Overall, I spent ten days in the region around Santa Marta, including excursions to ‘la ciudad peridida’ and Tayrona National Park. Five nights were spent at the fantastic ‘The Dreamer’ hostel just outside of town – not bothering to venture into Santa Marta itself – which culminated in four happy hours (8 hours to be precise)! Days were spent relaxing at the nearby beaches or by the pool, watching films, attempting to blog and recovering from restless nights camping, days trekking and the occasional hangover!
Playa Blanca
The Sights and Nights of Cartagena
My visit to the beautiful city of Cartagena de Indias, the main spanish port on the caribbean coast, took in the colonial architecture within the fortified walls of the historic old town, the impregnable Castillo San Felipe de Barajas and a boat trip to a beautiful yet crowded beach in the nearby Islas del Rosario. I was eager for my first taste of Columbian nightlife and the excellent courtyard hostel bar proved to be a great place to meet fellow travellers as i left the World Cup wagon and joined the South American backpacker trail.
Jack East Goes West 