We arrived into Cartagena on S/Y Amande before Christmas and with the help of our agent, Jose Bonilla, released the van within 2 days.
After two days spent at the port and customs, we took some time to explore this beautiful city. The old town is a Unesco World Heritage site and a maze of cobbled streets, beautiful buildings and churches. Just ourside the Old Town lies Getsemani, an outer walled town and a lively place to explore, with some great restuarants and bars. Our last tourist spot was El Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, apparently the greatest fortress ever built by the Spanish and supposedly the place where all the gold was stored before being shipped to Spain. Quite an engineering feat with a complex system of tunnels running through the fortress.
First impressions of Colombia? Well the people are so welcoming, friendly and helpful and Cartagena itself is a beautiful, historic and fun city to explore - highly recommended.