On our flight from Panama City to Cartagena we didn’t even have the time to close our eyes that in less than 45min we’ve already landed in Colombia. And that is it, after 8 months of wandering Central America, below us Cartagena de Indias welcomes us to South America.
After a quick security checkpoint, there we go, our first steps in this new beautiful country ready to be discovered. We take a taxi to Getsemani, a quarter located in the Old City Center and managed to get the ride for 12k pesos, which later we’ve been told was a good price for a taxi. For the next three nights, we’re going to be staying in a shared dorm at the King Hostel, a hostel found just in front of the Iglesia de la Trinidad. The place is not only cheap but we quickly realise that its location couldn’t be better! Surrounded by colourful murales, lovely bars, artsy cafes and much much more: this is the heart of Getsemani!
Even the plaza in front of us light up at night becoming a mix between locals and tourist eating street food at the sound of zumba classes organised every night right next to the church.
While strolling around the cobblestone streets of Getsemani, we eventually stumble across the Café del Mural, a magical little cafe where we end up tasting some of the best Colombian coffee and relax surrounded by art on every wall. If you fancy knowing more about which are the best spots to relax in Cartagena, read our post about the Top 5 Unmissable Bars & Cafes!
Later on, we find out that the Parque del Centenario is nothing but a small natural reserve just outside the Walled City. In this relatively small park you can find cotton-head monkeys, plenty of squirrels, iguanas and if you’re lucky you might even get a chance to see a sloth! Check out the following photos!
Here’s also where locals go to spend sometime away from the touristy Casco Antiguo (Old City) and chill in the shadow while reading a book or chit-chatting about the outcome of the latest elections.
Following with our on-foot exploration, we reach the Clock Tower Monument or in other words the main entrance to what is commonly known as the Walled City; this area is unfortunately overwhelmingly touristy with local shops, restaurants and hotels that have been transformed into an international playground. Truth to be told, this part of the city is definitely an incredibly fascinating place to walk around from an architectural standpoint but it felt far from being Colombia. Around here is also where you can find the majority of Casas de Cambio (money change shops) that changes at a good rate a.k.a. 2700 pesos for a dollar.
Inside the Walled City there’s a lot of street vendors selling sodas, sunglasses and hats, some women wearing traditional dresses and ready for shooting in exchange of a couple of dollars but what really annoy us is the amount of people asking if you wanna buy drugs. You would be approached by someone saying something like “Want to go on a walking tour… there’s a good disco here… good cuban cigars… nice homemade sweets” but then eventually all of them will end up saying really quickly and really fast “… weed, cocaine, LSD…”. The first time we heard it from a kind sweets vendor we were shocked!
The next day, we decide is time to give the beaches of the city a shot and so we walk all the Avenida San Martin until we reach the Beaches of Bocagrande. Be aware that in some beaches swimming is not allowed (and its strictly controlled) but just right in from of the big supermarket (make sure to go up to the third floor for a beautiful FREE view of the coast) along the beach that’s where the swimmable areas start.
With settling in, the city starts to wake up. The famous classes of Zumba starts at the Church la Trinidad, the Cathedral of Santa Catalina of Alexandria lights up, the discos and bars start to open their doors and music can be heard pretty much everywhere. After so much walking, theres nothing better than buying a couple of beers, getting back to the hostel and just enjoy the sounds of the city from our beautiful rooftop balcony featuring the freshest breeze in town. Welcome to Colombia!
PLANNING A TRIP TO COLOMBIA? READ MORE POSTS BELOW!
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