After an overnight flight from Lima to Bogota, I had two options – the first was to take a long and brutal bus-ride, which seems to have a load of articles on the internet dedicated to putting backpackers off using it. It was more a case of time rather than the scare-stories that made me decide to fly straight from Bogota to Cartagena, but many many people I met did the ‘dangerous’ bus ride from Bogota to Cartagena and they were fine!
The people here have a great Caribbean vibe to them, as evidenced by the lady on the left, carrying a tray of fruit on her head! The city itself is bursting with stalls selling you food, jewellery, sunglasses, fake DVDs, mirrors, drinks and anything else you could possibly desire. I was first and foremost struck by how the people were still so unused to seeing foreigners! Everywhere I walked people (particularly old greasy men) whistle, hiss and yell “hello” or “oh my god” at you. It was a bit intimidating, and was even worse than the locals in Buenos Aires and Rio whom I thought couldn’t be beaten in terms of machismo.
I was a bit disappointed that there was no actual golden, Caribbean-style beach here (you have to travel by boat to Playa Blanca, boats that only leave at 8.30 in the morning). However, my visit here was made worthwhile by the beauty of the Old Town. Every corner I turned I was greeted by more pastel-hued buildings, all complete with balconies lushly decorated with flowers and greenery.
The hostel I stayed at was Casa Viena, everyone there seemed happy enough but I found the cramped style of the place really oppressive when combined with the humidity, and when I later returned I stayed at Casa San Blas, a hostel round the corner which has a nice open layout and comes complete with their resident Labrador Billy!
I would recommend spending a day or two here and in fact I did hear the nightlife there can be pretty fun if you go on the right nights with the right people. If not, do what I did and head up the Caribbean coast to Santa Marta and Taganga, where there’s more backpackers and more fun!
