Tag: hostel

Visiting La Casa en el Agua

La Casa en el Agua is a boutique hostel that is situated on a rock in the middle of the ocean (well not quite but it does feel that way) with a cult following. Some travellers even get La Casa en el Agua tattoos after staying here. Its a destination in itself and I highly recommend spending a night here if you are in the area. I would recommend La Casa en el Agua over visiting Playa Blanca or any of the other islands near Cartagena (They are a bit over-touristed – this is gimmicky but still a unique experience!)

In the water at the hostel

Top Tip for La Casa en el Agua:

Book early! Their calendar opens 3 months in advance and you will need to book at this time to get a spot – particularly if you want one of their very limited private rooms. Hammocks are a little easier to come by.

Getting there and away:

Transport to Casa en el Agua is via a sister company that transports those staying at La Casa en el Agua directly to the hostel from the port of Cartagena. The boat travels daily at 9am to the hostel and leaves at 12pm (arrives back in Cartagena at 2pm) so you need to make your travel plans within these timeframes.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You can only take 8kg of luggage on the boat so you will need to store your luggage somewhere in Cartagena. The majority of hotels will be happy to look after this for you for free even if they don’t have a designated luggage storage area. I have never had an issue storing my luggage.

Peter choosing our dinner fresh from the sea

Food:

As the hostel is in the middle of nowhere – they do have a monopoly on food options. Breakfast is included in your stay, and they have amazing fresh seafood available for lunch and dinner (plus a vegetarian option). They also have snacks available but I suggest bringing some of your own (note there is no fridge or kitchen facilities available to guests).

One of their key rules is you cannot bring booze into the hostel. The hostel has a bartender and sells relatively affordable cocktails but costs soon rack up if you lie around drinking all day. Allow for this in your budget.

Jumping in

Activities:

There are definitely enough activities to last you a day or two here. The place is small but there are outdoor hammocks and couches for you to read or chill out on, some floaties and balancing games in the water, a ladder to climb up and jump off the side of the house; snorkels and kayaks to go exploring, and plenty of clear blue water around the hostel for swimming.

There are also a few organised tours and activities that are worth doing – the hostel runs a plankton tour at night to see the phosphorescent plankton in the area and also takes a small group over to the nearby island of Santa Cruz del Islote which is a tiny man made island and one of the worlds most densely populated places. It’s a great example of traditional Colombian life.

Have you been to La Casa en el Agua? Let me know what you thought!

Erika xx

Acquainting myself with Mexico

My flight finally arrived in Mexico at midnight local time. I had heard many horror stories about this part of the world, and Mexico was my first stop on my own, so I was understandably quite worried about this. However, changing some cash to local pesos and taking a taxi to my hostel ended up being pretty uneventful. In fact, my fear probably caused my only problem: the taxi office short-changed me and I didn’t count my change, as I didn’t want to have my money out in the open for too long. It was only 5 US dollars which I lost though, so its not like It broke the bank. The experience did remind me to be extra careful though.

I woke up just before 8 am the next morning to bright sunshine streaming into my dorm room. I walked onto our tiny balcony to see a gorgeous view from my window. I knew then that I was going to love Mexico City and I headed downstairs to book my room for the rest of the week. I was also quite happy when I discovered that there are only 4 people sleeping in my 12 bed dorm and they are all girls who are travelling alone. I spent the morning having breakfast and thinking about how I wanted to spend my time in DF.

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I headed out to explore the Centro Historical (the old centre) after breakfast to get by bearings and have my first taste of Mexico’s hustle and bustle. I wandered the streets, which were exciting and hectic although I was continuously harassed by buskers and beggars and even more so by men in general. Every time I stopped to sit down, I was approached by Mexican men who exclaimed how beautiful I was and started a conversation. These conversations generally didn’t last long thankfully due to my poor Spanish. Even men arm in arm with women walking down the street were blatantly staring and whistling. I thought that dyeing my hair brunette was supposed to discourage this? I wonder what my experience would have been had I been blonde…One guy had been very offended when I didn’t want to go drink tequila with him right then and there, assuming that I must have turned him down because I didn’t like Tequila, that there couldn’t have been any other reason. At least I know it will be easy enough to make local friends and practice my Spanish!

After my walk I found some lunch at a cute little Tostada shop. I paid US $1 for one tostada and it has kept me full all day! My budget will thank Mexico. After lunch I visited the beautiful Catedral Metropolitana where the Archbishop holds mass on Sundays. The photos which I have taken of the cathedral do not do the place justice, especially as flash was not allowed, but are available to view on my Flickr page.

Until next time,
Erika xx