Streets of Cartagena

 

Colorful Houses in Cartagena

One of the greatest cities to travel to when I lived in Colombia is Cartagena. I think this city is my favorite one. I love the architecture with a historical story behind it and the ambiance. There are two parts of Cartagena; inside the wall “La Ciudad Amurallada” or the Old Town, and outside the wall.

Inside the wall is where you can see those beautiful and colorful houses built during the Spanish colonial period, which began in 1499 and lasted until 1550. I have to admit those houses were so beautiful, with giant wood doors, unique windows, and colorful walls. I was fascinated by the view and can't stop admiring it. 

Luckily my friends and I were staying at a hostel inside the wall located between those colorful houses. El Viajero is the name of the hostel; a famous place for tourists and backpackers. That’s why the receptionist is friendly and they speak English fluently. 

The hostel is spacious, it has a common space like a billiard, a restaurant, and different types of rooms. Since we are traveling in seven packs of people we were staying in one giant room with four double-deck beds that fit eight persons. I don’t remember the price but It is around 20.000 -24.000 Colombian pesos (COP) per person. It is a clean and nice place to stay, it is close to many attractions and historical monumental that you can explore easily by foot.

#DAY1

On my first day in Cartagena, I went straight through the hostel from the terminal downtown by taxi. FYI, Cartagena taxis don't use a meter therefore, you have to bargain before you ride it. After checking in we decided to have lunch in a restaurant that was located only five minutes by walking from our hostel. 

From my experience during my five months living in Colombia, the restaurant only serves meals during lunchtime with just three to four meal packages every day. So we don’t have many menus to select from, and the menu is very limited between chicken “Pollo” or meat “Carne”. Well because Cartagena is located on the Caribbean coast they serve seafood, but be careful when you decided to buy seafood from local sellers on the beach. Just make sure you clean it first because it can cause allergies and food poisoning.

In Front of Torre del Reloj

Mall in Boca Grande Area

After lunch we continued exploring the city inside the wall through the clock tower or so-called Torre del Reloj; an iconic tower at the main entrance gate. In front of the tower, there were many people selling services to take a cruise to other islands and also local city tours. There is also a Hop OnHop Off Bus that can take you to explore the city with a licensed tour guide.

We decided to buy the Hop On Hop Off Bus ticket to explore Cartagena's main attraction inside and outside the wall for three days. We made an itinerary for the next day by strolling around the city by bus. The bus took us to various places like India Catalina Statue, The navy headquarters, the harbor, San Felipe Fortress, and Boca Grande a modern area outside the wall. 

I was so fascinated with this city because it combines two architectures; antique and modern. Inside the wall is the unique, authentic, and deep historical story behind it. While outside the wall is a modern architecture with giant buildings, luxurious apartments, hotels, and shopping malls. In my opinion, it has a strong Miami vibe. If you bring a lot of money and love modern vibrant, you should find a five-star hotel in Boca Grande or rent an apartment. But if you want to feel the authenticity of the city better stay in a boutique hotel in the old town, where you can feel living in the Spanish colonial period. 

Watching Sunset at The Wall

Cartagena at Night

Enjoying Romantic Night in Cartagena

After sightseeing by bus and taking many photos we hop off at the same spot just in front of the clock tower. Then continued our journey by exploring the old town on foot. We decided to enjoy a sunset at the top of the wall by sitting on the bricks. I was so mesmerized by the view, that I can see the sky turning red and the sun slowly disappearing through the edge of the coastal line. I took a deep breath while enjoying the wind blowing through my hair and my ears while listening to the Maroon 5 song “Daylight”.

                “And when the daylight comes I’ll have to go. But tonight I’m gonna hold you so close. ‘Cause the daylight we’ll be on our own. But tonight I’m gonna hold you so close.”

It was one of the most memorable sunset moments for me. After the sun goes down we continued our day by walking through the street of Cartagena. I decided to go into an ice cream store that sells Paletas in a variety of flavors. It’s pretty refreshing after such a long walk with quite a high temperature of around 27 degrees. Then I went back to the hostel to relax my body by taking a bath and sleeping. The night is still young but seriously after 14 hour's journey by bus from Bucaramanga, I think I need a good night's sleep.

