Looks like Cartagena is a viable stop for a round the world sailing circumnavigation!

Cartagena waterfront

Old colonial theater in Getsemani, outside the Old City

La Vitriola, probably the best known restaurant in the old city, located inside a 400 year old colonial mansion. One of the chefs appears to be taking a break in the window. I enjoyed a splurge on a lovely dinner and wine here.

Cartagena is known for fusion Creole-Caribbean cuisine,with La Vitriola among the best. This is Red Snapper in Diablo sauce served with the Colombian staple of rice in coconut milk. The main course was good, but the starter of Grouper Carpaccio was best

Balconies by Night

All taxis and buses in Colombia have been configured to run on natural gas. "Gazel" stations are everywhere, making refueling clean, quick, cheap, and efficient. Sorta makes you go "hhhhmmmmm....who is the third world country?"

I left Cartagena for Santa Marta on the coast, once again by bus, this time only four hours away. Tropical fruit stands are plentiful, offering slices of watermelon, mango with salt and lime, or slices of fresh pineapple.

The road from Cartagena to Santa Marta goes through Barranquilla. On the second leg between Barranquilla and Santa Marta, the road runs right along the beach, making for another scenic ride!

Banana stands don't just sell bananas, they sell the entire stalk!

This is what an $8 US hotel room looks like in Santa Marta. No aircon, but it had a ceiling fan that ran at a speed of 100 mph!

I have a private bathroom -- clean, but no hot water. After walking around in the Santa Marta heat, I realized the proprietor must have thought I was nuts when I said I wanted a room with "agua caliente!"