Rain in Cartagena

The last day, Cartagena decided to show me how sad it is that I am leaving:)

*All pics by Isa

Despedida

The last days... Wednesday, we decided to pay Cafe del Mar a last visit. The weather didn't look great, but we got table inside before it started raining. Mari and Alvaro joined in. The first (and last) drink I ordered was a gin tonic. When the drink arrived, I thought it was a joke. The glass contains only gin, the bottle of tonic is still closed:

Well, I asked for another glass and made 2 drinks out of it. ^^ The weather wasn't playing nice at all:

But we had this cosy table inside:

*All pics by Isa

Mila

For the last week, I had a pretty tight time-line. So many things to experience, to get sorted out and so little time. One project was to have some sweets at Mila. Mila is the only really great bakery in Cartagena. Tuesday, the schedule said that after doing boring stuff, we deserved a cake.

*Next pics all by Isa:

Last weekend on THE island

After the Market boat experience, I was totally into going back to the island with a decent way of traveling. So, for the last weekend in Cartagena this year, we couldn't think of a better idea then spending it on the island. Alvaro was totally into it and Mauro decided to join as well. Saturday morning, we all made it to the beautiful and fancy (still thinking about the market) Bodeguita and got on the Alcatraz Cocoliso, the biggest boat they have.

Thankfully, they even had something better then a life jacket in case of emergency:

We checked in at the beloved Cocoliso and headed straight to Las Palmeras for a great lunch and some beach time.

Then, we got back to the Cocoliso for the serious stuff:

This is when we started to loose part of the team: Isa had been sick for a few days already and her stomach didn't agree with the Cocoloco. Mauro got VERY tired, so, two were down for the count, first resting at the pool and then giving in and going for a real siesta.

Alvaro and I kept the barman entertained until Mauro made a comeback for dinner. It was full moon and we decided to go on a kayak adventure in the beautiful mangroves. Our guides picked us up and after going into the first laguna, we heard really loud music. They explained that this was the villages sound system... and that it would be a five minutes walk from the second laguna. Passing through the mangroves tunnels was incredible and with the moonlight, we could see more then enough. We made it to the village and the sound system was indeed powerful enough that you can hear it EVERYWHERE on the island :)

On the way back, I had to jump in the water as soon as we reached the open sea, the water was warm and so appealing... but I discovered that you can't beat a kayak swimming^^

Around midnight, we called it a night and I thought I would get some rest and go snorkeling early in the morning... Well, that didn't happen. I woke up because I saw some bright light and I assumed it was morning. Looking at the clock, I saw it was 3:30 in the morning. By then Isa woke up as well. While I looked for my glasses, she went to the entrance of the room and informed me that our door was wide open. *scary moment* After unsuccessfully looking for intruders, we checked the lock and it was broken *so we thought*. We couldn't get the door to close again until 5 am, when Isa finally showed off her McGyver skills and fixed it with a piece of paper. At breakfast, we told the guys the story and all went with Santa to check the door... Well, you had to kind of twist it to get it to close. Great, we had 3 men looking at us with this knowing smile (door not broken, girls just being girls). Breakfast was also the time when we lost Alvaro. His stomach didn't agree to something and he was out of it for the day. Since Isa missed the mangroves tour the night before, we decided to do it again.:

After some lunch at Las Palmeras again, we sadly had to go back to the mainland...

I had a great time again and can't wait to be back soon... this island is such a special space, like an own private small peace of paradise. And there is still that much to discover.

*Pics by Isa, Alvaro and Béa