A group of 27 islands, known as Islas del Roasario, lies an hour's boat ride from Cartagena. We went on a day trip to Isla del Sol, which has a very tropical feel to it. There were lots of activities on offer, such as snorkelling, scuba diving, and kayaking through the mangrove swamps. We settled for some time on the beach and in the brightly colored hammocks swinging beneath the thatch.
At midday we caught the boat to a nearby island, home to the Oceanio, a rustic aquarium. There were boardwalks that extended into the ocean and the areas in between held the sea life. There was a small variety of sea animals, but the aquarium staff induced feeding frenzies to please the crowds. The highlight of the trip was Vanessa climbing into the shark enclosure to pet a shark!
After the aquarium we returned to the Isla del Sol for a buffet lunch with traditional grilled king mackeral and lots of starch - potatoes, plantains and yuca - washed down with some very strong Colombian coffee. We ended the day back on the beach, listening to the waves lapping against the shore and trying to remedy our pale Alaskan complexions.
We were invited to our friends' wedding in Bogota, Colombia, so we flew down a few days early to travel around the country. Our first stop was Cartagena, a city on the north coast of Colombia. Our guidebook described the Old Town of Cartagena as the "Venice of South America", with rambling streets lined with bougainvillea-covered balconies. This statement is almost accurate, but Lonely Planet fails to mention the crazy, almost Indian-like traffic that swarms these idyllic streets. There are moments of calm to be found in the leafy plazas around the city, which we experienced on a Sunday afternoon.
Cartagena boasts many museums and cathedrals and we paid visits to the Palace de Inquisicion and the Convent de San Pedro. The Palace de Inquisicion displayed some interesting torture instruments, and eerie scenes of death set in a beautiful courtyard.
The Convent was founded by Jesuit monks in the 17th century. One of these monks, Pedro Claver, dedicated his life to ministering to the slaves brought over from Africa, He was known as the "Apostle of the Blacks" or the "Slave of Slaves", and he was the first person to be canonized in the New World in 1888. He was honored in death with his glass coffin placed in the altar of the church, his skull visible to the congregation.
We wandered through the labyrinth of streets, past the vendors selling fresh fruits and arepas, to the fort wall which surrounds the city. Along these walls are canons and watch towers, while dungeons lie below. We eventually found the ubiquitous Cafe del Mar, where we enjoyed some cold sangria while watching the sunset over the sea. Just beautiful!
