Cartagena being on the Carribean Sea makes it very close to some beautiful islands. Given the heat we were anxious to get to a beach that would allow us to get into the water. We headed to the best beach around, Playa Blanca (white beach). There was a tour that went there that also included a trip to the Isla Rosario islands which are supposed to be cool so we went ahead and booked it. However, the boat was incredibly slow and while the islands were ok, they were not really worth the trouble. They did bring you to an open air aquarium however which included some cool sharks, turtles and dolphins!
Shark!
After that we headed to the beach. When we finally arrived (again, the boat was really slow) we were bombarded by local people trying to sell you crap. Luckily they left us alone to eat in relative peace but the second we got up they began again. Since we had time we had decided to stay a night on the beach and this was probably the best decision we could make as the tour boat only gave you about an hour on the beach before it started its lumbering journey back. As an added benefit, after the tour boat left, the hawkers all went home! However, this was not before one lady who was offering massages decided to give Suzanne a "free" preview of her massage. After telling her repeatedly "no gracias" and knowing that "free" quickly turns into demands for payment she refused to stop so I lost my patience and told her to go away. She then got angry saying it was her beach and what right did I have et cetera et cetera... So we just stopped saying anything and ignored her and eventually she left saying we should buy a massage tomorrow! :) Hilarious.
Shark!
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| From Cartagena |
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| From Cartagena |
After that we headed to the beach. When we finally arrived (again, the boat was really slow) we were bombarded by local people trying to sell you crap. Luckily they left us alone to eat in relative peace but the second we got up they began again. Since we had time we had decided to stay a night on the beach and this was probably the best decision we could make as the tour boat only gave you about an hour on the beach before it started its lumbering journey back. As an added benefit, after the tour boat left, the hawkers all went home! However, this was not before one lady who was offering massages decided to give Suzanne a "free" preview of her massage. After telling her repeatedly "no gracias" and knowing that "free" quickly turns into demands for payment she refused to stop so I lost my patience and told her to go away. She then got angry saying it was her beach and what right did I have et cetera et cetera... So we just stopped saying anything and ignored her and eventually she left saying we should buy a massage tomorrow! :) Hilarious.
Anyway, after the hawkers left the beach was transformed from tourist hell into tourist paradise. We stayed in a little cabana right on the beach and drank delicious pina coladas all night long and watched the sun set over the horizon. It was so beautiful we couldn't drag ourselves away to take a picture. Then we dined on delicious lobster and shrimp and then headed to bed, falling asleep to the sound of waves on the beach. The next morning we woke up with the sun, had a delicious breakfast and went snorkeling on the reef just off the beach! At 7am the beach was even more deserted and we had the place to ourselves! The wind hadn't picked up either so the waves were almost nonexistent and the water so clear! Eventually though the army of hawkers came in to get ready for the tourist boats but this time we were ready. Then our boat came and we had to bid goodbye to playa blanca.
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