6.28.2012

One more day in Cartagena

We just had to spend one more day in this beautiful city. This morning Maya said that yesterday was one of the best days of her life! And what's not to love about cobblestone streets and colonial buildings?





We toured the big fort today which offered great views of the area and best of all a network of tunnels connecting different areas of the fort. Super creepy, claustrophobic and fun!
















The heat in this city, especially at the top of the fort is about the most intense I have experienced. A lot like North Carolina turned up a few notches.




There's always a way to cool down, usually in the form of a street vendor selling icy cold cups of limeade. So good!



All three nights we have gone to the main plaza to watch these incredible dancers and musicians. Sure, they are there for the tourist, but they are really good and fun to watch!



Cartagena is a great city for a vacation. There is so much to do, see, and eat!



This vendor sells all kinds of empanadas and other fried savory things that I don't know the name of. His stand was especially popular because of the buckets of condiments available. You put a dollop of any kind of sauce on your empanada with each bite. We just stood there eating one after another with several other people.






We did quite a bit of walking and you can probably tell by Maya's posture that she was getting really tired. I could walk all day and soak up the atmosphere but the kids tire of it quickly and liken the experience to a forced march.



The view from the top of the city walls.



Cartagena is packed with tourists, some Europeans, but it mostly seemed like Colombians.



Our plan is to leave for Minca in the morning. We will make our way by taxi to the bus station and look for a bus to Santa Marta. The ride should be about 5 hours. From Santa Marta we take a shared car to the small mountain village of Minca, which is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range which is the highest coastal mountain range in the world. Unbelievably, given the heat in Cartagena, the mountains are snow capped!

1 comment:

  1. Absolutely LOVE this last photo of the flowers coming out of the building. Cool! Would also love ice limeade. Yum! Have fun!

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