Cartagena

Cartagena is HOT. And very humid. It's been years since my last visit, and I can't believe I'd forgotten how brutal the heat can be. Anyhow, as I mentioned in the last post, my brother Alex graduated from high school and he decided to join me for a few weeks.




Lol, Alex is a little tired from his big weekend.



The old colonial town of Cartagena de Indias, a World Heritage Site.






We stayed four nights at the Chill House Backpackers Hostel, which is located in the northeast section of the walled inner city.






These colonial walls surround the historic center of the city.









One day we visited the Museo del Oro, filled with beautiful gold work of the Zenu people, who lived in the region prior to the Spanish Conquest.



Monumento a la India Catalina, a beautiful Carib woman who served as an interpreter to Pedro de Herida.



Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, the greatest and strongest fortress ever built by the Spaniards in any of their colonies.





















One day, we took a trip out to Volcano De Lodo El Totumo, a volcano that spews mud instead of lava.



It's only 15 meters high!





At the top.



The mud is warm and slippery. It was hilarious trying to sink lower (you can't, you always float back up).



Afterwards, our group had lunch at a beach.




























A sculpture by Botero.



:)






I love Colombian cumbia! These dancers, performing in Plaza de los Coches, were amazing. They performed a variety of styles of dances, my favorite being the frenetic Mapale.












Puerta del Reloj



The next day, we were off to a small town called Taganga.

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