Wading through Sewers, Cleaning up in the Mud...

After our awesome trek through the jungles of the Sierre Nevada mountains, our next stop was the beautiful colonial coastal city of Cartagena. We traveled there with the Australian couple, Dan and Michelle, the British Doctor (Niall), and Olga, a 22 year old from Poland. We booked into the chique backpacker's hostel Media Luna, full of like-aged travels more interested in partying and hooking up than the beautiful city that surrounded them.

We decided to join forces with Olga for the next couple days, and started off our joint efforts with a home-made meal that evening. Olga is very health-conscious, and helped us out in that regard. We had whole-grain rice with lentils, tomatoes, onion, muchrooms, and bell pepper in a tomato sauce, with fresh avocado on the side. The hostel provided the awesome kitchen. For breakfast we bought yogurt and granola, along with some fresh mango. Fresh fruits and vegetables are so accessible here (and so delicious) it would be a shame to miss them.

The faucets in the bathroom

Our first day we devoted to the cobble-stoned streets of the old town, founded in 1533, and fortified by a massive wall to protect it from continual pirate attacks. On our way we walked through a city park filled with parrots, monkeys hanging in the trees, and fearless iguanas patrolling the paths.

 
We also visited the Castillo of San Felipe de Barajas, a huge castle built to protect the city. Long story short, it was defeated by the French, but managed to hold off the British. Apparently, their strategy for defense was to hold out as long as possible in hopes that the enemy would contract malaria, yellow fever and other diseases from mosquitoes that infested the surrounding swamp. If that failed, or didn't work fast enough (which it didn't) they would escape through a number of underground passageways to safety.

Admittedly, the most fun we had at the fort was with the underground passageways. Not all of which were lit, and not all of which were dry. As the city has sunk, the passage ways have become flooded. We ventured as far as our knees, using the 'play' feature of the camera as our only means of light.

That night we went out for a last hooray with Dan, Niall and Michelle, spending the night debating the accuracy of images vs. what we really see (with our eyes), and getting piss drunk.

Night out on the town with Aussie friends Dan & Michelle, Niall and Olga.

The next day we drove out to a mud volcano.... Somehow, this natural volcano came to being, and now tourists line up to take a dip.

View of road from atop the volcano.

During your soak, you can get a massage from the attendants.

It was a bit too touristy for our liking, but it was still worth it, nonetheless. Experiencing weightlessness was pretty cool, and apparently it was good for our skin too!

Where's Waldo? Can you see Olga, Abra and me?

Abra and Olga slowly coming down from the mud pool.

After posing as claymen for the cameraman, we went down to the lake to wash off. Then it was back on the bus, back to the hostel, and on an overnight to Medellin.

More soon!

Posted by Hans