22/09/2022 From Cartagena to la Casa en el Agua
La Casa en el Agua
We wanted to stay somewhere unique, which we had heard about by different travellers and blogs. Apparently, this hostel gets booked out months in advance, but we were lucky and were able to book it three days prior. Today we were taking a boat to the floating hostel aka “la Casa en el Agua”.
Finally a smooth boat ride
We left our big backpacks at our hotel in Cartagena and took an uber to the port at 8 a.m.. The boat ride to the floating hostel took about two hours and went so much more smoothly than the last one on the way to Cartagena. We received a welcome fruit juice and an empanada before being shown around the hostel with the other newbies.
Eco-hostel in the Caribbean — a former Colombian holiday home – is a 25-year old wooden house built on a concrete foundation under the sea water. An eco-friendly backpackers hostel run by the cheerful, local crew. The hostel sits among the San Bernardo Islands, just two hours by boat from Cartagena.”
casaenelagua.com
Perfect place to relax
We loved our time at the hostel and spent a lot of time in the hammocks on the second floor, from where you could also jump into the water.
Delicious food
We had three meals included and for lunch and dinner you could choose between a fish and veggie option. After our food poisoning time on the San Blas Islands, we both felt adventurous enough again to go for the fish – and both times it tasted amazing and so fresh!
Isla Islote
In the afternoon we took a tour to the most densely populated island in the world: Isla Islote. The tour was interesting, but we had expected a little bit more.
The sad part about the tour happened at the end when we were shown an aquarium, which was a little pool with fish, turtles and a single shark inside. Even worse, there was a local boy in the pool who kept bringing up the shark for show.
I felt pretty sick, knowing that those cruel animal treatments are happening all around the world for the entertainment of (us) tourists.
Sunset cocktails without a sunset
Being back at the floating hostel, Blake and I ordered some Coco Loco cocktails for sunset (no sunset, but still very enjoyable).
Since the hostel only takes a small amount of backpackers, the atmosphere was really familiar and we had great chats with the other internationals.
23/09/2022 From la Casa en el Agua to Cartagena to Santa Marta
Up for sunrise
In the next morning Blake and I got up at 5.30 a.m. to watch sunrise. Usually sunsets are more our thing. But when do you ever get the chance to watch sunrise in the Caribbean on a floating hostel? Well, apparently not this time, as the sun was hiding behind the clouds. Wrapped in our bed sheet, we still loved the peacefulness with only the sound of the waves and the wind.
Afterwards I took a morning swim next to the floating hostel and then Blake and I relaxed in the hammocks until breakfast time. I think I’d like to start my mornings like this all the time 😉.
Off to the next adventure
At 11 a.m. the speedboat picked us up again, which also brought new arrivals – the cycle of the floating hostel 😀.
In Cartagena we only grabbed our big backpacks from our last hotel. Then it was time to catch the bus to our new adventure: Santa Marta.
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