Adventure Travel Photography Blog
I would have never thought I’d say 36 hours was not enough time for visiting São Paulo. I personally am not a big city enthusiast, but always feel like I should explore for a day at the beginning or end of my wilderness trips. We planned to arrive mid-day, stay overnight and then leave the following evening.
EXPLORE!
Getsemaní, a neighborhood outside the walled city, once a poor area is now a hip place to visit. I accidentally found a B&B in this area, and it turned out to be conveniently located for visiting both the walled city and the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas.
At times, specifically during the heat of the day, the 15 minute walk seemed just a touch long for a short rest in the A/C, but otherwise, the nightlife, restaurants, and eclectic feel was enjoyable. While I enjoyed the walled city, I found myself spend a lot of time outside of it as well. Continue reading “Things to do Outside the Walled City of Cartagena, Colombia”
I had just a few days in Cartagena and wanted to make the most of it. As such, I walked about every square inch of the Walled City along with most of GetsemanÍ in order take in the culture and history of the city. I tried visiting virtually every plaza and along the way enjoyed window shopping, people watching, dining, and seeing what the vendors had for sale.
Cartagena, founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia, is named after Cartagena, Spain. Strategically located between the Magdalena and Sinú Rivers on Colombia’s northeastern, Caribbean coast, the city became a very important trade port for Spain. During the colonial era (1533-1717), the port was used to export Peruvian silver and to import African slaves. Continue reading “The Plazas of Cartagena’s Walled City”
We started the day with our complimentary buffet breakfast, which I will politely say was not the greatest, despite the variety of choices…ham, cheese, bacon, eggs, cereal, and lots of pastries. Somehow I ended up with lemon milk in my frosted flakes, and we were served our coffee after we finished breakfast, but that’s ok. We weren’t hoping for a culinary delight. Just something to fill our stomachs before we ventured to the national park.
While I had been practicing my Spanish upon arrival in Argentina, trying to figure out how take a taxi from the hotel to town where you find a bus at a certain intersection that takes you the southern most National Park in World in Spanish was going to be a little much if I misinterpreted anything, so I resorted to English at the hotel reception. It’s a good thing…there were lots of tour company buses that transported hikers to Tierra del Fuego National Park from a parking lot by a gas station. Originally, I thought we were trying to get public transportation! Continue reading “Day Three – On the Way to Antarctica via Tierra del Fuego National Park”