After Salento, I jumped on a long bus ride to Medellín and stayed long enough to get my bearings in the city. I learned upon arrival that the Feria de las Flores was starting on August 3rd, something I didn{t want to miss (more to come on that). After just three days in Medellín I left, jumping on a flight to Cartagena, located on the Caribbean coast of the country. The flight was a major luxury, sparing me about 24 collective hours of busses. The idea was to get north to Santa Marta (another Caribbean coast city closer to the border with Venezuela) for a trek I wanted to do, and get back to Medellín for the festival.. A tourist agency offers guided treks to the Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) from Santa Marta, a 6 day excursion into the jungle.
My short stay in Cartagena didn't really do the city justice, so I'll withhold complaints that it was hot, dirty and touristy (wait...). But really, it was hot. I wouldn't see a bedsheet or hot water for the next 8 days, nor did I want any part of either. The only real thing I did in Cartagena was see the Castilla de San Felipe, a stronghold the Spanish built to protect Cartagena from gold-marauding invaders. Visiting this structure piqued multiple childhood interests/fantasies: forts, pirates, secret tunnels, boobie traps, cannons...awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome.
That´s it for Cartagena.
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