Colombia

Cartagena

June 23, 2016
More lovely graffiti

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.

Start of self-indulgent graffiti photo shoot

Start of self-indulgent graffiti photo shoot

One of my favs

One of my favs

Kept cool with bags of water

Kept cool with bags of water

Gettin' all Colombian

Gettin’ all Colombian

"Can you show me the way to the nearest air conditioned bar?"

“Can you show me the way to the nearest air conditioned bar?”

One of my absolute favorite shots. And after I snapped this pic she promptly over-charged me for under-ripe mangos. Savage.

One of my absolute favorite shots. And after I snapped this pic she promptly over-charged me for under-ripe mangos. Savage.

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…

Beautiful Cartagena

Beautiful Cartagena

You WILL be offered hats and told just how "necesario" they are

You WILL be offered hats and told just how “necesario” they are

Dinner out with part of the Nacar II squad

Dinner out with part of the Nacar II squad

Loved this view

Loved this view

A strictly Heineken bar we were somehow lured to

Crew life

Crew life

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6 Comments

  • Reply Maria June 24, 2016 at 12:54 am

    I’m so proud to see those sandals still going strong!!

    • Reply margarethenney June 24, 2016 at 9:18 pm

      Can you believe it?!? I’ve essentially had two pairs of shoes: my sneakers and these sandals. I’ve literally worn them every day for the past 10 months. I need to write Madewell a thank you letter haha

  • Reply Lauren H Day June 24, 2016 at 12:49 pm

    For me, these are some of the most beautiful pictures yet!

    Ditto to Maria’s comment 🙂

    • Reply margarethenney June 24, 2016 at 9:19 pm

      Thanks Lauren! That makes me feel so much better – I feel awful sometimes when my posts are as comprehensive. Glad the pics made up for it 🙂

  • Reply Ellen June 24, 2016 at 5:31 pm

    I absolutely love reading your blog, Margaret! Thanks for the beautiful pictures and the updates.

    • Reply margarethenney June 24, 2016 at 9:20 pm

      Ellen you legend, you! I wish I were as faithful a writer as you are a reader!

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