Cartagena, Colombia: ¿Por Qué No?

Back in December, a combination of factors - including working extra over the holidays, discovering extra paid time off accrued at work and the convenience of one of my friends backpacking across South America - led me to a rather spontaneous Colombia trip booked two weeks in advance! My dear friend Eva and I thought it was an opportune chance to finally see eachother (she lives in Germany).. which snow-balled into her brother Dominick joining us, two of his friends, and Eva's best friend Laura coming along as well! I met my friend Jules for coffee right before I booked my ticket and the next thing i knew...our group had grown to 7! Cartagena, Colombia ... why not?!

I was only slightly nervous about visiting Colombia after reading up on the recent crack-down on drug trafficking and crime. I almost wished I hadn't told patients and co-workers about my trip, because I got the inevitable slanty-eyed look of shock followed by a mountain of safety questions. Many friends who have visited in the last few years had raved about the country - of course, you always want to do your homework and avoid certain areas, and use common traveler sense to avoid making yourself a target. That being said, I honestly felt safer the entire trip there than I did living in Peru for one year!

We didn't have much time to get off the beaten tourist path of northern Colombia, but two weeks was enough time to get a good taste of the country that left me craving months more! We started in the city of Cartagena, which is a well-deserved World Heritage Site. Cartagena was historically the "gateway" of Spaniard settlement in the Americas, and in the 1500's a 7 mile long wall was constructed around the city center to protect it from pirates. Today, the city boasts an interesting combination of European and South American influence. Highlights: dinner in a boisterous plaza in Getsemani, sunset walk along the wall, photographer's dream wandering quaint cobblestone side streets inside the walled city, and my favorite street food - Arepa con Queso!

Muggy and humid, and not known for it's beaches, one night/two days is sufficient to explore the city - make sure to save a day to take a boat to a nearby island for a taste of true paradise. We did a day trip to Isla Baru- Playa Blanca - while it was touristy and we spent several hours waiting for our boat to get out there, you really can't beat water this crystal clear and blue! It was my first time on the Caribbean coast and one unique place I'll never forget!