Given Colombia’s reputation, we were interested to see for ourselves what this country was really about. We arrived in the port after 36 hours of straight motoring across the open ocean. We were exhausted and ready to be on dry land.

As we had been sick for over three weeks, Cartagena really turned into a rest stop for us. The heat was oppressive so we took the time to lay low and stay inside! Our accommodation was in the heart of a Cartagenan local community. The nearby central plaza came to life every evening with locals sitting, eating, drinking beer from the hole in the wall sellers and watching street performers. The surrounding walls covered in street art, the houses covered in colourful paint and Bougainvillea draping over balconies. Both nights we sat in the plaza, watching the community and everyday life pass by. Pizza the main food available and if you’re lucky a street food barbecue. We found a fab little place called "Beer and Laundry" where a delightful lady not only did our washing and fed us pizza but called her GP friend to help us sort out our antibiotic conundrum. She was a genuinely kind lady, refreshing!

We managed to attend a free walking tour and enjoyed being toured around the tall, fort like walls. Interestingly a lot of the original giant timber doors and door handles still remained intact. The door handles shaped as hands, mermaids, anchors, lions, lizards, owls and many more were said to represent the origin of the family that lived beyond. We also managed a visit to the Palace of Inquisition Museum which opened our eyes to the torturous practises of the Inquisition counsel who punished Heretics for ‘crimes’ of magic, witchcraft and blasphemy many years before.

In the end… A pretty, port side town, with rich history which we sadly barely discovered!