And finally: we are in South America! Although we still have to manage without Ben’s campervan for a few days, we are full of anticipation and the first impressions from Cartagena already confirm that many wonderful experiences await us in South America. In Cartagena, we spend the nights right in the old town, which makes it much easier for us to explore the many sights, which are mainly located in the old town.

Old town of Cartagena – El Centro

The old town has a strong colonial character, as Cartagena played an important role during the Spanish colonial period. The city wall that surrounds the entire old town dates back to this time. Within the city walls, the alleyways are rather narrow and the backdrop of the entire old town is beautiful, with colonial buildings of various colors, one to three stories high and many small balconies. Behind every corner is another very well-maintained colonial house. Really beautiful. We encounter many tourists in the alleyways, but also locals and street vendors. This makes the city really lively – we feel at home in the old town of Cartagena.

There are of course two churches to visit again. On the one hand, we visit Cartagena Cathedral and on the other, a second church called Santuario de San Pedro Claver, which is at least as beautiful and well-kept. We arrive just in time to welcome a newly married couple. The whole wedding party takes photos and, as a special highlight, the pigeons are fed in order to create the perfect picture with the pigeons flying away above the bride and groom.

In addition to the churches, a walk along the city wall is a great way to enjoy the view over the Caribbean Sea. The sea breeze immediately makes the temperature pleasant. We spend a few pleasant days in the old town of Cartagena, with lots of cafés and a pinch more of South American flair.

Nightlife in the Getsemaní district

Right next to the old town district of El Centro is Cartagena’s hip new district. This district is called Getsemaní and truly has two faces. During the day, many flying art galleries are set up and graffiti on the walls are the daytime attractions. Impressive and invigorating. The second face of Gestemaní comes out at dusk and at night. The whole district is turned upside down and many doors and the adjacent alleys suddenly become bars and nightclubs. We have rarely seen such a radical change in appearance. Two or three streets become open-air discos and the neighbors can’t even think of sleeping early. Getsemaní is an absolute eye-catcher for one or two excursions and provides variety during our stay.

Picking up from our campervan Ben

With our base in Cartagena, we can easily make the various trips to the shipping agent and the port. This way, the days in Cartagena go by faster than expected. We have documented a more detailed description of the individual steps for those interested in the blog post Shipping Darien Gap. Just this much, we get our campervan Ben back on time and spend the first night in a street in Cartagena as it is too late to drive out of the city.

Now the South American adventure begins! Stay tuned, we’ll keep you up to date on how our journey continues.