With Avianca I flew from Bogota to Cartagena. I wanted to spare myself the 24-hour bus ride. Cartagena was an important port city at the Atlantic Ocean some centuries before. Today the city attracts countless tourists, especially cruise ship passengers, because of its history and old town.

Carribean spirit in the most touristic Colombia place

The climate in Cartagena is also very different from Bogotá. Here on the Atlantic coast there are about 40° C and an extreme humidity. Almost every accommodation here has air conditioning naturally. Also the atmosphere here is much more Caribbean-relaxed and with more Afro-impact. Apart from that Cartagena was too touristy for me and on the small streets there were cars coming all the time. Also the prices here are higher than elsewhere in Colombia.

I arrived at my hostel and met a young Englishman who to my great surprise could speak not only Spanish but even German. It is rare that British people speak more than 1 language and he speaks 3 of them. He had just arrived in Colombia. I got along very well with him right away and the next day we did the city tour together, visited an old fortress and went to a salsa bar with him on another day.

Bathing in a mud vulcano

We also made a tour to a mud volcano where we could also bathe in the mud. That was an extraordinary feeling. Because of the higher density of the mud it is impossible to sink even if you want to. During the bathing, one is slightly massaged by the locals. When you leave the band, the mosquitoes will attack you. We hurried into the car.

A short stop in Barranquilla

After 3 nights in Cartagena, I continued my trip to Barranquilla together with the Englishman. Shakira fans know the city because the famous singer was born there. While the Englishman had a date with a Colombian woman, I visited a jazz festival with a Surinamese and others and later a local bar. It was really nice. In addition I could eat delicious pizza directly next to my hostel, the owner was Italia and had an Italian restaurant.

I stayed 2 nights in Barranquilla until I set to continue my journey eastwards to Santa Marta.