Day 466 – Cartagena
Castle and Gold
Today we had to check out of Espiritu Santo by Maos Hostel, since the dorm room was full. We moved to another hostel in Getsemani called Media Luna Hostel. After transferring our bags in the morning, we went out exploring more of Cartagena.
Castillo San Felipe de Barajas
We walked to the nearby San Felipe de Barajas Castle. It is an imposing structure on top of San Lazaro Hill. When we purchased the tickets, we were given pamphlets that showed information about the castle and one showing the site’s hazards, which was unique.
Construction of the castle began in 1657 and ended in 1769. There is a short presentation in one of the rooms in Spanish with English subtitles. It details a battle that occurred, where the English were trying to invade Cartagena. There is a curious comment near the end, where they say something like, “It was good that the English were defeated. Otherwise the country might be speaking English.” I thought it was odd. It’s not like Spanish is the native language.
The rest of the castle is nice to walk through, with nice battlements and a long tunnel system. Considering the size of the castle, the rooms appeared small. However, from almost every battlement, we saw nice views of the surrounding area.
A taste of India
We noticed an Indian restaurant called Ganesha Restaurant on our way to the castle. We thought it would be nice to try something different so we came here for lunch. While we were eating, we met a group of friends from Sri Lanka. It was interesting to chat with them. The food was nice and a welcomed change from the regional food.
Museo de Oro
Later, we went to the Historic Centre to visit the Museo de Oro (Gold Museum). We were disappointed to find that the museum was closed for renovations. However, a temporary exhibit had been set up one block away.
The temporary exhibit is very small, but still worth a peek. It took around 15 minutes to view and read everything. The few items on display are incredible and best of all, it’s free to enter.
Rest of the day
Then we checked into Media Luna Hostel. The hostel is large, with a pool and more of a social vibe than the last hostel we were at. However, the dorm rooms aren’t as nice, but it will get the job done.
Later that night, we found a restaurant called Bourbon Street, which has a happy hour until 8pm. We enjoyed the drinks and food. We didn’t realise that the buy one, get one free offer was for both drinks and food. So we got two massive servings of snacks and food. It was delicious and super filling.
Happy hour at Bourbon Street Buy one get one free
Around 9pm, the restaurant lost power. We had finished out meals and wanted to leave but the payment system was down. After a 10 minutes or so, the power came back, so we could pay and return to the hostel.
When the power goes out
Travelled December 2019
Expenses and Transport
- Entrance – San Felipe de Barajas Castle – 20,000 COP (~$8 AUD) per person
- Entrance – Museo de Oro (Temporary Exhibit) – FREE
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