On the 12th of January we woke up and had breakfast at a
bakery in the main square. We got all our bags and got a bus to Pereira terminal. In there we had a quick lunch and then waited for a local
bus to the airport.
While waiting for the bus (it was for more than 40 minutes as the frequency of this bus is pretty bad) we were hearing the guys shouting and announcing the destinations of the buses that were continuously coming into the bus stop. We finally got the bus and boarded the plane to Cartagena, which lasted less than an hour.
Once in Cartagena we walked out of the airport and got a bus to the city centre. We walked to our capsule style hostel, which was located in the neighbourhood of Getsemani and we stayed the following two nights. We left the bags there and went to the clock tower to meet a local couple who invited us through Couchsurfing to a classical music concert.
The entrance to the concert was free, but an advance booking was required and they were so kind to do it for us. We met them and walked to Plaza San Pedro Claver, where the concert was about to start. The concert lasted for about one hour and the philharmonic orchestra of Medellin performed different fragments of Cosi fan tutte and Las bodas de Figaro. More information about the concert in this website: https://cartagenamusicfestival.com/es/calendario/contrapunto-n-deg-4/
After the concert we returned to the clock tower, where we met a friend of the couple and went to have dinner all together. The restaurant they were planning to go was already closed as it was already quite late, so we went to a stall in the street where they were serving seafood cocktails in a cup (you could choose many different sizes). We went back to the hostel around 2am.
While waiting for the bus (it was for more than 40 minutes as the frequency of this bus is pretty bad) we were hearing the guys shouting and announcing the destinations of the buses that were continuously coming into the bus stop. We finally got the bus and boarded the plane to Cartagena, which lasted less than an hour.
Once in Cartagena we walked out of the airport and got a bus to the city centre. We walked to our capsule style hostel, which was located in the neighbourhood of Getsemani and we stayed the following two nights. We left the bags there and went to the clock tower to meet a local couple who invited us through Couchsurfing to a classical music concert.
The entrance to the concert was free, but an advance booking was required and they were so kind to do it for us. We met them and walked to Plaza San Pedro Claver, where the concert was about to start. The concert lasted for about one hour and the philharmonic orchestra of Medellin performed different fragments of Cosi fan tutte and Las bodas de Figaro. More information about the concert in this website: https://cartagenamusicfestival.com/es/calendario/contrapunto-n-deg-4/
After the concert we returned to the clock tower, where we met a friend of the couple and went to have dinner all together. The restaurant they were planning to go was already closed as it was already quite late, so we went to a stall in the street where they were serving seafood cocktails in a cup (you could choose many different sizes). We went back to the hostel around 2am.
Next morning we woke up late
and went to explore the city. Our first stop was Castillo de San Felipe, an Spanish fort built in the 17th century to protect the city against the attacks of the French and English. We didn't get in as it was very expensive
(25000 pesos each) to get in so went to a shopping mall in front to see it from the terrace in the top floor.
We continued our tour with a walk along the well preserved walls, which surround all the old city. Below the wall we found the Mercado de las Bóvedas, which is full of small artesanal crafts shops. We had lunch at an Asian restaurant called Tabetai, which was quite good. During the afternoon we walked around the old city, enjoying the view of colourful streets and charming small squares, ending again in the city walls in the Baluarte de San Francisco Javier where we watched the sunset in the walls.
It was getting dark already and we wanted to plan our next day trip to Islas del Rosario, so we walked to the harbour to ask prices for the boat the following day. There was just a lady offering the boat trips and we got it with her for 40000 pesos (which is quite a lot for an hour return trip by boat but much better than the price we saw online). We briefly visited a clothing fair at the nearby conference centre and continued along a street close to the hostel full of travel agencies asking for tours to San Blas (an archipelago in Panamá which we wanted to visit after Colombia). Finally, we bought some food for our trip to Islas del Rosario the next day and returned to the hostel.
We continued our tour with a walk along the well preserved walls, which surround all the old city. Below the wall we found the Mercado de las Bóvedas, which is full of small artesanal crafts shops. We had lunch at an Asian restaurant called Tabetai, which was quite good. During the afternoon we walked around the old city, enjoying the view of colourful streets and charming small squares, ending again in the city walls in the Baluarte de San Francisco Javier where we watched the sunset in the walls.
It was getting dark already and we wanted to plan our next day trip to Islas del Rosario, so we walked to the harbour to ask prices for the boat the following day. There was just a lady offering the boat trips and we got it with her for 40000 pesos (which is quite a lot for an hour return trip by boat but much better than the price we saw online). We briefly visited a clothing fair at the nearby conference centre and continued along a street close to the hostel full of travel agencies asking for tours to San Blas (an archipelago in Panamá which we wanted to visit after Colombia). Finally, we bought some food for our trip to Islas del Rosario the next day and returned to the hostel.
