Travelling round the world 101 - trying to out run the storm in San Salvador

Sunday, 10:15, San Salvador, old quarter
We awoke early mainly due to the large amount of light streaming through the particularly broken un-curtained windows. We had an interesting time last night, we'd just got into our bunks after seeing two fat cockroaches scuttle across the ceiling close to my top bunk, only to hear an earth shattering scream issuing from downstairs. We rushed downstairs to find 3 fellow female backpackers crouched on chairs in the kitchen staring at the most ENORMOUS! brown hairy rat that the owner of the hostel had just killed by hitting it over the head with a brick in their dorm room across the hall. The rats blood was slowly seeping across the floor, but thankfully it was cleaned up quickly! :/

What these backpackers will do to save money huh? Good have had a nice curtained contained dorm with a lock next to a bathroom for $2 more, pero we decided to be economica and sleep upstairs in this down with ´mattresses´(I think it was actually just cardboard) up a tiny windy rickety metal staircase which reminded me of a set for Westside story...but the cast would have needed to all be under 5 feet. Getting a 60-plus-litre backpack up those stairs was interesting I can tell you! Still it's all fun and adds to the adventure, plus makes you appreciate comforts a lot more as well. Though actually this time when I got home it was nice for about a week but then I was like ok...so next place? You really don't need all the home luxuries. Especially when you have been literally living out of a sack surrounded by people with absolutely nothing. Annnnyyhoooo. Ramble over.

It's been generally pouring with rain all day. We wondered round the massive local markets been overwhelmed with the shouts, noises and smells, vendors thrusting their produce in your face calling their wares, caught local buses, visited some absolutely stunning churches and cathedrals whose ceilings seemed to extend to touch heaven itself, pondered in a beautiful and interesting national art museum (really wish I´d taken my camera out). Finished off the day with a wonderful traditional El Salvadorian meal of....Chinese. Unfortunately all the restaurants with in hiking distance of our hostel were big american chains. Urgh. Ladies are not supposed to walk after dark remember? The price we pay for being white (and therefore understandably perceived to be wealthy) and female. Tallyhoo.

Travelling round the world 101 - On a bus to Cartagena, Colombia

Thursday, 11.45am (Colombian time) Barranquilla, Colombia
We`re driving through crowded streets filled with weary bedraggled looking donkeys pulling carts laden bursting with fruit tassels between their ears, children both young and tall running here, there and everywhere, surprisingly clean new looking modern buses that look as if they have been squashed slightly from both ends, multiple people on dirty old motorbikes, mopeds and vans, street vendors shout their wares that overflow from their stands and booths and into the street mingled with the familiar smell of empanadas (how I have missed them). Stray dogs and the occasional cat weave in and out of legs, wheels, hooves and yellow taxis that zoom which way and every way amongst it all. Horns honk and people call out, dust kicked up. Bienvenido a Colombia!

7pm, Colombia, Cartagena
Arrived safe and sound, all limbs attached etc. I don’t know what everyone was going on about when they said that Colombia was dangerous, I feel far safer here than I would in London or anywhere. Obviously certain parts are dangerous but as long as you stay out of the mountains and have a certain amount of common sense you’re all good :) I love Cartagena I could actually live here. It’s so beautiful, and has a really pretty picturesque old colonial town.

Friday, sometime around 5pm sitting outside our room in Hostel Real, Cartagena.
Feels like I have been away from home for so much longer than 4 days. England seems so far away and a world apart. I have happily slipped back into joyfully speaking Spanish again at every opportune moment, placing toilet paper in the waste paper basket (the plumbing can´t handle it), generally feeling dehydrated, showering from under a pipe (no power shower attachments here), living out of a rucksack. I know that I am still probably jet-lagged but I get very impatient with my body. It feels like rubber that has been stretched too far crossed with lead filled damp cotton wool. Groggy like I have slept for hours but have not awoken feeling refreshed. O well. I am going to drink some water. It’s funny not being able to drink it from the tap. My friend that I’m travelling with says that it feels like having one of your basic human rights taken away.

6pm
The water seems to be helping.

8.27pm
Ahh Cartagena is lovely, we have spent many a happy hour wondering around the beautiful old colonial streets, vines cascading from old wooden balconies. Everyone is so friendly here! So are so many smells and sites to take in I feel like I almost can’t turn my head fast enough.