Barranquilla

Yesterday we tagged along with a few other people from Scott's office on a day trip to Barranquilla, which is another large port city about an hour and a half up the coast from Cartagena. A number of famous people are from Barranquilla, including Shakira and Edgar Renteria. We didn't do a whole lot while we were there...mostly drove around the city to see the different parts of it and then walked around the big mall. Our driver explained that Barranquilla is a mostly industrial city, so there aren't as many touristy things to do. He said the best time to come is in February during their Carnival celebration because it's known as the best one in all of Colombia (Carnival is a huge celebration right before the start of Lent). I'm sure we'll get back to Barranquilla at some point to go to a few of their museums. There are also supposed to be some good places to buy fish and meat.

About half an hour outside the city, we stopped at Volcan El Totumo. It is a mud volcano that has turned into a tourist destination. For about $5 you can go up to the top of the volcano, which is about 50 ft high, and immerse yourself in the mud bath from head to toe. Then you come down the volcano and walk down the path to the river to wash yourself off. It's supposed to be amazing for your skin, so I might have to think about doing it!