It rained while we were sleeping last night, and was really bad this morning. We are grateful our campervan is warm and cosy. Plus, very overcast. So, our plans for going to the islands on the south via a ferry boat had to be scrapped. Instead, we decided to drive along the highway and stop at all the pretty sights until we made it into the big national park and Skaftafell. Along the way on day 2 in Iceland we saw rain, glaciers and lava fields.
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Iceland Day 1: Water
Yea! We made it to Iceland past midnight and promptly went to duty free to buy booze. That seems to be the first move for anyone, locals included, and we want to follow the local customs! Here’s a recap of Iceland Day 1 for us: a busy day.
Busy Morning
We checked into our hotel, the Base Hotel by the airport, had a few beers at the lounge and went to bed for about 5 hours. This morning, we got up, went back to the airport for a 45 minute bus ride into the Reykjavik bus station, then a taxi to Camp Easy to pick up our ride, and home, for the week!
Waterfalls
Then we hit the road! And today we saw a lot of water! Waterfalls, a hot spring (that was beautiful but could have been hotter), and tons of beautiful views of bodies of water. I think this will be a recurring theme. We also hiked a bit, but we ended quite early because we are tired from too little sleep last night.
Early observations:
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Busy First Day in Bogotá
We had a whirlwind three day tour of Bogotá, Colombia’s capital and biggest city with a population of 6.7 million! With so much to do and little time, we enjoyed a busy first day in Bogotá, visiting museums, salsa clubs and meeting new people.
Where We Stayed
We had an easy flight from Cartagena, and took a taxi to our lodgings in Bogotá. We’re couchsurfing with a friendly, interesting and generous guy named Robin, who was a big part of making our first day here so much fun. He has a roommate who is on crutches, Anna Maria, and 3 cats. His apartment takes up the 2nd floor of a building in the heart of a great neighborhood called Chapinero. We chose a place in Chapinero, a barrio north of the city centre which has good nightlife and lots of restaurants, because we like the convenience of walking at night.
Despite arriving to Bogotá in the middle of the afternoon, we saw some of the city and started to get acclimated, but I think it will take a bit longer because the elevation of Bogotá is over 2,6000 meters above sea level.
After traveling and settling in, we didn’t get into the city until 2pm but we still managed to see and do a bit to get acclimated. We enjoyed a rewarding first day in Bogotá.
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A Trip to Tolu
For my last weekend on my own, I wanted to explore the country around Cartagena. I looked in my Lonely Planet for ideas of a weekend getaway. Then I read it – 2 hours by bus to the south and a cute little beach town called Tolu! Sold! I took a trip to Tolu.
Planning for Tolu
I booked a hostel for Friday night in Tolu and packed my bag. Another independent adventure in Colombia! I couldn’t wait. And when I learned the school was closing at 1pm on Friday, I was even more excited. I could catch an earlier bus and check out the seaside town before nightfall. Fun!
Bus Ride to Tolu
The 2 hour bus ride turned out to be almost 4 (we left late and then got stuck behind something without moving for 40 minutes), so I missed the sunset. The bus leaves from the Terminal Transporte in Cartagena, supposedly every hour. I got to the terminal at 1:45P, was told the bus was at 2:30p and it left at 2:45p. The cost itself is very cheap, only 30,000 COP each way ($13.50 CAN, $10.50 US). The bus is air conditioned, has WIFI, reclining seats and shows movies. I am told this is standard for the distance bus services in Colombia. Not bad! I just wish it had been faster.
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Getting Around Cartagena
So I mentioned yesterday that the bus rides in Cartagena are an experience. They are certainly affordable. Every bus costs 2,000 pesos, which translates to approximately 65 US cents, or 84 Canadian cents. Pretty cheap. But, is it worth it? It depends. Here’s what I’ve experienced getting around Cartagena on public transit and taxi.
Getting Around Cartagena by Bus
I took three buses on different routes yesterday. Two of them I would take again in a heartbeat, the other, probably not.
The First Bus From Campestre
First bus – from my home to the foundation (work). My home is in the “Campestre” barrio or neighborhood. I love that they are called barrios, it makes me feel like I’m in the L.A. of Sanford & Son or something. So retro sounding. But really it’s just a Spanish word for neighborhood.
Anyway, the Campestre barrio is inland – it’s a middle class area kind of far from the tourist parts of town (on the map above, that’s the area along the ocean from Bocagrande – sort of like the South Beach – to Getsemani and beyond to Old Town).
My bus ride today (which I successfully completed on my own) was really easy. I catch the bus at the corner 2 blocks down the street and take it about 20 minutes and walk about 5 minutes from the stop. All for 84 cents. I will do that every morning. No problem.
Bus To Cartagena’s Tourist Area
The second bus took me from the stop near work to the old city. I will definitely take this bus again. It took about 15 minutes, had some great views along the way, and stopped right outside the old city, which is GORGEOUS! As you can see in the map below, the foundation is pretty close to the ocean.
