Tag: Sights

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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Last Day in Cali

The weekend flew by and now I am sad. I know I’ve only been here 3 days, but I preferred this city to Cartagena in many ways. Here are my takeaways on my last day in Cali.

  • The weather is much easier to deal with! More temperate and way less humidity than humid Cartagena
  • Easier to get around: considering Cali is bigger with 2.5 million people to Cartagena’s 900,000, I can only guess this is because I stayed in a more convenient location to all the attractions as a tourist as compared to living in the barrio in Cartagena. I don’t think that’s totally it though
  • The sights are in residential neighborhoods: In Cartagena, you only go to one area as a tourist, The Old City and adjacent Boca Grande. In Cali, sights were spread out a little bit more, and were in areas where people live so it felt like I was seeing “the real Cali” while also sightseeing
  • Cheaper: apparently Cartagena is the most expensive Colombian city, and while still cheap to a Torontonian like me, I noticed that Cali was even more affordable
  • Cleaner and prettier: Aside from the ocean and the old city, Cartagena is not that pretty. And there is trash everywhere. In Cali, the river doesn’t smell so great, but the streets and paths were very tidy and well kept. The overall impression was it’s cleaner than Cartagena.

I don’t want to make it seem like I am sorry to go back to Cartagena, because I am not. I am really glad I visited Cali though! What a great weekend!

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Cali Colombia Street Art

I did so much on my 5 hour self-guided tour of Cali and saw so much street art that deserved its own post. Here are my best photos and observations of the Cali Colombia street art scene.

Street Art Movement in Cali

I didn’t know very much about Cali until I walked around and saw it for myself. Now I know, with some online research, that graffiti in Cali is part of a growing movement with local and international artists adding to the tapestry.

I am a big fan of street art in general and am fortunate to live in a great neighborhood for it in Toronto, so it was fun to take some photos of the work in this cool Colombian city and just wander and explore the Cali Colombia street art.

san antonio barrio

Much of the Cali Colombia street art is located in the centrally located San Antonio barrio, which is where I photographed most of these works.

The San Antonio barrio is highlighted by it’s old historic church and beautiful big park. It’s colorful and artsy, with cute shops and artisan craftspeople. Plus it’s easily accessible from hotels in the heart of downtown.

Now, onto my photos!

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