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Colombia - Cartagena, Minca and Tayrona National Park

Gipatik: 13.01.2019

Cartagena de Indias

This is what Christmas in Cartagena looks like. A nice change from mulled wine and Feuerzangenbowle.

This is what Christmas in Cartagena looks like. A nice change from mulled wine and Feuerzangenbowle.

Cartagena is the number one tourist destination in Colombia. The city - especially its colonial core - is beautiful and has long been a UNESCO World Heritage site. In addition, it is located right on the Caribbean coast. Accordingly, it is hot - incredibly hot - here. I move only at a snail's pace and only when absolutely necessary. The historic center is fortunately not too big. You can walk to all the main stops in the narrow streets, mostly in the shade. We stayed in the neighboring, trendy Getsemani, with its highlight being Plaza de la Trinidad. We sit there almost every evening and watch the colorful hustle and bustle. Michael Jackson, artists, magicians, dancers and many others take turns performing to earn a small donation from the local and tourist audience. We are approached every minute by street vendors who want to sell homemade food, cigarettes, beer, hats, souvenirs or sweets. Others just ask for money directly. And that was pretty annoying overall and it was the same throughout the city. A simple 'no' was not enough, 'no thanks' did not work any better. Ignoring them works to some extent, but it is exhausting, and saying that you will buy everything is also pointless. As soon as it gets dark, you are whispered 'Cocaina? ' at every corner. That annoyed me a lot. Also, all the restaurants, cafes, and juice bars want you to come to them. It wasn't that pushy even in Cusco. The city is pretty much the most impressive colonial beauty you can imagine right by the sea. But with all these tourist accompaniments, I could only enjoy it to a limited extent. In addition, we were there for Christmas and New Year, which made everything twice as expensive and crowded.

Some scenes from the city center.
Some scenes from the city center.

Our skat evening unfortunately did not take place this year! But the colleagues here were just as good! It just doesn

You can still find a Botero figure here.
You can still find a Botero figure here.
Like any city that
Like any city that's worth its salt, street art is a must here.
The colonial beauty is an exception to this.
The colonial beauty is an exception to this.



Even though not all buildings have been restored yet. But they are working on it.
Even though not all buildings have been restored yet. But they are working on it.
These Willy
These Willy's jeeps can be found all over the country. Leftovers from the war and primarily used for transporting coffee. Today they are used to drive tourists around or for street vendors.
The nocturnal lighting spans the entire square.
The nocturnal lighting spans the entire square.
Torre de Reloj.
Torre de Reloj.

The sunset from Café del Mar.
The sunset from Café del Mar.
And the view of the high-rise buildings of Bocagrande.
And the view of the high-rise buildings of Bocagrande.


The history of Cartagena, on the other hand, is very interesting. For the Spaniards, it was of great strategic importance and the most important port on the Caribbean coast for the exchange of goods between continents. The location is very favorable. With a strong wall directly on the coast, one could already defend oneself against simple attacks, at least preventing a landing. However, the adjacent bay remained a weak point, which is why the entrance to the bay was reinforced and the 'Castillo de San Felipe' fort was built on the nearby hill. Pirates, Frenchmen or Englishmen attacked over the years to capture or rob the rich and strategically important city. Gold, which was brought in from the entire continent, was always there to be taken. That is why the fort was continuously strengthened and expanded over the years until it became the largest outside of Spain. In the nicely made video during the visit to the castle, you can hear such great sentences as: 'It was only thanks to this fortress that the English did not conquer us. Otherwise, we would all be speaking English now'. Almost unimaginable! And then they would have been oppressed by the English and not still by the Spaniards. That would have been much worse of course... The fortress with all the cannons was definitely impressive.

View from the city center to the mighty fort.
View from the city center to the mighty fort.
The old town of
The old town of 'El Centro' was protected by this powerful wall, which also secures the coastal access to the city.
Some cannons are still preserved.
Some cannons are still placed on the wall. In the background is the fort.
The walls can also provide shade quite well. Coral stone is pretty stable and also looks good.
The walls can also provide shade quite well. Coral stone is pretty stable and also looks good.
The fort
The fort's walls are also made of coral stone. In the thick walls, they built a kind of buffer zone to cushion the impact of cannonballs. The sloping walls are also supposed to redirect the energy of the incoming balls in a different direction.
And this is what the fort looks like close up.
And this is what the fort looks like close up.
With its catacombs.
With its catacombs.
Today you have a magnificent view of the city. In the past, this was the strategically best place for defense.
Today you have a magnificent view of the city. In the past, this was the strategically best place for defense.


