The Colombian adventure (City of Cartagena)

There is so many places we have on our list to visit before our bodies start complaining about all the normal hassle of traveling, specially as we age. Fortunately, we have the opportunity of taking a break from working to fulfill a dream that most of us have; so we call ourselves "The adventurist."

Colombia was on our list, and I´m happy to say that we´re living the Colombian adventure as I´m writing this subject.

As you all know, we have been house sitting for a while now. This gives us the opportunity of traveling to new places without having to go over budget. Plus we get to meet wonderful people and spend time with loving pets in beautiful houses.
We found a house sit in Colombia for three weeks but, we decided to stay here for two months so we can explore different cities in this amazing country.
We took a flight from Guadalajara, Mexico to the city of Barranquilla, Colombia; having one stop at the airport in Panama City. We arrived in Barranquilla around 12:30 pm and I have to say that flying with COPA airline was a great experience. They were always on time, the staff was very friendly and something we were not expecting was to have full meals, even in our short flight from Panama City to Barranquilla.
The only awkward moment for me was going through customs once we arrived in Barranquilla. I decided to travel with my Mexican passport since we flew from Mexico; when the immigration officer saw my passport, he asked "Where´s your Colombian passport?" I said "I´m Mexican not Colombian" then he started asking other questions until he finally stamped my passport for the 90 days permit to stay in the country. I asked JJ if he went through the same situation, and he was not asked any questions at all... so I decided from now on, I would travel with my American passport and I won´t speak Spanish at all... That seems to work for JJ, but I also know it´s all part of the adventure :O) 
After being "free" from customs, we had a little adventure trying to find the way of getting to our first destination. The easy and most expensive way was to take a taxi for about $95 dollars but, we always try not to pay the "gringo" prices; so we decided to try something else. We met a nice taxi guy who drove us to a terminal that have small vans that take you "puerta a puerta" to your destination (door to door). This is a good way of traveling from city to city in a very comfortable and inexpensive way; we ended up paying $30 dollars for the two of us to get to Cartagena, including the taxi fare... Big savings!

There are many companies that do door to door transportation, one of them is MarSol which seems to have more of the tourist clients.

We had about four days before our house sitting assignment, so we decided to start our adventure in Cartagena de Indias which is a Caribbean city that keeps history secrets in its fort and balconies. This city has been associated with pirates history since it was here where Europeans pirates attacked many times; making it one of the most reinforced cities in South America and the Caribbean.
Now in days, Cartagena is one of the most important ports in Colombia and the Caribbean; with an amazing historical district that brings international tourism.

The historical old town is a mix of charm, culture, beautiful architecture and it´s surrounded by the fort; you can have a nice walk on the wall and appreciate the amazing views of the city and the ocean.
This is a very romantic place, where you can go to one of the many nice squares around the city and sit down to relax or to enjoy a nice meal at the outdoor restaurants.
Cartagena also has the modern section along the ocean, with high rise buildings and all the amenities you might look for.
The mix between the modern and the historical sections, gives it a feel of Miami and New Orleans.

 

Cartagena goes above and beyond with all the Christmas lights! The whole city gets beautifully illuminated at night, giving it a very special festive touch.

  Our house sit is in the city of Santa Marta, which is about 4 hrs driving from Cartagena. We would be staying for three weeks in El Rodadero, which is a beach town outside of Santa Marta... Colombian adventure to be continue!
Safe travels my friends and Happy Holidays!