Part 1 of our trip to Colombia can be found here. |
Night 5: Cartagena
From Minca, we rode in a collectivo to a shopping mall where we ate lunch (at McDonald's, I'm sorry travel gods) and hit up the ATM and yet another Juan Valdez Cafe. From there it was just a short taxi ride to the bus station outside of Santa Marta, where we had been instructed by a friend to take the Brasilia bus to Cartagena as it was the only one that doesn't make stops. When we arrived, we were told that the Brasilia bus had already left and we should take the Flamingo bus because it is also direct. We knew they were lying to our faces and we got on anyway. Who knows? Maybe it would have taken just as long if we had waited for the next Brasilia bus. Either way, it took roughly 6 hours (with a bus change and bathroom stop in Barranquilla) instead of the 4 we were expecting. What's a few hours and a million stops between friends?
Once we reached Cartagena, we were trapped in rush hour traffic for about 30 minutes before hearing/feeling a crashy/metal scrapey sound. Turns out someone tried to get into a taxi in the middle of the road and when our bus pulled away from the curb, it did so at the exact moment the taxi door was being opened and the bus bent the taxi door backwards....whoops! Honestly, I'm surprised we weren't in at least 50 other accidents so this one wasn't all that bad. It did delay the bus though and we didn't want to stick around to find out how long it would take to get sorted. We hopped off and shared a taxi with a couple from Barcelona who had made the 6 hour journey with us. Fortunately they, being from Spain and all, spoke much better Spanish than we did and were able to translate that we could be dropped off either in the old walled city or in the neighborhood of Getsemani because we didn't have a place to stay just yet. They dropped us off at the wall and let us know where we could go to find lodging.
After wandering a few blocks, a pre-teen leaning out of a small shop said to us "Viajero Hostel?" (well maybe he said other stuff but my Spanish comprehension is not where it needs to be yet) and I was like, "Hey, I have actually heard of that place and was even encouraged to stay there by someone at Casa Elemento". So I gave him my best "Are you effing with me?" look and he told us that it was just a few blocks away. Lucky for us, nobody seemed interested in messing with us or making our travel more difficult and the Viajero Hostel was exactly where he said it would be. They didn't have any private rooms but they did have an empty dorm room that we had all to ourselves. The only slight downside is that it was right by a kitchen/dining area/bar which was quiet from about 11 pm-4:30 am. On the bright side, they did have a cat. So that gives them about 5 stars in my book. They also had free WiFi, free breakfast, an air conditioned tv room and computers to use. They gave us a great recommendation for dinner, an inexpensive yet delicious place called Totupo, about 2 blocks away.
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| Who needs luxury when you have cats? |
Nights 6 and 7: Playa Blanca
In the morning, we had breakfast and coffee in the courtyard outside our room which only a few hours ago had been a happening place. Of course at 7 am, it was quiet except for Sampy the cat, a few staff members and even fewer hostel guests. We sucked up the last of free WiFi and coffee, paid for a night in the quiet annex (private room!) of Viajero Hostel for Saturday night and made our way to the buses outside of the old walled city in search of a bus to Pasacaballo, gateway to Playa Blanca.
The bus ride to Pasacaballo is a bit depressing as it takes you past several extremely dirty and poor places. It is a reminder that while some parts of Colombia are very developed, there is a huge gap between the extremely wealthy and the very poor. Now, this next bit is very important: there is now a bridge from Pasacaballo to Playa Blanca!! I repeat, bridge to Playa Blanca! It is new enough that it wasn't mentioned in our Lonely Planet guide, so I think we need to get the word out. You can still take the boat from Cartagena to Playa Blanca, but if you're looking to travel on the cheap, the bus and moto taxi option is the way to go.
There was a brief moment when both Ryan and I thought I had been kidnapped (it was all in our heads) because Ryan's moto taxi was held up while mine took off. Obviously, this concern comes from a place of trying to be cautious while also being adventurers, but it is our impression that most people you encounter in Colombia are just happy to have travelers back. They have gone through a lot as a country and it seems they are ready and willing for tourism to pick up. When you are reliant on others for transportation, it can be a bit scary if you don't know the area or speak the language very well. Our experience has been that people are honest and look out for you because they want your business (or they're just good humans). Obviously, you still need to exercise caution and common sense but beyond that, there is only so much you can do.