#DAY2 

Taking a Morning Stroll at Cartagena Street 

Colorful Houses of Cartagena 

 

Buenos dias desde Cartagena! It was my second day and I am ready to explore the city more. After having breakfast I decided to have a stroll through the Neighborhood by myself. It was a moment where I can enjoy and pay attention to details, like the street pavement, the colorful houses, the differences between one building to another, and the restaurants and hotels located there. It is so cute, and each corner of a street in Cartagena is a photogenic spot. There aren’t bad spots all look great. I even made a video of myself during my time exploring it. 

Soaking Up The Sun on the Beach at Boca Grande

Taking Photos of Boca Grande From Hop On Bus

Then I went back to the hostel and regrouped with my fellow friends. That morning we took the Hop On Hop Off Bus and then headed to San Felipe de Barajas Castle. It is a Castle that was built by the Spaniards and surrounded by a giant fortress. It is one of Cartagena's famous landmarks with a remarkable history of over 480 years. The castle has been invaded by pirates, admirals, and barons but still exists today. It wasn’t much thing to see in here other than the long hallway and chambers. But on the top of this castle at a 130-foot hill, we can see views of the bay in front of Cartagena. It’s a great view.

Its lunch time so we decided to have some lunch in a restaurant just in front of the castle. After that, we visited the Boca Grande area and get a sun tan on the beach. The area is so cool but unfortunately, the beach isn’t so great. I think beaches in Bali are way better even Kuta Beach. I wasn’t really interested to go swimming, I just have a nice long walk and looked at people sunbathing on the beach and also took some pictures. After a while, I took the bus back to the Old City and explore more. I went to Plaza de San Pedro Claver and took pictures in front of the giant door of La Iglesia de San Pedro. I sat down at the plaza and took a moment by just observing people around. 

Juan Valdez Café

My all-time favorite coffee is a cup of hot Café Latte

It’s getting dark and I decided to do one of my favorite activities; drinking coffee. I went to Juan Valdez Café, the coffee shop of an international symbol for Colombian coffee. Just a quick piece of info, Colombia is well known for its coffee and they had the third-highest coffee production in the world. Juan Valdez Café is like Starbucks of Colombia, they had many stores around the country and it became my go-to coffee shop. I ordered a cup of hot Café Latte and a brownie. It’s a damn good combination and the perfect moment to enjoy my afternoon time. 

Mural at Barrio Getsemani

Later that night after taking shower and getting changed my friends and I was rendezvous with our fellow Focalae mate from Malaysia. She was traveling solo to Cartagena and staying in a hostel at Barrio Getsemani so we decided to accompany her back to her hostel. Barrio Getsemani is located outside the Old Town and it is Cartagena's hippest neighborhood. This area was characterized by criminal activity in the past but nowadays it become Cartagena’s coolest quarter. We took dinner in one of the restaurants there and all I can say is it wasn’t cheap. So if you kind of short of money you can just enjoy the ambiance by drinking beer. One of the coolest things about this neighborhood is the mural. Almost every wall in there was covered by a mural that draws some famous characters, it is very artistic and colorful.

#DAY3

We Love Colombia! On The Top of San Felipe Fortress 

It’s our last day in Cartagena. It’s time to pack our bags and get ready for our new destination. That morning I spent my day by getting some breakfast and then checking my luggage. My friends and I decided to go to Playa Blanca in Isla Baru. Playa Blanca means White Sand Beach located on Baru Island.

There are two ways to get to Playa Blanca by boat or by bus. I took a bus and taxi to get there because I wasn’t really a fan of the boat trip. It took around one and a half hours to get there. I took a public bus to a terminal downtown near the main streets then continue my journey by taxi since I bought a suitcase. There is also a motor taxi for tourists who only bought a backpack, it’s cheaper and faster. 

It’s quite a short trip but I must say I love Cartagena so much, although it’s very touristy it has so much history, iconic buildings, and great ambiance. Te Amo!