Tourist honeypot.....

Well after the relative peace and quiet around the rest of Colombia we have hit the tourist honeypot that is Cartagena. The city attracts large numbers of Colombian tourists, Latin American tourists and also a large number of international cruise ships.

The day started with a bit of orientation. Founded in 1533 by the Spanish conquerors as a main port to various minerals, plants and people between Latin America, Africa and Europe. It was a major trading port for gold and silver, it was also one of only two ports authorised to trade in slaves. All of this activity necessitated the building of defences and massive fortified walls. The old city is now designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We headed up to Convent de la Popa which has the best views of the city, even if the convent is somewhat underwhelming!

Then it was a rush to fit in the San Felipe Fort before all of the other hoards of tourist arrived.

We were beginning to realise just how hot the city is. Even the locals were complaining!!

A quick walk to familiarise ourselves with the streets of Cartagena and then we were all in need of a break from the heat.

I decided to head to La Boquilla, the local beach near the fishing village. All if the buses, motorbikes and cars use the beach as a roadway. On one side is the sea and the other is full of palm covered shacks selling lunch and trying to drown out the music if it's neighbours! Honest the sound levels were ridiculous!

In order to get some peace and quiet we jumped into some wooden canoes and were punted around the lagoon for a while. There was a fair amount of wildlife but I just found it all a tad creepy!

Back on the beach and how could I refuse to dip my toes in to the Caribbean for the first time!

Whilst enjoying a refreshing coconut drink a lady tried to sell us some of her homemade sweets. One by one we all capitulated! They were made from coconut, nuts, arequipe and lots of sugar, but were divine!

Some of us girls headed out that evening for dinner and found ourselves on the roof of one of the cafés. It was so lovely, despite the lack of service!, to sit there and not need a cardigan, and just enjoy the rooftop views.