Cartagena and the Carribean Heat

The moment I stepped onto the soil of Cartagena, I knew instantly that I was back in the Caribbean. The heat combined with the humidity is an unmistakable combination. The stifling air forces an immediate retreat to air conditioning.  I was fortunate enough to be traveling with people not on a backpackers budget and they insisted on sharing a room with AC.

Arriving on a Friday meant party time, and Cartagena knows how to party! Hot salsa music in hot bars, filled with lotsa hot people.

On the next day we did some exploring. The first spot was the old Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. It was built by Spanish as a fortress during their colonial rule. Now it just is a tourist destination for good views of the city.

Our next stop was into downtown. This clock tower serves as the entryway in.

As I was taking a picture of this skinny dog, he got up and started to act as a guide for us. At first we were just joking with him about being the guide dog, but after a few blocks it became obvious that he wanted to work for food. When we approached an intersection, Dog would walk ahead of us and choose which direction to go.

After a solid thirty minutes of walking around, we had to treat him to some chorizo sausages.

The city's architecture reminds me a lot of New Orleans, obviously because of the Spanish influence (they were responsible for most of the current French Quarter buildings)

Scattered around downtown are these statues and other pieces of metal...