Romancing the Stone: Cartagena at night
Remember that 80’s flick Romancing The Stone? I never thought I’d end up in Cartagena, the city in which Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas searched for the El Corazon emerald! (Shout out to Bharathi and Murali, who loved this movie, and let their little cousin tag along!) There are indeed many emerald shops in Cartagena. Not being a gemstone expert, I didn’t purchase any for myself, but they were pretty to look at!
Temperatures soar in the daytime, leaving an oppressive midday heat, but come sundown, the coastal winds take over the entire city. Old city shuts down fairly early; the shops are gated closed and the streets are suddenly empty, with just restaurants and bars open in the evenings. Someone I spoke to mentioned that most stores are open from 6am to 6pm. The old city has a completely different look and feel in the daytime and the nighttime, and both are worth experiencing.
As you enjoy dinner al fresco, you may even be lucky enough to see a performance from the traditional Colombian dance troupe that performs around town, accompanied by live music. They change up the routines and costumes so it never gets old!
Kavi360 
Awesome pics! You mention Romancing the Stone and it’s funny because that movie was one of my 2 inspirations of a desire to visit Colombia when I was younger. Coincidentally, I posted a writeup about Cartagena a few days ago as well. http://unfamiliarpassage.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/art-and-culture-in-colombia/
nice photos!
Thanks Mun! Hope that you’re doing well 🙂 What have you been up to?