Cartagena being on the Caribean coast promised hot weather. We were not there yet, we first had to negociate the unknown climate on our first posh Colombian coach. We played safe and packed for the Siberian temperatures normally associated with Venezuelan buses. Whilst Venezuela has 4p per gallon fuel costs to help them get it real cold, Colombia has altitude. The temperature did drop a fair bit but it wasn't until we stepped outside at our first pee stop that we discovered the cause - it was real cold. A few people must be caught out going by someone outside at 3am selling blankets.

We rushed back onto the bus to get warm a real novelty for us. I slept sort of OK through the noise and constant movement, but woke when we stopped and all was quite quite - strange eh. It was light outside - in a half sleep you look out and see nothing abnormal except the lack of mountains. You then have another look and notice that the houses are half submerged and people are getting about in boats.

Traffic was moving in the other direction so we sat tight and in about 30 minutes moved forwards. It was a flood all right and really bad. Houses were up to their roofs and the main route was only kept open with masses of sand bags. The worlds weather has really gone beserk.

We were just outside Cartagena so it wasn't long before we were weaving ourselves down crowded streets in a taxi. It is survival of the fittest on the streets of Cartagena and our taxi driver was making sure no one else was in any doudts that he was a survivor. The horn was used constantly and undertaking down pavements was just a more creative way to get there sooner. Add to the mix holes that could swallow up a tire, motorcycles weaving around traffic, horse and carts and pedestians with a deathwish.

As soon as you get into the walled city things change. A sign forbids the use of the horn and horses are only used to cart tourists around the city.

Cartagena is under UNESCO protection, and certainly has it's fair share of lovely historical buildings slowly decaying. It has had a long history of various people sacking it over the centuries but for the average tourist it is a pretty place for those looking for somewhere different than home. It is a cross between Venice and Medeval England complete with plaza's and hot Caribean climate.

It is not a sleepy place, the Columbians come here on mass and it is another stop for the Caribean cruise ships that make it this far down.

Despite being pretty knackered hunger drove us out - we ended up at one of the plaza's with a bottle of wine. It had lovely surroundings and the people watching was good, however there were far too many people trying to sell things.

Happy that we did something special for Xmas Eve and with money running out we headed back with some beers to relax back at the nice hotel.