Why Not Travel To. . . Cartagena?
Cartagena is a coastal city in northern Columbia that is a mix of modern skyscrapers in a chic downtown and a colonial walled city with latino flare. The areas frequented by tourists in Cartagena reside on an L shaped peninsula, which is approximately 2 x 1 miles. The peninsula is serviced by a convenient hop on hop off bus system. These bus companies, often in red or green double decker buses, are common in major cities in Europe. The idea is for some flat fee usually $25-40 US we can ride the bus all day on its set route with stops. Riders can get on and off the bus as much as they want all day. The ride time between stops is filled with a narrated tour. We used the hop on hop off bus system after having a bad experience with a cab. We had negotiated that the cab ride would be $10 total. When we got to our destination the cabbie suddenly stopped speaking english, knowing only enough to demand to pay $10 each. We gave him the money we originally agreed upon and walked away. After that experience we decided to use the hop on hop off or walk, which to Cartagena's credit there is beautiful coastline to walk along.
Our first stop in Cartagena was not the famous walled city, but the downtown area. We had heard that the second floor of the Pierino Gallo shopping center was home to a three toed sloth that we could take a photo with for $4 US. I went to the San Diego Zoo a couple of weeks before this cruise and stared at the two toed sloth exhibit for fifteen minutes looking for the sloth without luck of finding any animal in the exhibit. When we went in search of the three toed sloth in Cartagena I was ready to make up for missing the sloth at the zoo. What we found on the second floor of the Pierino Gallo Shopping center was a cuddly little sloth named Pequito, who upon being draped upon my, or my boyfriend's shoulder fell asleep. His nail-like toes clung tightly to my shirt as he took a 4 minute nap before hitching a ride on his owner back to Pequito's home in the shade, where he recommenced his nap.
Our first stop in Cartagena was not the famous walled city, but the downtown area. We had heard that the second floor of the Pierino Gallo shopping center was home to a three toed sloth that we could take a photo with for $4 US. I went to the San Diego Zoo a couple of weeks before this cruise and stared at the two toed sloth exhibit for fifteen minutes looking for the sloth without luck of finding any animal in the exhibit. When we went in search of the three toed sloth in Cartagena I was ready to make up for missing the sloth at the zoo. What we found on the second floor of the Pierino Gallo Shopping center was a cuddly little sloth named Pequito, who upon being draped upon my, or my boyfriend's shoulder fell asleep. His nail-like toes clung tightly to my shirt as he took a 4 minute nap before hitching a ride on his owner back to Pequito's home in the shade, where he recommenced his nap.
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| Me and Pequito at the Pierno Gallo shopping center. |
