I took the bus from Guachaca to Cartagena via Santa Marta, about a five-hour trip along a two-lane coastal highway. The bus wasn’t comfortable and the scenery wasn’t great, so I was glad when I arrived in Cartagena. I took a taxi from the bus terminal to my small hotel within the walls of the old city. Cartagena’s old city consists of the inner historical districts of El Centro and San Diego and an outer walled town, Getsemaní. The inner districts are more elegant and expensive, with more affluent tourists. I stayed in Getsemaní which is more bohemian, catering to a younger crowd. I stayed at Posada La Fe, located on a quiet narrow side street. My room was very comfortable and I enjoyed the tiny swimming pool on the roof terrace and the nice breakfast served each morning by cheerful staff. I enjoyed walking around the old city, impressed by its thick fortress walls, the colonial architecture, the small plazas and the city’s history, especially the epic naval battles that took place in the bay beyond the walls. These naval battles are documented by excruciating detailed, minute-by-minute timelines (in Spanish) at the Museo Naval de Caribe. You can tell […]