Cartagena - Last South American Stop
Trip Start
Mar 24, 2010
1
60
96
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
San Roque Hostel
Cartagena, Colombia
Monday, September 13, 2010
The following day was hot and sunny, perfect for a walk from the old town across to the Yacht Club to see Wild Card, the boat that the boys from Florianopolis recommended. Wild Card is captained by John, a New Zealand born Australian and crewed by Nigel from Manly. It is one of the bigger boats doing the Colombia to Panama trip and after a visit onboard we were sold! That afternoon Steve and I visited an 'Australian Restaurant' where we ate real home made sausage rolls (heaven)! That evening, as it was Saturday night, we decided to go out for dinner and then explore the old town. We ate at a delicious Indian restaurant which also offered coloured chalk to draw all over their walls! We then wandered through the beautifully lit old town, and across the old walls. In the main plaza, a huge concert was underway with live salsa music and spoken poetry. Everyone (from Grandmas to children) was dancing and the whole place was one big fiesta!
Sunday was our last day in Cartagena. We had arranged to visit the Mud Volcano about 45 minutes out of the city. Our bus picked us up at 8.30am and drove us out through the Miami style apartments and hotels. After a while we reached the mud volcano, which looked more like a mound then a volcano! We stripped down to our bathers and climbed the stairs...at the top was a cut out square just oozing and bubbling with thick grey mud! One by one we climbed in, where immediately we were lain on our backs, covered in mud and massaged by men. Once this was over they would kind of slide us to the other side where we could just wallow! It was so strange considering this mud goes about 2.5km deep, yet you could never sink below your chest! After the mud experience, it was off to the river where you washed yourself 'clean' of mud (whilst fighting off the local women with buckets who want you to pay to get washed)! The rest of the tour included a stop at a beach and some fresh fish for lunch! This evening Matt, Elisabeth and the two of us went back into the old town to enjoy an XL Pizza before we all meet back up at the hostel for some goodbye drinks! Tomorrow we are off on our five day cruise down to Central America!
