To get to Playa Blanca we had to take a forty minute boat ride. We organised and paid to go with one tour company and ended up waiting an extra forty minutes past our scheduled departure time as we had to wait for the boat to be full of passengers before it would leave the port. Before we left I bought some suncream as I knew the combination of sea and sun is usually sunburn. However, this prompted Simon to comment on how, apart from his face, he no longer burns!! On the boat ride Simon ended up getting quite wet from the spray. As we left Cartagena we passed men fishing on small wooden boats and hundreds of birds diving into the sea catching their lunch. Just before we left the water enclosed by land and entered the open sea there was also an old prison that looked very much like it belonged on Pirates of the Caribbean! Dipping our hands into the warm Caribbean sea we watched as locals gathered on the beach ready to pounce on us. Massage ladies, people selling food and crafts and accommodation owners all greeted us off the boat. After managing to send them all away the lads went hammock hunting. We ended up staying in the middle of the beach and got a good deal on hammocks and sunbeds in shade for the day. Myself and Fiona both enjoyed a bargain full body massage on the beach while Simon lay on the shaded sun bed pleased to be free from sand. We read, sunbathed, swam and played with Simons skimball...the usual beachy things. After being in the sea Si sat in the sun for a short while to dry off and ended up looking like a lobster! Both the Kiwis and myself couldn't help repeating his earlier 'I don't burn' statement as we laughed as his half red legs. Strangely we had to pay to use the toilet facilities, which was sooo disgusting, and also had to purchase fresh water for bucket showers. After living on Fiji for a month me and Si decided to skip the shower and bathe in the sea. Even if we did shower we'd soon end up covered in sand again so it seemed pointless. Late afternoon clouds began to cover the sky so we moved under shelter and played cards. We were pleased to be taught a new game as we were so fed up of playing the few card games we know. We were joined by another girl before heading down the beach for some tea. In a place called Hugo's we all munched on fried fish, chips, rice and salad. I tried a fish eye which tasted surprisingly OK. Whilst sipping cocktails and enjoying tea we were invaded by large crabs that seemed to enjoy running over peoples feet! Back at our shelter we played cards and drank some rum before hopping in our hammocks and mozzie nets. Sleeping in hammocks wasn't too bad but we were kept awake by a massive thunderstorm that was incredibly close. I had rain dripping through the roof and onto me driving me nuts. Additionally, there was a dog pulling on our mossie nets, cockerels and crying babies keeping us awake. Luckily the following day consisted of more relaxing so lack of sleep wasn't too big a deal. When the sun rose we were pleasantly surprised to see blue skies. Our day was spent pretty much the same - (except Si applied suncream). Around 4pm we squeezed onto the over packed boat and got drenched! It was a very unpleasant bumpy forty minutes. Back at the hostel we enjoyed a fresh water cold shower. From Cartagena we had to fly back to Bogota and then caught a bus to Ecuador. We only spent a short amount of time in Colombia as we didn't feel overly safe. Additionally when talking to others about where to go they usually told us of places that were nice to look however there wasn't alot to do so we decided to skip them and move on.