We didn't explore the beaches of Cartagena further, as we wanted to go to Tayrona National Park, where some of the most beautiful Caribbean beaches can be found. After our Christmas dinner, we set off towards Minca the next day. We returned a week later for New Year's Eve.


Minca

This small village near Santa Marta at the edge of Los Nevados National Park is the northern border of the Coffee Triangle and a popular retreat from the hot Caribbean coast. Just a few kilometers away from the coast, there are snow-covered mountains in the national park. That's quite unusual. But we don't want to go that high again. Minca itself is only at about 650 meters, our first hostel is a bit outside and even higher. It therefore has a great view of the sea and Santa Marta. The journey from Cartagena was pretty chaotic and time-consuming. We covered the last stretch with a 30-minute mototaxi ride up the mountain. But the evening was pleasantly calm, the food (a delicious goulash) was great, and it was pleasantly cool to sleep. Minca's surroundings have a lot to offer. Waterfalls and natural pools, hikes, viewpoints, mountain biking, and of course coffee farms. Since we had mostly been hanging around and indulging in good food in the past few days, we felt like going for a long hike again. So, we did. First, it went steeply uphill to the viewpoint and then slowly downhill to Minca. We had the whole day and passed the coffee farm and the natural pool with waterfall before ending the evening in another beautiful hostel in Minca.

Eva had already been there 5 years ago. At that time it was the only accommodation in town! Meanwhile, hostels and hotels can be found on every corner, and a lot of construction has been going on as well. The development is incredibly fast and a bit alarming as well. But it is still not overly touristy. Even in high season, we didn't feel like everything was overrun. Since we had already seen the main highlights on the first day of our tight schedule, we took it easy in the morning, had breakfast, and went back to Santa Marta and directly to Tayrona National Park.

The view from our first hostel.
The view from our first hostel.
The city of Santa Marta on the coast and Minca in the greenery.
The city of Santa Marta on the coast and Minca in the greenery.
The view from
The view from 'Los Pinos' offers a beautiful panorama.
We had a well-deserved break on the hike. Stay away from alcohol!
We had a well-deserved break on the hike. Stay away from alcohol!
There were a few parrots living in the next kiosk.
There were a few parrots living in the next kiosk.

This is where the view was even better with a cool drink.
This is where the view was even better with a cool drink.
And the full moon added to the view.
And the full moon added to the view.
Eva


And on January 2nd, Eva's departure was scheduled. We managed to spend almost 4 weeks together - with some ups, downs, and many discussions. I had to get used to such a fast travel pace again and to the fact that I can't make all the decisions on my own. I was glad to not be alone and that we managed to meet on another continent to travel together. Thank you very much, Eva! Some things are definitely easier and more interesting when traveling together. However, you have to be willing to accept that you are constantly being analyzed and criticized. 😉 I said goodbye to Eva at the airport with one last cocktail. Have a safe journey and see you soon! The next few days I will take it easy.


On January 2nd, Eva's departure was scheduled. We managed to spend almost 4 weeks together - with some ups, downs, and many discussions. I had to get used to such a fast travel pace again and to the fact that I can't make all the decisions on my own. I was glad to not be alone and that we managed to meet on another continent to travel together. Thank you very much, Eva! Some things are definitely easier and more interesting when traveling together. However, you have to be willing to accept that you are constantly being analyzed and criticized. 😉 I said goodbye to Eva at the airport with one last cocktail. Have a safe journey and see you soon! The next few days I will take it easy.


And on January 2nd, Eva's departure was scheduled. We managed to spend almost 4 weeks together - with some ups, downs, and many discussions. I had to get used to such a fast travel pace again and to the fact that I can't make all the decisions on my own. I was glad to not be alone and that we managed to meet on another continent to travel together. Thank you very much, Eva! Some things are definitely easier and more interesting when traveling together. However, you have to be willing to accept that you are constantly being analyzed and criticized. 😉 I said goodbye to Eva at the airport with one last cocktail. Have a safe journey and see you soon! The next few days I will take it easy.


And on January 2nd, Eva's departure was scheduled. We managed to spend almost 4 weeks together - with some ups, downs, and many discussions. I had to get used to such a fast travel pace again and to the fact that I can't make all the decisions on my own. I was glad to not be alone and that we managed to meet on another continent to travel together. Thank you very much, Eva! Some things are definitely easier and more interesting when traveling together. However, you have to be willing to accept that you are constantly being analyzed and criticized. 😉 I said goodbye to Eva at the airport with one last cocktail. Have a safe journey and see you soon! The next few days I will take it easy.


Post by 24 - Colonial Caribbean Gem Cartagena and the natural paradises around Minca and Tayrona National Park.

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#cartagena#castillo_sam_felipe#weihnachten#silvester#strand#tayrona#pueblito#minca