Once we stepped on to the white sands of Playa Blanca, we were immediately approached by a man trying to help us find lodging. Normally, this would irritate me, but I'm slowly starting to appreciate that everyone is looking to make a buck. The first place he directed us to wasn't our cup of tea, so he walked us further down the beach to Zion Cabanas, where we decided to stay. The woman who runs Zion is so sweet and when we asked if we should tip the guy who helped us, she said it was not necessary. My guess is maybe she gives him some money for the business but maybe not.
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| Fresh coconut water |
If you're looking to stay in a cabana, look for one as close to the water as possible. There is only electricity when the generator is running and even with paying a little extra ($5/night) to have it run all night to power a fan in your room (that sounds so spoiled after seeing how people on Playa Blanca live without electricity or running water), it is still hot and humid.
Another must is a mosquito net. Make sure yours does not have holes (or that they can be closed with hair ties like I did to ours) before committing to staying the night. This is a touristy area, but it is still very basic and staying in the cabanas is more like camping than being in a hotel. Chances are, your "shower" will be a bucket with another bucket to dump fresh water over you as you bathe. If you're only staying a night or two, just rinse off in the ocean and save your shower for Cartagena. The toilets and hand washing sinks are operated by pouring water down them and you'll need your own toilet paper (can be purchased for a little over $1 from a local shop).
I'd also recommend going as far away from the areas with the blue tents...it gets pretty crowded in that area because the boats bring in people during the day. Bring your bug spray and a willingness to relax and do nothing. One night would have probably been plenty here, but since we paid for 2, we decided to stick it out.
Word of caution: the cabana owners are very concerned with security and for good reason. There are unbelievably poor neighborhoods not far from Playa Blanca with residents who perhaps do not directly benefit from tourism. If you are robbed in your cabana, the cabana owners have to pay a fine. These are people who do not have much, so this is a big deal to them but it is meant to prevent theft. A couple in the cabana next door had their backpack near the door and someone came in the night and went through it, taking some electronics and cash but leaving their passports thankfully. We slept with our important items (passports, money, nice camera) in a dry bag between us under the mosquito net but it seems that no one came in our room. It could be because it was harder to access (ladder rather than stairs to the top where the cabanas are). We also thought maybe it was someone with a grudge against their cabana owner who knew they'd be fined and their reputation tarnished. No one really knows but our cabana owner and theirs were both very upset by this event and took extra precautions the next night. Again, it is a reminder that this is still a developing area and you have to be careful.
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| Recreating our photo from Cape Haze |
Night 8: Cartagena
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Early, early on Saturday morning (5:30 am), we headed back to where the moto taxis dropped us off and arrived just as a brand new van was dropping off a few people and about to head back to Pasacaballo. The bus ride back to Cartagena was much more crowded than the way there and it was before 7 am! Viajero Hostel was lovely to us even though we were super early (check in is at 2 pm) and allowed us to shower and leave our bags at the front desk so we could wander around the city.
Our goal for the day was to find something cute to wear to a semi-fancy anniversary dinner which is not superficial in any way! I had no luck finding a dress I liked but I did find an adorable scarf with a coral motif and Ryan purchased a handsome linen shirt. We bought a few souvenirs, had a touristy, overpriced lunch at Hard Rock Cafe (not worth it, the food is eh) and enjoyed the picturesque city.
That evening, we were enchanted by the music and view of sunset from Cafe del Mar, on the wall of the old city. Drinks are about $10 and the "Cafe del Mar" drink (champagne and blue curcao) is absolutely disgusting, but you're not really paying for the drink, are you? From there, we made our way to La Cevicheria after going to our first choice for dinner and learning that the uniformed security guard wouldn't even let us in the door without a reservation. La Cevicheria was featured on Anthony Bourdain's show but was a little disappointing. The service was incredibly slow, the food so so but at least the limonada frappe was nice :)
Wandering around Cartagena and being tourists for a day was a relaxing way to end a trip full of adventure and action packed days. We both loved Colombia and only wish we had more time to visit Medellin, Zipaquira and the Guajira Peninsula. It is more expensive than Honduras and Nicaragua, but is still more of a budget destination than the US. I hope these posts are helpful to you in planning your adventure to Colombia!
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