Torre del Reloj

We arrived in Cartagena in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day wondering around the walled city. This part of Cartagena is colourful and vibrant. The streets are filled with tourists, street vendors, rooftop bars and trendy shops. There plenty of delicious places to eat here, especially seafood so we had a delicious dinner of crab and prawns.

On day two of our time in Cartagena, we did a walking tour of the walled city. It was interesting to learn about the Spanish colonisation and the subsequent turmoil endured by the indigenous and enslaved populations of Columbia. We visited the bastions built to defend the city against the English privateers and learnt the consequences of the Spanish Inquisition. This city’s history has lead to an eclectic and unique culture of dance, music and food.

Another day, another tour. On day three, we took a 4 hour food tour around the city. We started with breakfast, visiting a local bakery in the trendy area of Getsemani. For breakfast, Cartagenians (and Colombians more widely) typically eat a whole bunch of deep fried food. These are generally pastries filled with cheese, ham or chicken. Next, we visited a street vendor to try some chorizo and Spanish beer. We then headed over to another street vendor who sold a variety of tropical and exotic fruit. There was plenty of fruit which I had never seen or tried before and all were sweet and delicious. Next, we tried some traditional ceviche from a lady whose family had owned the same street stall for over 50 years. Cartagenian ceviche is a mix of fish, shrimp, crab, stingray and octopus in a tomato sauces. For dessert we tried some traditional cartagenian sweets before ending the day with a gelato made from local fruit.

In the afternoon we headed out to San Felipe castle with some people we met in the hostel. The castle was built to defend the city from the English privateers. It had a fantastic views and a labyrinth of tunnels in and under the castle.

After a day of rest and wondering in Cartegena, our final day was spent on board a catamaran, visiting the Rosario islands off the Caribbean coast. The boat was huge and comfortable but the snorkelling was pretty boring. The islands themself were beautiful but nothing compared the the other Caribbean islands we have seen. Still, a great day out in the sun.Read more