I started writing this blog while on the train to Seattle, and I am now here finishing it while in Vancouver. In some ways it already feels like our time in Cartagena was a long time ago, yet perhaps as I start writing again I will be taken back to the vibrant life of this Caribbean city……

If I had to describe Cartagena in one word, that one word would be COLOUR! This city is so colourful from the buildings interiors and exteriors, to the flower hanging baskets dropping off the balconies and the fashions both women and men wear. We arrived here in the evening and the air outside was hot and humid. We checked into our hotel which happened to be cheaper than hostels we looked up online. The area where we stayed was just outside the 'old town' in the suburb of Getsemani. We wandered down the street to eat some dinner and came across a vibrant Colombian restaurant where there were maracas to shake to get the waiters attention, fried banana is served instead of rice and the walls were painted brightly in scenes representing the culture. We welcomed our arrival with some fresh cold cocktails and felt very happy to have landed in this fascinating and historical city. Tomorrow and the days to follow were to give us some experiences we will never forget. That night when we went back to the hotel, we shared a drink with some other travellers on the rooftop terrace, and watched the rain bucket down, while the electricity pole sparkled and flickered in its own little storm across the street.

Cartagena is the sort of city that you can wander around all day long and constantly be in awe of the scenery. The main hub of the city is surrounded by impressive walls that were constructed in the 1500's to defend the city after its attack from pirates. Around two centuries later, they were completed and stretch for eleven kilometres around the city centre, San Diego and Getsemani. It is possible to walk along these walls and take in the views of the bay and they city together, an experience one must do if visiting the city. This was especially spectacular at night time with the sun setting over the ocean, casting an orange glow over the city.

Walking through the city is memorable but the heat does take its toll. It was probably the hottest place we have visited, so hot that I couldn't leave home without my water spray bottle. It was intense! Sometimes so hot that we would go into a café and buy a drink just so we could have a little bit of a break in the air conditioning. Not many places have this though and there is really no escape from all the heat. It is part of the culture to serve set lunches in cafes and this usually consists of a hot soup as an entrée. There is something very strange about eating a hot bowl of soup on a boiling hot day, but perhaps it's the whole banana still in its peel that is served on your plate that is more amusing. You can expect banana served in many different ways in Colombia, they are everywhere. We found that the food here was usually very rich and seafood was very common. Chicken, fish, rice and vegetables were found on many menus and for dessert, banana that would sometimes be drizzled with chocolate. Something we didn't try was the fried chicken was served on the street for breakfast.

Cartagena is one city that will always stick in my mind from this trip. There was something about it that I have never seen before. It makes me never want to wear all black ever again. It makes me want to dance more and live life to the full. It makes me want to celebrate as much as we can and smile more. Through the brightly coloured clothes, patterned head scarves, smiling faces, brightly painted walls and flowers bursting out from all the hanging baskets, I want to enjoy the colours of this world even more. Every night in the plaza, local dancers came out dressed in brightly coloured clothes and danced for hours on end to the rhythmic sounds of their band behind them. There was so much energy about and their vibrant dresses could be seen twirling around from far away.

Colombians are warm friendly people who welcome travellers, yet at times they can be very demanding and when the spot a traveller they see money and usually want to sell you a service like a 'very good price just for you ', for a boat trip to the nearest island. Having already planned our time here, we kindly said no thank you, and no and no again until finally they would walk away. Just like many countries in South America, people make a living by selling their crafts on the street. Some people sell just fruit or vegetables and walk up and down the street in the heat with their cart full of their goods. On the corner of our street there was an elderly man who was there everyday day selling slices of watermelon. He would be there in the morning with loads of watermelons under his cart and fresh slices and cubes sitting on the top ready to eat. He would be there for hours on end in the scorching heat, and at the end of the day he would still be there with about two slices left to sell. We made the most of having so much fresh fruit down our street and had a big bowl of muesli topped with fruit each day. A fresh breakfast like this was all we really felt like in such hot weather.

Most of our days here were spent wandering the city up and down the laneways and through the plazas. I was surprised by the amount of upmarket shops in the city where there were many boutique clothes stores stocked full of beautiful garments in all colours imaginable. They gave us inspiration and I would have loved to replace my entire backpack full of clothes right then and there, but even if I had an income at the time I don't think I could have afforded the high price tag. Another inspiring moment was experienced at the Modern Art Museum where vibrant paintings reflected the life of the city. Another moment that caught my eye was the brightly coloured dress worn by a Colombian lady, that lead me to her large wooden basket that she was managing to balance on her head, yet didn't seem bothered by it at all.

On the other side of the walls on the edge of Getsemani, lies the historical castle known as Castillo de San Felipe de Baragas. It was constructed in 1536 on top of a hill, from where it dominated any attempt to invade the city by water of by land. A short taxi ride bought us to the entry of the castle where there were already groups of vendors waiting to pounce on us. Before I had even opened the car door they were approaching us with hats, t-shirts and water bottles. We buy one water bottle and keep on going. It was incredibly hot walking around these concrete walls with no shade in the heat of the day. As we reached the top we had spectacular views over the city that gave a very different perspective. From here it looked like any other city with the sky scrapers of Bocagrande in the distance, and the buildings of the old town nestled up together between the ocean and the river. The colourful life of the city below cannot be seen from up here, but the scale of Cartagena is impressive from the top of the hill.

Walking around the castle we have views of the city from all angels, which makes sense considering where we are. On the corners there are little lookout towers with little widows which would have once been used to keep an eye on any incoming enemies. Stepping inside the shade of the concrete tower is much cooler than outside and a breeze flows in from all the little peep holes. Peeping through the lookout I can see the horizon of the city and huge Colombian flag blowing from the other edge of the castle. Along the edge of the walls is a series of cannons and by walking further around the top of the castle, we come to the doors that take us inside the concrete walls. This leads us underground to a maze of tunnels where we guided ourselves through and soon come back up to reach daylight where the heat sets upon us again.

Cartagena was a memorable experience and during our visit we made a side trip to dive into the blue waters of the Caribbean seas. The beach of Cartagena is okay to swim at but we were seeking a little more adventure than what was along the city's coast. A five hour bus ride further east would bring us to the beautiful Tayrona National Park and that is where we headed.