We arrived in Cartagena on the evening of September 21st after a comfortable 8-hour flight from Lima, which included a 20-minute stopover in Bogota. We collected our bags and stepped outside the terminal to take in our first glimpse of Colombia, and we were (or at least I was) not disappointed. Greeting us was a tall, voluptuous black lady dressed in a sun-goddess bikini who, for a small fee, would let you take your picture with her. Unfortunately I had to pass on the photo-op as I was immediately struck down with my trademark humid-weather afro, and Charlotte had to pass as she was already sweating like a McPherson. Notably this would mark the end of her ability to wear grey and/or armpit-covering tops on the trip. We passed on the photo, had a quick cigarette and headed to the taxi booth. The airport's taxi booking system was great, it records the driver's name, license plate and the pre-set cost of the fare. No negotiating! I can only assume the system was developed as a result of tourists being kidnapped and/or mugged, regardless we were very thankful to have it. Welcome to the new Colombia.

Cartagena was a critical port city along the Spanish Caribbean gold trade route in the 17th and 18th centuries. In its early days it frequently fell victim to pirate attacks (yes, pirate attacks) and so a fortress wall was built around the city to protect it. They also sunk ship-wrecking rocks and a giant, mast-snapping chain along the port entrance to ward off the would-be pirate attackers. The city's defenses seemed to work as Cartagena flourished until the gold rush came to an end in the 19th century. Fast forward 200 years and Cartagena is now a popular tourist destination as the fortress still stands, there's a few good beaches nearby, and it's a main stopover for Caribbean cruise ships. The city is divided into two distinct neighborhoods: old town which is the original historical part of the city surrounded by fortress walls, and new town which is the modern part of the city complete with paved roads, luxurious skyscrapers, and beach front resorts. We stayed in old town because it seemed to have more character, and character is exactly what we got.

"Pssst, psst, hey Louie, what jour name? Are ju up for party tonight? I have the Yay-o, 100% pure Colombiano yo. How much you have?" This was the rhetoric we heard every time we walked through the narrow cobble-stoned streets of old town Cartagena. Contrary to what we expected, it's a seemingly safe city with a very visible police presence; the police seem either laid back or on the take as well since they don't seem to mind the yay-o peddlers offering their product in plain sight. Maybe it was a setup, we weren't interested in finding out.

Our first night in Cartagena we ate dinner in Plaza Santo Domingo which has about half a dozen or so open-air restaurants that are catered towards disembarking cruise passengers. As a result we were unabashedly hassled by souvenir sellers throughout the meal and vowed never to eat at an open-air restaurant again. The next day a massive rainstorm rolled through Cartagena which flooded the narrow streets with about 2 feet of water. We watched in amazement as cars and people waded through the street-rivers as though nothing was happening. Once the rain let up and the flood waters recessed, we did a bit of shopping, ate a delicious meal at an Italian restaurant, and booked our bus tickets to the coastal town of Taganga ($20pp/one way) for the next day.

After a 7-hour bus ride, which seemed pretty short compared to the long stretches we'd done in Argentina, we arrived in the northern coastal town of Taganga. Taganga is a tiny beachfront community with maybe 1500 inhabitants that has found itself on the backpacker's map due to its laid-back party atmosphere and proximity to Tayrona National Park. Tayrona National Park is a wildlife preserve that can be hiked in 2 days which includes an overnight hammock sleep on an uninhabited island. Unfortunately the rains continued almost the entire time we were there so we had to veto the hike. I also picked up a head cold somewhere between Lima and Cartagena and so couldn't go diving in the famous waters of Tayrona. All was not lost though, we befriended an English backpacker on our second night there, watched a few Rugby World Cup games and partied until about 4AM. Was a fun time but we paid for it the next day with hangovers that rivaled some of our best. We caught a bus back to Cartagena on the third day in Taganga and met up with Sim, the captain of the Gypsy Moth, whom would be taking us to Panama the following day.

The original plan was that Sim, his wife and his 3-year old daughter would be taking the eight of us to Panama on the 28th. Unfortunately, the courier truck bringing Sim's family's passports back from the Colombian work visa office was held up by armed robbers and stolen on the 27th. The next day the police found the truck along with Sim's passport in the discarded mail, however, his wife and daughter's passports were not recovered and so they had to stay behind awaiting replacement passports. After all the dust settled, on the 29th we set sail for Panama and said goodbye to Colombia with the wind at our backs (because I was farting).