Medellín - Santa Fe de Antioquia

It took us 17 hours on the night bus (including a break down of the clutch in the middle of the night) from Cartagena to reach Medellin under a pleasantly warm sun at 1400m. We are warmly welcomed by Caro's dad and their house in a quiet neighborhood. We took the Metro (Colombia's only metro) to go sightseeing in the city center.


Starving from the long bus ride, we ordered a Churrasco and typical Jugo de Mora (Blackberry juice). But the 550 gram steak was a bit more than we could eat!...

For our first night in Medellin, we went to the "Zona Rosa" located in a richer part of Medellin and where there are tens of bars and discos. As the date was 12th March, we waited midnight to surprise David and celebrate his 30th birthday in the middle of Parque Lleras before going dancing.




For our second day in Medellin, we took the typical sunday attraction which is to take the "Metro Cable", a cable car going up poorer districts of Medellin up to a new library where the view on the city center is great!




For our last days in Colombia, we decided to go to Caro's family holiday house, about 2 hours from Medellin in the colonial village of Santa Fe de Antioquia. Since the village is 1000m below Medellin, the hot temperatures day and night are guaranteed!


To reach the holiday house, about 5km from Santa Fe, we take a ride on Indian Rickshaws accross an old suspension bridge.




By 35°C day temperature we spend these days between the meals either in the hammocks or the pool in the great tropical garden.




Before returning to Bogota for our flight back, we stop once more in Medellin where we have another party night in the zona rosa.



But our final day in Colombia finally approaches and we have to take another 11 hour bus ride to reach to cold capital Bogota. Of course, as for all our long bus rides in Colombia, we have another break down... This time it's the AC, as the outside temperature is above 30°C, oh well....

Fortunately, Caro's uncle Luis welcomes us with great Colombian food and unlimited access to the heated pool and Sauna, making our last day really enjoyable!

Cartagena - Playa blanca

After a 4 hour drive and a flat tire we reach the colonial town of Cartagena de Indias. We check-in at our huge backpackers hostel in the old center of Cartagena, where Caro´s cousin Paula is waiting for us.


We just have time to make it to Cafe del Mar on the city wall to enjoy the sunset.


We take it easy the next day, visiting the fort and just wandering the streets of Cartagena.



We take plenty of breaks during the day to rest from the 30 degrees and to sip some fresh coconuts, or homemade icecreams like in this convent renovated into a luxury hotel.



We even have a little photo shooting session with an Indian from the Jungle, which Claire and Caro seemed to enjoy a bit too much...



Our beloved lonely planet takes us to "Casa de la Cerveza", which turns out to be a deserted bar, so we have the whole dance floor to ourselves directly on the city wall.



Cooling of from day, we enjoy our final "costeña" (local beer) in a bohemian neighboorhood before finishing the day on the roof top of our hostel listening to a concert of Cuban music.


The next day, we leave on a boat to our final destination on the Caribbean: Playa blanca on the Isla Baru. It is just half on hour out of the Cartegena bay.

Although Parque Tayrona had great landscapes, the playa blanca has indeed much whiter sand and the water is much more quiet, which makes it perfect to enjoy the luke warm see.



We spend one night on playa blanca in hammocks about 10 m from the see....



We found out that fresh coconut juice mixes perfectly with Colombian Rum or Pina colada...


And as for the last week or so, the food consist of fresh fish and shrimps with patacones (fried plantain)