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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 […]

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Playa Blanca

Playa Blanca is an island located  off the coast of Cartagena, and easily accessible by boat.  There are many tours available. Several stop by the Rosario Islands as well as an aquarium, but a few go directly to Playa Blanca.  There is a large ferry boat available (Alcatraz), but because of its size, takes about […]

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Barranquilla for (pre) Carnival, Part 2

  Barranquilla´s Carnival slogan is “Quien lo vive, es quien lo goza.” I believe that translates to  “Those who live, are those who enjoy it,” but then again, high school Spanish class was a long time ago! In any case, you can tell that the people of Barranquilla certainly know how to live life and […]

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Barranquilla for (pre) Carnival, Part I

Barranquilla hosts the the second biggest Carnival celebration in the world, following just Rio. Robyn and I contemplated going for the actual thing, but unfortunately, all the hotels were booked up, and the remaining rooms were upwards of $400 USD, for less than stellar accommodations. We opted go a few days earlier, when rooms were […]

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Palacio de la Inquisicion and Plaza de Bolivar

The Palacio de la Inquisición represents a dark time in colonial history: the Spanish Inquisition, designed to preserve Catholic orthodoxy in Spain and all of its kingdoms. The Punishment Tribunal of the Holy Office condemned heretics from 1610 until Colombian Independence in 1821. Alleged crimes included magic, witchcraft, and blasphemy.  Suspects were tortured using a […]

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