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From there we went to San Andres. Talk about paradise ! Yes there are loads of beachfront hotels, jewellery, suitcase and duty free shops, but the water is beautiful and once you’re in the water you’ll struggle to get out ! Just a great place to relax and have a real Caribbean experience.
Our final destination was Cartagena. This is a truly beautiful, magnetic city. We stayed in the San Diego area which is perfect as you’re in the middle of everything. Other than the constant, blazing heat and humidity, this would be one of my favorite cities I’ve visited (the others would be Barcelona, Hanoi, Prague, London, San Francisco, Boston and Rome). We stayed at Tres Banderas and it’s easy to see why it’s so popular – it’s relatively inexpensive in a superb location. Again rooms are minimalistic (although they do have the strongest air conditioning imaginable) , breakfast is very ordinary (our son supplemented it daily with Yogurt – Kumis – from the giant Exito supermarket close by), but there’s free internet and they’re very friendly. We walked everywhere, but took taxis when the heat got too much. Be warned that the restaurants in the central area are expensive – much better to go to Gethsemani for a very satisfying, cheap lunch.One thing you must do in Cartagena is go to Volcan Totumo, the mud volcano. This is an incredibly bizarre and memorable experience. You strip down to your bathing suit and climb a few steps to the entrance. From there you’re eased into this bubbling mud pool (reputedly over a mile deep) and given a massage by one of the attendants. Someone else takes photographs with your camera that you’ve entrusted to him. You cannot sink even if you try and eventually you have a strange mud substance all over you (I could not get the residue mud out of my ears for a few days). Then you charge down to the lagoon to wash off; actually another (female this time) attendant washes you off, including ordering you to take off your bathing suit for rinsing. All in all it’s great fun.Another excursion we took was to Playa Blanca, a fabulous Caribbean beach. Be warned that the beaches and sea immediately off Cartagena are dirty and ugly so for a real Caribbean experience you must take a boat out 45 minutes to get to Playa Blanca or another beach.But most of all we loved strolling the streets, teeming with people, vendors, food and an amazing atmosphere. At night when the heat cools off somewhat to a more tolerable degree, the city is just magical. It’s just a great destination, and I’d go back tomorrow if I could !I’m also going to add some observations and tips, especially relevant if you’re travelling with kids.
1. We felt totally safe all the time. The reality we saw and experienced was worlds away from all the terrible things you hear about Colombia. Just be sensible as you would in many other places.
2. Unless you’re in an expensive hotel, breakfast may well be insufficient so be ready to stock up.
3. The weather in Bogota is much the same all year round. Mild to cool so pack accordingly. My son wore 2 of my light sweatshirts as well as his coat. In Cartagena, it’s always blazing hot.
4. The street food is excellent although there was a lot of things we did not try.
5. In Cartagena drink a lot of water all the time. I can’t stress this enough.
6. Don’t try mailing a letter in Colombia – they have an odd mail service, half privately run, so finding a post office is not worth the effort.
7. For lunch, have the plato del dia. It’s an incredible deal including soup, main dish and drink for only about 3 dollars. We went to GCB (Gethsemani Cafe Bar) 5 days in a row for lunch ! Also in Cartagena, try as many of the different fruit drinks as youcan. It’s worth it. Our favorite was maracuya – passion fruit.
8. In Cartagena, DO NOT take the package tours out to the Rosario islands. It’s a total rip off. Instead, get a boat out to Playa Blanca. Otherwise, you’ll sit on a very crowded boat for hours (as we did) instead of the beach.
9. Taxis within Cartagena cost about $2.50 everywhere so don;’t let yourself be ripped off.
10. Make sure you give yourselves plenty time to stroll the streets of Cartagena and Bogota. You’ll take in the great Colombian atmosphere.
11. In Cartagena, the big Exito supermarket in El Centro is a good place to duck into to escape the heat. Because it’s so close to almost everything, it never feels out of the way. They have a cash machine, deli, international phone station and lots of cold drinks !
12. A good chain restaurant for families is Crepes and Waffles – big selection, not too expensive.
13. Every internal flight we took was excellent and on time, including Avianca which I know has a mixed reputation.
14. In Cartagena, especially with kids, it’s worth staying in a hotel with a pool, even a small one. One can feel pretty desperate about the heat.
Overall, what we saw of Colombia we loved and I’d strongly recommend it. Let me know if you have any questions.
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