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Other entries in Cartagena

Cartagena

After constant partying and city living we decided to head up north to the Carribean coastline to soak up some much needed sun rays and chill out. I am still only half way through the Da Vinci code after 4 months and little Joey is becoming impacient for it back :)

I managed to get in contact with Adam, and agreed to meet him there as he had been based nearby doing some diving since we parted company in Argentina.  Cartagena itself is a beutiful old colonial city, and it really did bring back memories of how I remebered S.America. There were street vendors on every corner, dodgy little restaurants, and unfortunately vast poverty.

We booked into the cheapest hotel, after having our weekly conversation on how we are getting through money too quick. The price was a true reflection on the location 'Worse street in Cartagena, so a local reckoned' but I cant say I had any complaints.

One thing that gripped me about the Colombians is that they are so welcoming, and truly grateful we had taken the time out to come and see the place, given the bad press they constantly receive worldwide on a daily basis. The first little Colombain character that we met was El Jimmy Business, now take a wild guess what his business was! Thats right just as you would have thought he pumped out the bolivian marching powder day and night.

His sales pitch left a lot to be desired, aparently he 'Knew what we wanted man'. I was extremely impressed with his english, as he was virtually fluent. His had gained this skill whislt residing at a Miami state penitetiary for a number of years before being deported back. To be honest half of the street had done a stint in Miami at some point.

Before we knew it the three of us were on first term names with every prostitute and drug dealer in the area, who were always at 'la orden'. It's ironic that I was supposedly in one of the most dangerous countries in the world, yet striking up these bizzare relationships is possible without all the associated dangers you would enconter back home. 

Although the restarants were basic, they were cheap as chips, and the food was real good, one of the funiest recolections I have of the place is munching through my daily serving of fish and patakones, when sudenly I heard a drilling sound, much to my amazement, one side of the gaff had been converted into a make shift dentist. A mere three meters from me some guy was having some work done with tools fit for a building site. Now people lets never moan about NHS waiting lists again!

The three of us went to the Volcan del Totumo for the day, which supposedly cleanses and detoxes the body of toxins with its purifying mud, which I figured I needed after our big stint on agua ardiente in Medellin. (The truth be known I hated the stuff, but were were too tight to splash out on vodka, so stuck to the local paint stripper solution.)

The weekend soon came round, and we all went out to celebrate Joes birthday, it became very hard work trying not to find a none whore related establishment. Eventually we did, and we 'danced' the night away to salsa, and my new found favourite music Regeton!!!!!!

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