Let’s kick of the adventure with a 47 hour commute! Auckland – Sydney – Los Angeles  – Fort Lauderdale – Cartagena COLOMBIA. Sometimes I wonder how much I am really saving but in the end it wasn’t too hideous. A friend had let me know about a 24 hour Korean Spa in downtown LA where you could use the facilities for as long as you liked for only $25. They had a gym, sauna, spa, showers, sleep room, restaurant, workspaces, it all sounded perfect and I had a 14 hour layover so jumped on a bus and headed for WiSpa.

Excited for a shower I quickly put my things in a locker and went through. I used what seemed like traditional Korean showers and the only free one in between 2 older ladies that were seated and having a good old scrub. I honestly didn’t know where to look and I also towered over the barriers so it was also a view straight into the spa baths. There is a strict no swimsuit policy in all pools and saunas. I got the giggles and felt like a school girl. Quickly showering and feeling refreshed, I went to grab a towel which were stacked right next to normal tall shower cubicles, after all that I could have had all the privacy I am used to. Sleep was beckoning and I crashed out in their dark sleep room, remembering to set an alarm to ensure I would have plenty of time to get back to the airport.

Was asked the expected questions at check in back at the airport with Spirit airlines and needing to have an onward ticket out of Colombia. I thought my pre-prepared fake ticket out of Chile in 3 months time would have been good enough but at the check in desk they actually required evidence of leaving Colombia by way of onward flight. Luckily I arrived at the airport with plenty of time and it didn’t seem that busy. I took my bags off the belt and found a place to sit to see what options I had. There was no way I was going to fork out money on a flight I had no intentions to take and risk not being able to get a full refund. I had previously come across a new website that allows you to put a flight on hold for 48 hours before you actually make any payments towards it. It gives you a legit booking number and assigned seat so I decided this was my best bet. It’s actually an Indian based website so all the prices are in rupees so hardly believable but the airline staff don’t see any of the associated costs involved. Bogota to Lima 6 weeks later for 54,000 rupees, pay later, yes please, screenshot, show to airline staff, lots of typing, passed, checked in! Goodbye to English and Hola to Espanol and Colombia.

Arriving in Cartagena which is claimed to be the jewel of the Colombian crown, I grabbed a cab and the driver made polite conversation with me, 2nd question – where is my husband? – Welcome back to Latin America. Oh he’s at home working hard so I can travel I reply back. I splurged some airpoints on a hotel for my first 2 nights so I could recover from the journey without the comings and goings of shared dormitories. A luxury that was wasted as a wasted gringo talked loudly outside my door each night in bad Spanish about how he loved Colombian women. Still it was good to have some space and was close to the historic walled city and in the centre of the Getsemani neighbourhood.

It is steaming hot and humid in Cartagena, so sticking to the shady sides of the streets I explored the colourful neighbourhood, so many photo opportunities and really wish my husband wasn’t working so I could have that #instaboyfriend shot.

Unprepared for the tropical rain that came from nowhere I took shelter in the colourful beacon of light below and thought it high time to indulge in some famous Colombian coffee – locally called tinto which refers to a long black coffee. Turns out they don’t serve coffee here and as the rain became torrential I wasn’t going anywhere – so cerveza it is!

The rain didn’t last long so I was soon back out on the street in search of some food. Many local restaurants will offer menu del dia which is a set menu at a cheap price and will typically include a soup, a drink, a main dish and even sometimes a desert. Fish is on the menu today for me! And all for only $8000 Colombian pesos which is approx $4 NZD.

Jetlag, the heat and a full belly had me feeling extremely tired so went back to the hotel for a nap in the sweet air conditioning. I was checking out the next day so also organised a few things and booked a hostel for the following night.

Plaza de la Trinidad is a cool place to hang out and people watch, many locals and tourists alike relaxing, enjoying a beer and some empanadas, street performers and even a Zumba class happened whilst I sipped a cold Club Colombia.

As I continued to adjust to the heat and being back in Latin America I spent the following day drooling over incredible street art:

Exploring the XVI century fortress and getting some good city views:

And watching local way of life:

After I started to feel less overwhelmed by all the colour, noise and people I was randomly intrigued by all the different door knockers. After a bit of research it was interesting to learn that back in the medieval times they represented social hierarchies and professions and families were keen to display their status. The larger size gave higher status in society. The symbolic meaning, for example a lizard represented royalty and a fish the merchant class.