A short ride from Baranquilla, only about 2 hours on a wonderful highway, and we have arrived in Cartagena. At the hotel, check-in isn’t until 3pm but they take our bags off of us so we don’t have to worry about them.
Waiting for checkin, we cruise around the walled city portion of Cartagena. Originally a Spanish port in the Colonial times, the city built a wall to keep the pirates at bay. Today, the walled area of the city is a tourist mecca, with cobblestoned streets packed with tourists and lined with old Spanish Colonial buildings.
After coffee at a Juan Veldez coffee shop, we return to the hotel and complete our checkin before wandering around the streets a little more. The temperature is about 5 degrees lower than usual so it is quite pleasant out.
In one area I see a street vendor with a small pot on the street, burning wood in it while the smoke rises. As many women walk by they stop and stand over it, legs spread, and brush the smoke with their hands into their crotch, then walk away. I’m really not sure what this was all about, but I wasn’t going to go ask anyone about it.
As darkness falls the temperature reaches that perfect level. The streets, once packed with vendors, empty out in some areas and refill where the restaurants are. Chris and I go back to a square where the Panamerican trip guys had frequented and sit for dinner. A nicely treed square with restaurant seating on the sidewalk, as we eat we have different street performers come past to display their talents. Basically, they perform and then walk the crowd with a hat, collecting from those who enjoyed the performance. Once they are done, another arrives. I am sure it must be organized in some way because they are very efficient. One of the nicest ways to have dinner.
We end the evening walking the streets a little more, people watching and enjoying the vibe of the city.
Colombia Motorcycle Ride 