Day 70
We were picked up early in the morning and driven to the city's tourist docks, which are only about a ten-minute walk from our hotel. Boats were leaving for islands up and down the Rosario archipelago, as well as some of the more picturesque mainland beaches, and the docks were jammed with tourists. The heat was back in full force - we'd had a slight reprieve the day before, but today was like being inside an oven. Eventually we were herded onto a speedboat, issued lifejackets, and were on our way.
On the way out of the harbor - Cartagena has one of the finest natural harbors in South America, an enormous, deep bay several miles wide - we had a nice view of Boca Grande, the city's tony high-rise neighborhood that draws a lot of well-to-do Colombian tourists (the hotels in the old town seemed to cater more to Americans and Europeans). It stretches for quite a ways down a natural peninsula and reminded me a lot of Recife in Brazil - a wall of skyscrapers.
Once we'd cleared the harbor mouth the captain opened up the throttle and we bounced across the open sea for about 30 minutes until we reached our destination, the "Isla del Encanto" beach camp. It was allegedly part of a resort, although we only saw one small building that looked like maybe it could contain hotel rooms. Most of the facilities seemed to be there for day tourists - besides the beach, there was a swimming pool, massage tent, volleyball court and thatched-roof bar. You could also sign up (at extra cost, of course) for two-hour excursions to an aquarium, snorkeling sites, or jetskiing. We elected just to remain on the beach, which was fringed with palm trees and was very nice. The water was bathtub warm, there were plenty of chairs, and waiters periodically (VERY periodically) came around to take drink orders. It wasn't a bad way to spend a day. Midway through the day lunch was served, and around three in the afternoon we boarded the boat for the return trip to Cartagena. All told, Day 70 was pretty sedate; I'd write more, but there's not much to cover; we spent most of the day lounging in the sun, swimming and catching up.
Evan was leaving that night to catch his flight back to the US, and we got back to the dock in time for dinner before he grabbed a taxi. Although he was only here for about three days, it was really nice to have some company - now I've only got five days left, which I'll be spending up the coast in the small fishing town of Taganga.
Today I'm in: Cartagena, Colombia
As I mentioned on Day 68, the beaches immediately surrounding Cartagena and generally not great. Before coming I'd heard them described as "horrible" and "ugly", terms which seem a bit overblown. Suffice to say that for a city on the Caribbean, the beaches are disappointing. Further down the coast, however, is the Islas Rosario National Park, a chain of islands that's far enough out to sea that the beaches aren't clouded by river silt or fouled by pollution from the mainland. Through our hotel, we were able to set up a daytrip to visit one of the islands, so that's where Day 70 took us.
We were picked up early in the morning and driven to the city's tourist docks, which are only about a ten-minute walk from our hotel. Boats were leaving for islands up and down the Rosario archipelago, as well as some of the more picturesque mainland beaches, and the docks were jammed with tourists. The heat was back in full force - we'd had a slight reprieve the day before, but today was like being inside an oven. Eventually we were herded onto a speedboat, issued lifejackets, and were on our way. 
On the way out of the harbor - Cartagena has one of the finest natural harbors in South America, an enormous, deep bay several miles wide - we had a nice view of Boca Grande, the city's tony high-rise neighborhood that draws a lot of well-to-do Colombian tourists (the hotels in the old town seemed to cater more to Americans and Europeans). It stretches for quite a ways down a natural peninsula and reminded me a lot of Recife in Brazil - a wall of skyscrapers. 
Once we'd cleared the harbor mouth the captain opened up the throttle and we bounced across the open sea for about 30 minutes until we reached our destination, the "Isla del Encanto" beach camp. It was allegedly part of a resort, although we only saw one small building that looked like maybe it could contain hotel rooms. Most of the facilities seemed to be there for day tourists - besides the beach, there was a swimming pool, massage tent, volleyball court and thatched-roof bar. You could also sign up (at extra cost, of course) for two-hour excursions to an aquarium, snorkeling sites, or jetskiing. We elected just to remain on the beach, which was fringed with palm trees and was very nice. The water was bathtub warm, there were plenty of chairs, and waiters periodically (VERY periodically) came around to take drink orders. It wasn't a bad way to spend a day. Midway through the day lunch was served, and around three in the afternoon we boarded the boat for the return trip to Cartagena. All told, Day 70 was pretty sedate; I'd write more, but there's not much to cover; we spent most of the day lounging in the sun, swimming and catching up. 
Evan was leaving that night to catch his flight back to the US, and we got back to the dock in time for dinner before he grabbed a taxi. Although he was only here for about three days, it was really nice to have some company - now I've only got five days left, which I'll be spending up the coast in the small fishing town of Taganga. 
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