A bus that was meant to take 13 hours actually took 20, but we finally arrived to Cartagena. There was a road closure on route, so for 2 hours, this was the view!

Thankfully our hostel was really nice so it was the perfect place to flake out after a big journey!

Cartagena has two very different sides to it’s city. When we arrived, we were shocked by how run down the place was, with slum like buildings everywhere. We took a taxi from the bus station to the hostel which was…interesting. A car AND a motorbike hit the back of our taxi on route and tensions were high (to say the least)! At one point the driver got out to take on the driver that hit him. Needless to say we sat still and said nothing while this was playing out! It was a 45 minute drive to the hostel, which was on the other side of the city – the touristy side. The contrast between both parts is indescribable.

Cartagena is incredibly colourful with brightly painted buildings and amazing graffiti. The weather was noticeably warmer here too, almost 30 degrees! This was the hottest weather we have experienced to date.

We ate some great food in Cartagena while we were there, especially these fish tacos we got on our first night!

I also tried my first ‘ceviche’. Traditionally a Peruvian dish but popular all over South America. I wasn’t a fan but tori loved it!

Our favourite meal was at a traditional Colombian restaurant called ‘El Bololó’ where we ate traditional Caribbean food overlooking ‘Plaza de la Trinidad’, a square teeming with music and dancing.

We stayed around to hear some music, and even caught a glimpse of another Michael Jackson!

While in Cartagena, we took a boat trip to some of the Rosario Islands. There was a good group from the hostel also taking the trip so we had a great day!

Cartagena’s streets at night are great with everyone drinking and dancing on the streets. The art looks great at night too.

We found a cute coffee / book shop close to the hostel to escape the heat for a few hours. However, English books are few and far between in South America!

Overall we really enjoyed are few days in Cartagena.

Next stop, Santa Marta.