Colombia: Cartagena

The bus journey from Medellin to Cartagena was supposed to take 12 hours. It actually took 15 hours. And unfortunately, we didn't catch a double-decker bus on this route. Fortunately, the bus wasn't too crowded, so we each had a row to ourselves and could spread out a bit, especially good for Jörg.

On the first day, we walked around the old town on foot. We saw various famous squares and the Puerta del Reloj. The old town is really beautiful and has a lot of charm, there is still a lot of colonial architecture left, and it is also very colorful. The whole atmosphere actually reminded us a lot of Cuba.

We also visited the Palacio de la Inquisicion, a museum that deals with the Spanish conquest and the Inquisition. That was quite unsettling. When you see and read how the South American natives were literally tortured into Catholicism, you can't help but eventually have the uncomfortable thought: the IS was actually much milder. Millions of people were tortured and executed without reason, entire peoples and cultures were killed and destroyed. But back then there was no YouTube, and you didn't get to see all of that in real time, right?

By the way, Cartagena was the main hub for African slaves at the time. All ships bringing slaves from Africa to South America stopped in Cartagena. There were also many markets where slave trade was conducted. Definitely not one of the more honorable chapters, but Cartagena experienced a huge boom because of it and was a very important city.

Then we visited the Emerald Museum, which was mainly a sales room. But you could still pick up some information about emerald mining in Colombia.

In the twilight, we took a walk on the old city wall. You can almost circle the entire old town on the wall. It was really beautiful and atmospheric. For dinner, we had Lebanese food. It was a bit more expensive, but finally a welcome change from rice and chicken.

Speaking of food: For lunch (Almuerzo) in Colombia, you should always look for restaurants that offer a Menu del Dia (Menu of the Day). There you really get a lot for your money. Usually, such a menu consists of various types of meat (especially pork or chicken) or fish to choose from, rice, fried banana, soup, salad, a small dessert, and a fruit juice. And it costs 3-4 CHF. You really can't complain about that.

On the second day, we didn't do much. We slept in and then took a taxi to the Convento de la Popa. The monastery is located on a hill, from where you have a nice view of the city.

Afterward, we walked around the old town again, did some shopping, and ran a few errands before heading to Santa Marta.