flavoured styrofoam...I mean crisps. What was most fascinating was driving past the hundreds of shacks at night. Bearing in mind these shacks didn't even have a door or four walls, without exception they all owned a television! Each hut was almost identical, a huge TV (in comparison to size of shack), a christmas tree or fairy lights or both, two plastic chairs opposite the TV and in some, a coffee table at the side. No basic infrastructure, no roads, no sewerage system but they were able to watch a moving talking box. Although I see that as an odd priority they probably likewise see my priorities equally baffling!