After about 5 days in Bogota we left for a city in the north on the Colombian Atlantic co
ast called CARTAGENA. Cartagena is the first city founded by the Spanish and has all the old Spanish architecture of the time. For those in Tasmania it’s the Battery point or Richmond of Colombia. The narrow streets of the time still exist as well as the high balcony Spanish influenced architected houses of the time and all the stone walls and guard houses and palaces that were constructed to protect the city intact with cannons and all. The French came and destroyed some of the old city but those parts were constructed again alongside the original buildings etc. Simon Bolivar who liberated Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador from the Spanish liberated cartagena first and then the rest of Colombia followed (that’s why the flags of Colombia Venezuela and Ecuador have the same colours – yellow – blue – and red. In the middle of the old city there is a square dedicated to Bolivar where all the retired people go to contemplate life and especially the old men who go there and play dominos! :-)
The last full day we had there we went to the islands of ROSARIO which are about an hour by
boat out of the Cartagena coast where they take you to do snorkeling and there is also an aquarium where they have Dolphin, Whale, and Shark shows. We didn’t go to the aquarium but instead went exploring around where the locals live on the island we went to. The typical towns of the Colombian Atlantic coast are so sweet. And the small towns and the people there are so sweet. You don’t see it so much in Cartagena but more in the small towns around it and in the atlantic islands like where we were.
Colombia has both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the country is reflected in these contrasts from snow to Equatorial heat, from the Andes to the beaches. Colombia is the only country to have the 3 Andes ranges - the eastern, central and western ranges. In Colombia the Andes branch into 3 ranges and all three are nevadas – points of continuous snow all the time forever. Colombia and Colombians are characterized by these contrasts and it is what makes the country so beautiful and the people so amazing.
As an end note to Cartagena – if you are on vacation in Cartagena be prepared to be annoyed every 30 seconds at the very least by people annoying you to sell sunglass
es, necklaces and other handcrafts, Coconut oil natural sun tanning lotion (some make it with grated carrot in the oil as well), people trying to get you to go check out other hotels for next time you are there, fruit, beer, soft drinks, water, massages, rasta plaits/ braids, icecream, icy poles, seafood in buckets ARGHHHH!!!! And if you say no, they put the necklaces or whatever in your hand to let you know how much you actually do want to buy it, and if you give it back they give you another one and aftert that if you still don’t show interest they make conversation with you or make you feel bad for not buying them because their children will go hungry or because they have been there all day in the hot sun etc etc. the ones that make conversation become your friends so then you feel more inclined to find something to buy. And then there are the ones who do neither they just annoy you until you buy something to make 
them go away!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh, THIS IS COLOMBIA!!!! I mean how boring is it in Australia to be on the beach sun bathing and no one annoying you!!!!! Heheheehehe!!!! Sometimes these things are annoying but the good thing is that if you are wanting to practice Spanish there is an abundance of people willing to talk to you – and then convince you to buy something!!! There are also lots of places that make tshirts with whatever you want written on them so Paulo and I have the idea for next time to make a couple for us with “DON’T ASK BECAUSE I WONT BUY ANYTHING AND DON’T WANT TO BUY ANYTHING” or something like that on it!!!!! The best tactic is to cover your head and sun bake so when they come you cant see them so they move on and you get a wicked tan at the same time!!!!
On the 16th we left Cartagena for SAN ANDRES, an island north west of Cartagena City still in the atlantic, but part of the Caribbean. i´ll send that next time so you all dont go cross eyed!!!
ast called CARTAGENA. Cartagena is the first city founded by the Spanish and has all the old Spanish architecture of the time. For those in Tasmania it’s the Battery point or Richmond of Colombia. The narrow streets of the time still exist as well as the high balcony Spanish influenced architected houses of the time and all the stone walls and guard houses and palaces that were constructed to protect the city intact with cannons and all. The French came and destroyed some of the old city but those parts were constructed again alongside the original buildings etc. Simon Bolivar who liberated Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador from the Spanish liberated cartagena first and then the rest of Colombia followed (that’s why the flags of Colombia Venezuela and Ecuador have the same colours – yellow – blue – and red. In the middle of the old city there is a square dedicated to Bolivar where all the retired people go to contemplate life and especially the old men who go there and play dominos! :-)The last full day we had there we went to the islands of ROSARIO which are about an hour by
boat out of the Cartagena coast where they take you to do snorkeling and there is also an aquarium where they have Dolphin, Whale, and Shark shows. We didn’t go to the aquarium but instead went exploring around where the locals live on the island we went to. The typical towns of the Colombian Atlantic coast are so sweet. And the small towns and the people there are so sweet. You don’t see it so much in Cartagena but more in the small towns around it and in the atlantic islands like where we were.
Colombia has both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the country is reflected in these contrasts from snow to Equatorial heat, from the Andes to the beaches. Colombia is the only country to have the 3 Andes ranges - the eastern, central and western ranges. In Colombia the Andes branch into 3 ranges and all three are nevadas – points of continuous snow all the time forever. Colombia and Colombians are characterized by these contrasts and it is what makes the country so beautiful and the people so amazing.As an end note to Cartagena – if you are on vacation in Cartagena be prepared to be annoyed every 30 seconds at the very least by people annoying you to sell sunglass
es, necklaces and other handcrafts, Coconut oil natural sun tanning lotion (some make it with grated carrot in the oil as well), people trying to get you to go check out other hotels for next time you are there, fruit, beer, soft drinks, water, massages, rasta plaits/ braids, icecream, icy poles, seafood in buckets ARGHHHH!!!! And if you say no, they put the necklaces or whatever in your hand to let you know how much you actually do want to buy it, and if you give it back they give you another one and aftert that if you still don’t show interest they make conversation with you or make you feel bad for not buying them because their children will go hungry or because they have been there all day in the hot sun etc etc. the ones that make conversation become your friends so then you feel more inclined to find something to buy. And then there are the ones who do neither they just annoy you until you buy something to make 
them go away!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh, THIS IS COLOMBIA!!!! I mean how boring is it in Australia to be on the beach sun bathing and no one annoying you!!!!! Heheheehehe!!!! Sometimes these things are annoying but the good thing is that if you are wanting to practice Spanish there is an abundance of people willing to talk to you – and then convince you to buy something!!! There are also lots of places that make tshirts with whatever you want written on them so Paulo and I have the idea for next time to make a couple for us with “DON’T ASK BECAUSE I WONT BUY ANYTHING AND DON’T WANT TO BUY ANYTHING” or something like that on it!!!!! The best tactic is to cover your head and sun bake so when they come you cant see them so they move on and you get a wicked tan at the same time!!!!On the 16th we left Cartagena for SAN ANDRES, an island north west of Cartagena City still in the atlantic, but part of the Caribbean. i´ll send that next time so you all dont go cross eyed!!!
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