Cartagena Goes Down a Storm.

After a very tranquilo day spent in our room in Bogota as Alice was feeling a wee bit ill, we left early the next morning to catch our flight to Cartagena. After a mild panic in the morning when we had no money and there were no ATM´s open, we managed to persuade the half-asleep hotel worker to let us pay in dollars. He tried to overcharge us, he failed to call us a taxi, he was basically one massive failure. We arrived with plenty of time to spare at the airport and quickly went through security. Once there we discovered we were starving, but that we had no money. It turned out that we had to go through the arrivals to take out money, and then go through the security check point again. It was a feeling of deja-vu for everybody involved and we got many odd looks. When it was time to board we discovered that we hadn´t filled out our details on the back of our boarding passes so quickly did that at the front of the line. We then casually strolled onto the plane and sat in our seats, only then realising that nobody had checked our tickets and ripped the bigger part off. Sneaking onto the plane for the win!

Landing in Cartagena at the Caribbean Sea.

When we arrived in Cartagena it was 31 degrees and we immediately wanted to get back onto the airconditioned plane. It. Was. Roasting! It was also incredibly humid and we started sweating immediately, with it pouring down our backs. We got a taxi into town, again not knowing either the name or address of our hostel. We should really start learning from our mistakes. The taxi driver clearly thought we were morons and wasn´t very happy about the fact that we were sweating out his seats. Understandable. He kicked us out at the entrance to the old town, leaving us to figure everything else out ourselves. Luckily, we found a helpful tourist-guide and found our way to the hostel, where Alice immediately developed a massive crush on the receptionist called German. We had an amazing cold shower, put on as few clothes as possible, and headed out for a wander around town to see the sights and, of course, search for food. It was almost impossible to find any food that was in our budget, but eventually we went somewhere and shared a massive bowl of soup and plate of food looking like extreme cheapskates (which we are) and leaving with satisfyingly full tummies! On the way back we decided to do some shopping on the off-chance that we´d find a cheap, beautiful summer dress for the next few days. We didn´t, but Alice found some swimming shorts that were pretty cheap and would disguise the fact that she was wearing pants in the swimming pool.

Cartagena.

Alice on the Old City battlements.

Geckooooooos!

We dragged ourselves back to the hostel to lie in the hammocks and Alice turned on the charm with German, having a quick kiss in the kitchen behind the fridge. Classy. We then both lay in the hammock together as German showed another guest around. We did a double-take. This guy looked EXACTLY like Simon Pegg!! We stared at him in awe and then later found out that he was Simon Pegg´s cousin, Bryan. The heat took its toll on Alice and she went to bed with a headache. This was also an attempt at avoiding German´s further advances as she had decided he was becoming a little too clingy and pushy which was no longer attractive in any way. Nyree was keen to party though, and had some drinks with the boys while watching The Patriot and staring adoringly at Heath Ledger who sadly died in the movie. Two girls showed up to escort Bryan and Nyree to the bars which had live music. They were nice, but a lightning storm had started and we figured it would be best to go home before the rain began. It was amazing to watch the lightning from the hostel balcony, as Nyree loves thunderstorms, and as soon as the rain started she persuaded Bryan to go outside and walk around in it for a while. She clearly had other intentions in mind. It WAS Simon Pegg´s cousin, after all. It happened. Win.

We adopted Bryan the next day, sincerely hoping he wouldn´t be another Dermot or Kirt. Our radar was on full alert for any odd signs, clicks or statements about Ketamin/building underground forts. We went to a bakery for breakfast and ate cakes, then walked around town following the walking tour route on our map and taking photos along the way. We also wandered along the old town battlements looking out to sea. This whole time, Alice was testing out her new shorts which were holding up well at this point. Or so we thought. On returning to the hostel, Nyree pointed out a massive rip in the arse-crack of the shorts with Alice´s blue knickers on full display. God knows how long she´d been walking around like that. Hah! We had lunch near the hostel, had a communal siesta, and then headed out for hamburgers and hot dogs. They were delicious! We also bought booze, lots of rum, and headed back to the hostel to mix our own cocktails and by cocktails we mean... rum. That night was spent playing ´Save the Queen´, the most annoying game in the world, chatting to the Americans (Alice took a liking to Johnny, who she flirted with an insane amount) and laughing at one of the funniest German guys we have met on this trip. He kept trying to get Bryan and Nyree together, and when they were talking on the balcony he slipped a massive paper flower into Bryan´s hand so he could give it to her. Good times. We didn´t make it out that night, standard, and slept like babies on lots of rum.

Division between the Old and New Towns, with lights that changed colour on the tower.

Alice had fish for dinner... it looked gross to Nyree but was tasty!

The following morning we were surprisingly un-hungover and had to get up at a reasonable hour to catch the bus to Santa Marta. Bryan said he might see us there as well (who was he kidding? He couldn´t get enough of us...) and we got a taxi to the bus terminal. The journey was incredibly long and we were sure we were being kidnapped as we drove through all the slums on the outskirts of Cartagena. Luckily this was not the case, and we arrived safely in the terminal. After buying our tickets, we sat down to wait for the bus that would leave in half an hour. Just before two o´clock a sudden and immense downpour of rain started and there was a powercut in the bus terminal. Our bus wouldn´t leave until the rain stopped, so we had to wait for ages, with the lights flickering on and off constantly. Malo.

Torrential rain at the bus station before we left to Taganga.

Eventually, though, we were ushered onto the bus and chose our seats at the back, the back being the coolest part of the bus. This was a decision we would later regret. However, for the moment we were happy to be on our way to the beaches, swimming pools, and more rum. Bieeeen!