Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
Cartagena de Indias – The Walled City
Colonial City of Cartagena de Indias
The Old Town of Cartagena de Indias is a maze of beautifully restored colonial houses, churches, plazas or convents, most of which have been recently turned into boutique or luxury hotels. A characteristic of these colonial houses is an overhanging wooden balcony covered by a tiled roof and one or more shady patios inside. Continue Reading →
Omnipresent military …
Our farewell to Colombia did not lack a certain dramatic touch, almost a manifestation of what the country so often is associated with – drugs. All 15 passengers booked on our tiny plane from Cartagena to Panama City were searched before check in. We mean SEARCHED, every single item inside the luggage was taken out and checked meticulously, then the luggage itself examined, the toiletry, medication, everything! Continue Reading →
Women selling fruits, Old Town of Cartagena
Even during peaks of “La Violencia”, Cartagena remained a major tourist destination, domestic tourists as well as international travel groups, especially cruises ship, continued visiting. In the last few years the numbers have risen dramatically. In 2008, one million visitors wandered the historic center making it Colombia’s tourist destination number one, by far. Continue Reading →
The old town of Cartagena is a maze of beautifully restored colonial houses, churches, plazas or convents turned into luxury hotels
The old town of Cartagena is a maze of beautifully restored colonial houses, churches, plazas or convents turned into luxury hotels. A characteristic of these colonial houses is an overhanging wooden balcony covered by a tiled roof and one or more shady patios inside. All houses have underground reservoirs that were used to store rain water before modern piping arrived. Evenings are the best times to explore, when temperatures become pleasant and buildings are illuminated. Continue Reading →