Rosario Islands

The city of Cartagena sits right on the Caribbean coast, however, the beaches in the actual city leave one with much to be desired.

Boca Grande is the biggest beach in Cartagena. It is often compared to Miami Beach for the juxtaposition of a beach next to white condo high-rises.

Well, we ventured to Boca Grande, and let’s just say that it was pretty disappointing. After living in Miami for two years, I can assure you its beach is far superior to Boca Grande.

For one, as soon as our feet hit the sand, we were approached by vendors selling everything from drugs to ceviche. When I go to the beach I prefer not to have to say “No, gracias,” every 3 minutes.

A second reason we were unimpressed was the beach was dirty. The sand felt dirty, and it was littered in places with cigarette butts and trash.

It was nice to spend the morning in the ocean, but we both left feeling kind of icky.

Since our beach day wasn't exactly what we were expecting, we decided to make a day trip to the Rosario Islands to relax on the famous white sand beach of Playa Blanca.

On Saturday morning, we walked to the marina and bought tickets for a boat. We didn't actually leave the harbor until about 30 minutes after we were slated to leave. Not really surprising. After all, we are in Latin America, and nothing starts right on time.

We're ready to go... but the boat isn't.

The part we weren't expecting, however, was that we were on a broken boat. Well not exactly broken, but one of the motors wasn't working. We spent the first 40 minutes cruising at a snail’s pace, while other boats sped by.

Finally, a captain from another boat tossed a wrench aboard, and a few whacks of the motor later, we were speeding out of the city. Ah, the powers of Colombian engineering!

As we approached the beach, I could tell it was't just another Boca Grande. No, this beach was beautiful. White sand, clear turquoise water, palm trees swaying in the wind, and thatched roof huts lining the beach.

But then I spotted the vendors. Damn, I thought we left those at Boca Grande!

As soon as I jumped off the boat, I was surrounded by a swarm of vendors trying to sell me every service available. One older man shoved an oyster in my hand, cracked it open and squeezed a lime over it. “Probar este, gratis!” Try it, free!

*Note: We heard from someone later that they tried the supposedly “free” oyster, then was charged 5 thousand pesos (enough for a decent meal).

At the same time I had an oyster in hand, a woman squirted a glob of lotion on my shoulders and started rubbing them. “Masaje, señorita!”

Yet another man tried to put a pearl bracelet around my wrist.

Ben was climbing out of the boat when he lost a sandal. Imagine his surprise when, after finding his shoe and heading to shore, he saw me surrounded from all sides by locals! I was frozen, unsure of what to do, so it was a relief when Ben grabbed my hand and led me away.

Though we did wave of vendors most of the day, we eventually fell victim to massages. They felt amazing, but we had to tell the women to stop after about 20 minutes. They kept telling us we were “so tense because in America we work too much”, and they wanted to charge us more money. No way, José!

After playing in the turquoise water and relaxing on the sand, we enjoyed fresh fish for lunch, followed by jugo de maracuyá con leche (passion fruit juice) made right in front of us. Talk about paradise.

By the early afternoon, we were pretty exhausted, sunburned, and ready to take a cold shower. (I have never enjoyed cold showers until staying in Cartagena!)

Although the boat ride to the beach was a bit crazy with the motor not working and all, the ride back was INSANE. No exaggeration.

The afternoon brought choppy winds, and the waves around us rose two or three meters. But that didn't slow the captain down. People were crying and getting sick around us, waves were splashing on board.

With each wave, the boat would fly up in the air and smack back down sideways, making everyone clutch their seat. Well, there were two seats onboard without backs, and guess who was sitting on them? That’s right, Ben and me.

I don’t get seasick and I’m not afraid of fast boat rides, but there were a handful of times I seriously thought we wouldn't make it back.

About halfway back the waves were much calmer, making for a much more pleasant ride. Since we weren't clutching onto anything we could find and fearing for our lives anymore, we were able to focus on other things – like how badly we got sunburned! Ouch!

More pictures from Playa Grande:

 

Ben attempting to body surf

Fresh and delicious juice

View from lunch

So. Good.

Volcan Totumo

Can you recognize those muddy people?!

A busload of tourists + a volcano filled with mud = a rather interesting and surprisingly fun experience!

Even before arriving in Colombia we had heard lots about this “mud volcano”, and decided that it was worth a visit.

Friday morning, we boarded a bus with other foreigners and locals alike, all excited for the experience that lay ahead.

