Sandra suggested that we go away for a ‘honeymoon’ trip when I got back to Colombia. I chose Cartagena as one of the places on our long list, partly because it was tropical and had that honeymoon image, and partly because it was central to a few places. In the end, we decided that it we’d both rather experience one place properly than rush around trying to get to other places, so we limited ourselves to Cartagena and Isla Grande, which is a separate post.

Cartagena is on the Carribean coast, and is a major trading port with a strong role in South American history. We typically spent our days at the beach and our evenings wandering around town, and of course a night of dancing salsa. We found the Cartagenans to be more money-focused than Paisas, which tarnished this beautiful town, but we soon discovered Getsemani, which was once slums, but has been reformed into a vibrant backpacker district with more reasonable prices and a wealth of incredible graffiti. We also discovered a tiny, unassuming ice cream shop that made a delicious, refreshing mandarin flavour.

With only hours left in the town, we came across a sloth with a baby hanging out in a tree. Years ago, I’d made a detour in my flights to Cochabamba to spend an hour in Santa Cruz, where I had read lots of sloths populated the central park. I saw nothing then, and had given up ever seeing one outside of a zoo, so watching this one crawl its way along a branch was a highlight of the trip, and I’m glad Sandra and I were together for the experience.