We woke up early and walked to the harbour again to get the boat from to Islas del Rosario. It was very crowded and there was many locals offering us tickets for the boat (all of them more expensive than the deal we got the previous day). After paying the balance to the lady we got in the harbour where we had to wait for almost one hour to get into the boat.
The sail to Isla Grande was very pleasant and lasted for around one hour. The island was the first stop, but after dropping us off the boat continued to other islands in the archipelago. We booked a tent in a camping to spend the night which was very close to where we left the boat (I didn't realised that it was a tent until we were already there, and the only thing I told Ari about it was that we would have views to the garden).
With our day packs full of food stored in the tent, we walked back to the beach (which was nice but small and empty) and rested there for a couple of hours. I was not feeling well so resting at the beach was perfect to recover some energy. We had lunch at the camping (a cup of noodles and some fruit).
During the afternoon we walked around the island and at some point a dog started following us. At first we didn't care about him, but along our way he was protecting us from other dogs that were barking to us so he became our friend and we named him Friskies. Watched the sunset in the hotel Cocoliso (which was next to the lagoon) with our new friend and many crabs that were watching us from the rocks.
After the sunset we walked back to the tent and slept for a couple of hours. We woke up around 10pm and Friskies was still in front of our tent waiting for us! So we went all together to the lagoon to see the bioluminescence in the water. It was a bit disappointing as you could barely see it, but at least we didn't pay a tour to see it. Back to the camping all the dogs were barking to us but Friskies protected us as usual. Sleeping in the tent was quite comfortable, so we could rest well.
The sail to Isla Grande was very pleasant and lasted for around one hour. The island was the first stop, but after dropping us off the boat continued to other islands in the archipelago. We booked a tent in a camping to spend the night which was very close to where we left the boat (I didn't realised that it was a tent until we were already there, and the only thing I told Ari about it was that we would have views to the garden).
With our day packs full of food stored in the tent, we walked back to the beach (which was nice but small and empty) and rested there for a couple of hours. I was not feeling well so resting at the beach was perfect to recover some energy. We had lunch at the camping (a cup of noodles and some fruit).
During the afternoon we walked around the island and at some point a dog started following us. At first we didn't care about him, but along our way he was protecting us from other dogs that were barking to us so he became our friend and we named him Friskies. Watched the sunset in the hotel Cocoliso (which was next to the lagoon) with our new friend and many crabs that were watching us from the rocks.
After the sunset we walked back to the tent and slept for a couple of hours. We woke up around 10pm and Friskies was still in front of our tent waiting for us! So we went all together to the lagoon to see the bioluminescence in the water. It was a bit disappointing as you could barely see it, but at least we didn't pay a tour to see it. Back to the camping all the dogs were barking to us but Friskies protected us as usual. Sleeping in the tent was quite comfortable, so we could rest well.
Next morning we woke up and
walked to Playa Libre, a beach that was a bit further but was much bigger and nicer. It was full of local people selling lobster and other foods and drinks.
At 2pm we walked back to the camping, said goodbye to Friskies and got all our stuff to the pier to wait for the
boat back.
In the way back to Cartagena there were big waves and we got completely wet. It was funny at the beginning, but many people was scared as the sea was getting too rough. When we finally arrived we went to the hostel to pick up our bags and got a bus to the bus terminal. From there we got a coach to Santa Marta for around 4 hours, where our friends Elisabet and her husband were waiting for us. The coach stopped for a while in Barranquilla.
The coach dropped us off at a petrol station quite far from Rodadero. There was a taxi driver in the petrol station who was asking for too much money (double the price we wanted to pay) so Ari asked a car with a couple of girls who were lost and also going to Rodadero and we went with them. It was funny to see the face of the taxi driver when we where getting into their car.
Once in Rodadero we met our friends from Bogotá and went for a late dinner at a pizza restaurant called “el Vomito”. We chatted with them until late night and slept in the same hotel as them.
In the way back to Cartagena there were big waves and we got completely wet. It was funny at the beginning, but many people was scared as the sea was getting too rough. When we finally arrived we went to the hostel to pick up our bags and got a bus to the bus terminal. From there we got a coach to Santa Marta for around 4 hours, where our friends Elisabet and her husband were waiting for us. The coach stopped for a while in Barranquilla.
The coach dropped us off at a petrol station quite far from Rodadero. There was a taxi driver in the petrol station who was asking for too much money (double the price we wanted to pay) so Ari asked a car with a couple of girls who were lost and also going to Rodadero and we went with them. It was funny to see the face of the taxi driver when we where getting into their car.
Once in Rodadero we met our friends from Bogotá and went for a late dinner at a pizza restaurant called “el Vomito”. We chatted with them until late night and slept in the same hotel as them.
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