After an hour drive, we arrived at El Totumo.

No, this volcano is not spewing with hot lava or seeping smoke, but rather, it is a 50 foot mound filled in the core with yep, you guessed it – mud!

Legend has it that Totumo used to spew fire and lava, but a priest who believed it was the work of the devil sprinkled it with holy water, turning it into the muddy attraction that it is today.

We climbed to the top and looked down into the muddy pit, crawling with giggling mud-covered people I can only describe as “creatures”. One man in our group compared the scene to watching catfish flop around in a watering hole. A pretty good description, I’d say.

Once it was our turn, we climbed down the ladder into the crowded, gooey, muddy pit and discovered what all the laughter was about.

My last clean moment

We were immediately greeted by a local man who slid us across – yes, we skidded across the mud on our backs – to other men who proceeded to give us “massages”. I thought it was rather relaxing, but Ben felt a bit uncomfortable as the man rubbed his stomach and upper thighs. All this time, another man above the mud pit snapped a dozen pictures of the awkward massages with our camera.

Ben is enjoying his "massage"

After our massages, we were passed to the other side of the pit where we could play and laugh with the others.

Though the people in the pit were of all ages, speaking several different languages, from different walks of life – we were the same once we were immersed in the pit. Giggling, splashing, floating, and covered in mud!

Our guide told us that the mud supposedly has “healing and therapeutic properties”, but I’m not convinced. My skin didn't really feel rejuvenated after immersing in the mud, but the weightless feeling of floating on top of the dense mud was unlike anything I've ever experienced.

After splashing and floating to our hearts’ desire, we climbed out of the pit on a slippery ladder and made our way to a lagoon where local women were waiting to wash us. Now this was also quite the experience.

The woman who approached us took a bucket of water and threw it over my head, and repeated this for some time – digging her fingers in my ears and nose to clear out the mud. Next, she… well, I’m not going to describe it in detail, but let’s just say my swimsuit was nearly removed and she scrubbed enough to get me clean. I couldn't help but laugh as I watched her do the same to Ben.

We were informed before reaching the volcano that the people who provided services – such as photo-taking, massage-giving, and mud-cleaning – were from an impoverished town nearby, so it was customary to tip for their “services”.

After tipping to locals, the group headed to a beautiful restaurant on the beach. We swam in the ocean while our food was being prepared, then enjoyed the traditional Colombian meal of rice, salad, plátanos (smashed, fried plantains), and chicken or fish.

Eating an amazingly fresh and delicious meal while watching the waves roll in was the perfect way to conclude our mud volcano experience.

Castillo San Felipe

During one our first days in Cartagena, we visited Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. We learned on our audio tour that the construction of this fortress started in 1536, but it was very advanced for its time. The fort was designed so that if it was attacked by the enemy, the Colombian soldiers could still defeat them from within. This impressive structure was attacked on several occasions, but never conquered.

The Cartagena heat was magnified as we explored the castle made of stone, so walking down into the maze of underground tunnels was a much-needed break from the sun, as well as one of the most interesting features.

The old right next to the new

The maze of tunnels was fascinating

Cartagena

As we sit in the airport, ready to leave Cartagena, we can’t help but be a little bummed we have to leave this beautiful city. Our time here has been amazing, and we have truly fallen in love with this city of brightly colored buildings, delicious food, and amazingly kind people who have so much pride for their home.

Our week in Cartagena by the numbers:

5 days of Spanish lessons

1 castle explored

5 different tropical juices drank

1 mud volcano bathed in

3 beaches visited

1 dress bought at a supermarket

2 “routine” pat downs by the police

1 massage on the beach

4 days of sunburns

2 hostels slept in

Many cervesas drank, countless pictures taken, muchos Spanish phrases learned, far more arepas than a human should eat were consumed, lots of travelers met, and one unforgettable city explored.

Fresh fruit is sold on the streets everywhere!

Feeling tired? Don't worry - you can purchase delicious Colombian coffee from one of many street vendors. It is usually sold with lots of sugar in a tiny shot glass sized cup for about 25 cents. Perfect pick-me-up!

In Cartagena, you can find juice stands on just about every street selling the most incredible juice I have ever tasted! My favorite? Lulo con leche. In.Fricken.Credible.

No wonder the juice stand was crowded!

Coconut cookies and other sweets.

Daniel, our Spanish teacher

Our first hostel.

Second hostel

One of the main squares at night

Traditional Colombian dancers