We were supposed to arrive in Cartagena around 11:15 am on Friday.
In order to make it to the Bucaramanga airport on time for our flight, we had to hire a private driver to pick us up in Barichara and take us. He was going to pick us up at 4 am.
The night before, we got an email that the flight was delayed one hour. The following morning, it was delayed another hour.
By the time we got to the airport, staff was bringing us some drinks to make up for the fact that it was delayed another 45 minutes. It was 2:30 pm by the time we were finally in the air, and I was pretty grumpy about it. Three flights with EasyFly in one week, all three delayed. C’est la vie.
As soon as we arrived in Cartagena, we got a taxi to the Walled City to eat a late lunch and drink a cold beverage. We were warned by many people before arriving there, but Cartagena is hot. Hot and humid. It was a full-on assault as we walked to our apartment. The heat. The taxis and horse-drawn carriages pushing pedestrians off the road. The vendors trying to sell us jewelry or figurines or dresses. The restaurant owners trying to usher us into their restaurants. The palenqueras wanting to pose for pictures with us for money. It was a stark change to peaceful little Barichara.
Anthony was a trooper and carried my luggage for me since I had made the dumb decision to wear heels for once. The few minutes it took to get to our new apartment, he was dripping sweat.
Our apartment was nice and cool upon arrival, and it had a wonderful balcony overlooking the heart of the action, at Plaza Santo Domingo. We took a few minutes to cool off and adjust to all the activity below us before joining in.
We took in the views from every angle, enjoying the pink sunset before walking to the wall at the edge of town.
We spent the evening exploring town, the evening breeze perfectly pleasant.
We stumbled upon Plaza Bolivar and heard drums, so we went to investigate. A group of dancers were putting on a show for everyone, switching out costumes for their different routines. I was entranced, so we stayed awhile.
We grabbed dinner on a rooftop outside the wall, and then we walked the 15 minutes back to our apartment where after people-watching the plaza a few minutes more, I quickly crashed.
We left the apartment while the streets were still calm the next morning, taking in the pretty balconies and flowers around us, and walking along the wall.
Once we found a restaurant open for breakfast, we grabbed a bite to eat, and then we walked to the Getsemani neighborhood, a very up-and-coming part of Cartagena full of street art with a more hipster vibe to it.
I really, really enjoyed that part of the city and wished we were staying there instead.
We had a walking tour at 10 am, so we walked back across town to find our English-speaking guide, Edgar.
He was awesome. He had a good sense of humor, was clearly passionate about Colombia, was very informative, put an emphasis on making sure we were in the shade and the occasional air conditioning during the tour, and he even impressed us with his knowledge of capitals. I thought I would stump him when I told him I was from Kansas, but it took him two seconds before he announced “Topeka!”
The tour was supposed to last two hours, but he gave us a little extra time, and at 12:30, we were on our way to lunch.
The air conditioning was a relief but not enough, so we went back to our apartment to cool off in the pool for a bit (where I showed off my awesome tan lines), kept company by the world’s tiniest lizard.
We slept the afternoon away but then went back to the wall, to have drinks at Café del Mar for sunset.
The views were lovely. Until every person there crowded in front of us to take selfies with the sunset in the background.
We lasted long enough to see the sun fully set and then headed off to the Getsemani neighborhood for dinner, eating tapas and pizza at Demente. The square just outside was full of people, allowing me to people-watch during my dinner.
We took the long way back to the walled city. I was wanting to experience some salsa dancing, so we stopped by Donde Fidel Salsa Club. It was still a little too early for it to be bumping though, so we continued on back to Bolivar Plaza to watch the dancers there again, since I enjoyed it the night before.
We stopped in a few shops, looked at some art, and called it a night.
Our last day in Colombia, we had enough time to go get breakfast back in the Getsemani neighborhood again, walk a few more streets, and then pack up and sit in the very warm Cartagena airport.