Tue 27th Mar

Rose knocks for me and we set off about 8ish as both our hostels said to set off early. We decided to venture there ourselves than pay the 65000cop tour price.

We walk the short distance down Calle Media Luna (towards the castle) to the Terpol garage and catch a bus from here to Pasa Caballos. There’s loads of buses, easy to do and the locals help u. The cost is only 2400.

(For note, this bus goes past Bazurto market if you are interested in heading here.)

The journey takes about an hour. The driver may stop or u may be flagged down before getting to Pasa Caballos as there are colectivos stationed near the turn off for Playa Blanca. My hostel told me the price for a moto taxi (6000) but everyone has said that’s a bit dangerous and to get a colectivo. The price for one of these varies between 8000 – 12000 per person depending on how many of u there. A girl from Bogotá joins us and we pay 10000. Rose and I try to haggle but Liliana from Bogotá thinks it’s fine so we just get in!

During the 30 min journey, our driver explains that there aren’t many colectivos stationed there for our return. We get his number to call him when we want to come back and I get Liliana’s to call her when we’re all ready to meet and head back.

We get to the busy car park/drop off point and walk down to the beach….led by our driver to his auntie’s restaurant which we are told is the cheapest place to eat! We arrange to come back later and Rose and I set off down the beach, ogling at the beautiful turquoise waters.

The view from the sand out to see is stunning but the width of the beach is quite short due to the amount of beach bars and restaurants set up, then all their sitting areas followed by sun beds and parasols (which cost between 20 to 25000 pp).

We stop en route to find a quiet spot for some breakfast and it takes over 40 mins for a bit of scrambled egg and toast to arrive! The guy serving seemed so stoned I’m not sure he quite knew what planet he was on! A beautiful view for breakfast none the less.

We wander further along the beach – right to the end in fact where there are no longer any bars or restaurants to where the beach is much wider and much quieter. Now it looks like paradise and not Barry Island on a bank holiday Monday (colour of sea and blazing sunshine excluded!).

We choose our spot and chill out on the beach, go in the sea and just absorb the beautifulness of where we’re at.

We had both been told that the last bus from Pasa Caballos back to Cartagena was at around 4pm. After baking in the sun for about 2 hours we decide to get some lunch incase the wait is as long as breakfast…

If u head towards the middle/quieter end of the beach, the restaurants are a fair bit cheaper than those by the entrance and u can easily get something for between 10-15000.

The waiting times apply here too….and after a 30 minute wait I explain we have to leave soon to meet a friend to go back, 5 mins later – food appears.

We meet Liliana and she calls the driver so he can make the round trip and get us to Pasa Caballos for 4pm….however the auntie in the restaurant tells us the lady bus is about 6pm….

Im not sure which time is true thou as at the same time we were leaving, there was a mass exodus from the beach and the car park was full of the tour buses, colectivos and moto taxis….

We are taken into the town to get the bus back and it’s one of the poorest places I’ve been to in Colombia. A bus is luckily just about to leave as we get there and away we go for the hour journey back.

If your staying in Getsemani, the bus takes a different road back but get off near the castle if San Felipe and just mention where u want to go to money collector and it’s fine.

Back home, showered and rested, I head out for an evening stroll when I bump into Rose sat outside her hostel. I join her and Maria and we go to a cute little restaurant for dinner. Tired from an early start and too much sun, we head home after dinner rather than to a bar. Rose and I have another busy day planned tomorrow whilst Maria works – she’s got herself a job at her Hostal.