Mud Volcano Tour

           Volcan El Totumo a 65-foot tall mud volcano is located about 30 minutes outside Cartagena.  A popular attraction among backpackers as well as Colombians the Volcano is believed to have skin-enhancing qualities.  Upon arrival the tour guide tells everyone to leave their baggage in the bus and to put on their bathing suits.  Most people already were prepared only wearing their bathing suits.   You walk up an interestingly built wooden staircase to get to the mud crater.  At the top of the Volcano are sweeping views of lagoons and plenty of greenery.  At the top of the Volcano is the mud crater, you pass your camera to a local villager and they take pictures for you while you bathe in the mud bath.  The mud was grey and thick.  Being engulfed in warm thick mud was an odd feeling, it’s much harder to move then one would think.  Often getting stuck in weird positions.  It felt great though and there are villagers who give you massages in the mud and then just throw your body to the next masseur as you float around the mud.  It’s impossible to sink down in the mud unless you use leverage from someone to push you down.  The mud is being pushed up from the earth and extremely thick.  After the 30-40 mins or so they allow you in the mud bath you are sent to the lagoon for a scrub.  You have the option to wash yourself or have a local village woman scrub you.  I decided I was capable of washing myself and just did a few dives into the warm lagoon and the mud was gone.   I definitely liked the mud bath; it was a new experience and only cost $15. 

Playa Blanca

            Playa Blanca is a gorgeous, isolated Caribbean beach located on Baru Island.  Playa Blanca is only a short 35 min trip by speedboat or 2 hours by regular boat from Cartagena de Indias.  With its white sand and warm crystal clear water Playa Blanca is one of the best beaches in Colombia.  The beach is around 2 miles long lacking strong tides or currents.  There is no electricity or running water on the island.  There are day trips to the island or you can choose to sleep overnight which is what we did.  There are obviously no hotels on the island so you sleep in hammocks covered with a mosquito net, which still didn’t seem to save Chris from being raped my mosquitos.  The ride over to Playa Blanca is choppy and fun if you don’t get seasick its like being on a rollercoaster for 35 min straight.  Upon arrival to the island we walked up and down trying to find the best deal to rent a hammock.  This took a good 30 mins as Alicia likes to barter and was determined to find the best deal.  One guy told us $8,000COP and that seemed to be the best deal until we found a guy for $4,000, our original guy tried to run up and stop the deal and tell him not to offer lower because he was trying to rip us off.  There were 3 other Brits and a Dutch girl staying at the place we found.  Making it a total of 7 Brits and as always me the lone American. 

 We had a good time with our newly made friends Guy, Danya, Harriet and Sarah, blasting dubstep, playing card games and just relaxing at the beach.  I learned a new card game called Pirate, which is pretty fun except I kept getting killed off really early.   The sun sets around 7 and then the partying was done by moonlight/candlelight, which was a nice change.  At around 9pm everyone decided it was time for a night swim, which just meant the requisite skinny-dipping experience in the warm Caribbean water.  I guess there was a lot of plankton out that night because with every stroke or kick your body glowed blue/green.  It was pretty awesome like you were creating light in the water.  Sleeping in a hammock was not as bad as I thought it would be.  It was weird being covered by a mosquito net though, but it’s better than being covered in itchy bites for the next three weeks.  The pick up boats came at 4pm the next day and the island experience was over.  Covered from head to toe in sand and needing a proper shower I was happy to get back to running water.  Playa Blanca was definitely worth no electricity or running water, two days on an isolated island for $30 is a steal.

Media Luna Hostel

             Located in Getsemani the oldest neighborhood in Cartagena de Indias, Media Luna is a beautifully restored old colonial house turned hostel.  Three stories, three bars, a restaurant, swimming pool, and 160 places to sleep there is nothing small about this place.  Clearly one of the most popular hostels in Cartagena de Indias this place has been packed everyday since I got here a week ago.  Walking distance to all the main attractions of the city and surrounded by cheap eateries and bars the only downfall of this hostel would be there is no air conditioning.  Cartagena is a humid city and it’s been 90 degrees everyday except one day when it rained.  Every room is equipped with fans but sometimes that just doesn’t cut it.  I have been able to sleep fine but other people can’t handle it.  There are plenty of parties thrown by the hostel, hired dj’s and amazing night views from the third floor terrace.  The first floor restaurant is really good and has a lot of options.  I have gotten my fair share of omelets made each morning.  I would definitely recommend this hostel to any traveler.  

Cartagena De Indias (The Architectural Gem of the Americas)

                     Cartagena a Unesco World Heritage site and currently ranked #5 on things to see by lonelyplanet.com is a mix of old and new.   A majestic colonial architectural wonder best describes the old city fortified by a 500 hundred-year-old coral stone fort.  Almost fully intact the walled city boast cobblestone streets, grand terraces and balconies, as well as towering grandiose churches.   Cartagena one of the first sanctuaries of freed African slaves in the Americas has a huge ethnic mix of people that showcases the broad range of ethnic diversity in Colombia.  Cartagena is on the northern coast of Colombia and is the most visited city in the country by tourists.  It’s port boast many international and domestic cruise ships.  Cartagena is truly a city of beauty with its old walled colonial town, mixed with the modernistic Bocagrande with its towering high-rises and posh structures mimicking most closely to South Beach, Miami.  The climate in Cartagena is most definitely hot anywhere from (80-100F) year round with humidity similar to Atlanta during summer, but at least there are beaches to bring a nice breeze unlike ATL.  Fresh cheap seafood and sunny weather make this a must see for any traveler.  By far the prettiest city I have ever traveled to and this is around my 200^th city in over 20 countries.