Our last stop in Colombia was Cartagena, a port city on the northern coast of the country. Although it's on the water, it's not really known for its beaches. The nicest beaches are actually closer to where we had come from, which you can get to in less than an hour on these insane speedboats that go a thousand miles an hour and feel like they're going to break in half and kill you.
We rented an amazing apartment off airbnb that had a courtyard with a pool in it. I don't understand why this courtyard concept isn't more popular. Backyards are so dumb, everyone can see you. When I'm rich I'm going to build myself a house with an open air courtyard that has a pool in it.
In medieval times (like, 1500s) Cartagena was often attacked by pirates so the city center is protected by a stone wall with cannons. It's pretty cool. We stayed within the walls, where the streets are narrow and winding and the houses are all painted bright colors with flowers dripping off the balconies. There can be a seedy kind of feeling to the place at night, but during the day it was beautiful.
For anyone attempting to visit Playa Blanca/Islas del Rosario, here's how we did it since info on the internet s pretty sparse. We hailed a taxi on the street and asked them to take us down to the marina. The minute we stepped out of the cab, tour operators raced up to us. The first who got to us was waving a little piece of paper (which they all had) that you could mark off or tell them what you wanted – to visit the Islas del Rosario (there are multiple islands, but I'd read finding a good one could be hit or miss), or Playa Blanca, or go snorkeling, or go to an aquarium. The internet also said the snorkeling/aquarium were wastes of time/money, and we had only wanted to go to the beach, so I tried to make that as clear as possible and marked the paper. For just the round trip boat ride (plus lunch is included for free) it was around 60,000 pesos for both of us, or roughly $30.
They shuffle you through a ticket window where they write your name on a list and make you sit on folding chairs with a bunch of strangers. After about 10-15 minutes, they started calling names and pointing to different boats to get on, long fiberglass boats with roofs that have six seats across split by an aisle. Each boat looks like it holds about 40 people or so, and the only difference I guessed was which destination you wanted.
Our boat was full, all Spanish speakers. We were actually taken to the aquarium first, but everyone freaked out and started yelling in Spanish about how they only wanted the beach, so I'm glad for that. (The aquarium and snorkeling were offered at an additional cost as if it were an unmissable deal.) Finally our boat operators gave up and took us to the beach. The actual ride was insane. I loved it but I like being scared, but if you're afraid of traveling over high speeds on a fiberglass boat that feels like it's going to crack in half any minute, you might want to consider taking a car (which takes longer.) It was going so fast I was afraid to turn my head in case the wind ripped off my sunglasses. I was also too scared to take out my phone to photograph anything.
You get a free lunch (mojarra of course) and then try and stay in sight of your boat so they dont leave you when they return. You learn to recognize your group and stay near them, and we had no issues getting back on three hours later.
The one photo I was able to take during a rare lull, on the way back facing Bocagrande.
Playa Blanca
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