CARTAGENA DE LOS INDIOS
Cartagena is one of the most important and surely the biggest colonial city in Colombia.
On the first of February we had to say goodbye to our friend Dani, who flew back home.
We took the four hour bus to Cartagena and finally left Taganga behind.
Cartagena has a really beautiful and super clean old town where we enjoyed sightseeing and wandering around. But living in this part of town is totally overpriced as it is a major tourist attraction in Colombia.
After two days we were saturated of the big city life and headed off by boat to Playa Blanca. As the name says it is a classical beach with white, fine sand. It looks like an advertisement picture of a travel agencie. We wanted to escape the daytrippers and stayed overnight, sleeping in hammocks just by the water and eating fresh fish cooked by our lovely host Jose.
What else?
MOMPOX
Our first stop on the way South, Mompox is not the easiest way to reach. Bus, boat and taxi that is what you need to arrive in this hot, charming town at the banks of the mighty Magdalena river. There is not much to do, but we ended up staying four days because of the laid back athmosphere and its charme. Fourty degrees during the day forces the always smiling inhabitantes to take life slowly and relax in the famous Momposian rocking chairs.
In the evenings as the air cooled down to 29° or so, the main plaza is the place where the whole town gathers around the many foodstalls. The fairly cheap food allows them to also it out once in a while.
Trying all the different meals, such as Salchipapas, Pollo a la Plancha con Yucca, Butifarras, Perros calientes, Hamburguesas and Pizzas, drinking juices and local beers, chatting with fellow travellers and locals, turned out as our daily ritual in the evenings...
MEDELLIN
Famous throughout the world because of Pablo Escobar and his drug cartel.
Going further south we had to pass through this big and modern city.
On the first day we took advantage of the unique and very handy Metro whichlead us to some of the sights, as the botanical gardens and the recently built caple car connecting some outskirts with the city center.
Also we hanged around the Plaza Botero, home to more than twenty of Botero's sculptures. Botero ist Colombias most recognized painter and sculptor with an unique style - characterized by the abnormal fatness of his figures.
In the evenings wearing sweaters, long pants and sneakers, we enjoyed italian and mexican food inclusive a glass of vino tinto in Medellin's upperclass zone, the Zona Rosa.
We also have to mention that we found a real french baguette and prepared some delicious sandwiches for lunch...well, food is indeed very important and we could write a huge enty about this topic :-)
PS @ Dani: Sorry das mir kes Foeteli choei poste vo naette Silicones, hesch nid viu voerpasst, aes het fasch keni ume gha...
MANIZALES
Manizales is one of the three gateways to the Zona Cafetera.
We did not expect too much of the town itself but it turned out very funny because of Juan, an emloyee of the hostel, and his freaky friends. Most of them are Art and Design students at the uni and are "taging" and "graffiting" all over the town, they took us to a nice little lookout to watch the sunset and to a local Salsa bar. We also got to know how 20 to 24 year old students go out on a low budget: Botellones!
The first night we cooked some delicious veggie-ratatouille for some of them. They were very impressed about our preparation and loved it.
The second evening they introduced us to a local dish called Aborrajado, which is Plantain-patties filled with cheese and bocadillo, a sweet fruity gelee, covered in a dough and fried in a pan. Tambien muy delicioso pero con mucha grasa.
We also got to know a part of the amazing nature around Manizales...there are lots of green hills and it reminded us of the Swiss Emmental. We visited a natural park where we saw a garden with medical plants, a butterfly farm and finally an amazing forest full of beautiful orchids...Fabi was going crazy !
No comments:
Post a Comment