Cartagena

Hot. Beautiful. Hot. That’s pretty much how I can describe Cartagena. The heat is so intense and unforgiving on the coast that finding a hotel room with AC changed from a rare luxury to an absolute necessity. It was not even a question. Luckily I found a nice, cheap hotel and posted up there with a few others from the boat, so it was like our own little private hostel.

We spent some time wandering around the streets of the old town, which is stunningly beautiful and – you guessed it – swelteringly hot. We also went on a free guided tour of the city where we listened to about 10% of what the guide said. The rest of the time was spent trying to find shade and dabbing our foreheads like old, overweight men with hankies. But the beauty of Cartagena is unmatched in Colombia with its colorful, Colonial-style architecture mixed with the cool, funky graffiti that is artfully splattered about so many of the walls and buildings.

With the city being a major port, the surrounding water isn’t good for swimming, but Cartagena is a must-see for it’s well-preserved, old-world beauty and nightlife that is as hot as its temperatures. We had one pretty mental night out that resulted in us attempting to match the locals step-for-step in salsa (we couldn’t) and the Swiss boys dancing on tables with the hired help. Good times were had by all, but after a few days I was ready to bounce in search of some relief from the heat. What I didn’t know is that I wouldn’t find it for at least another week…