Our Great Adventure: Islas del Rosario Day 329 13/08/2015

We decided to take a trip to Islas del Rosario, an archipelago c 35km southwest of Cartagena which consists of 27 small coral islands. The boats leave the port between 0800 and 0900 so we had an early breakfast before walking to the port to book tickets. We had thought we'd go on a smaller boat but after seeing their size, instability and realising how fast they travel we decided for the slower paced option of a larger boat. We were scheduled to leave at 0830 and final set off just after 0900, sailing out passed Bocagrande and the Colombian naval base. We were asked not to take photos of the base, especially of the two submarines docked there. An undersea wall was built from Bocagrande across to Isa de Tierrabomba making the channel impassable to ships with all sea traffic having to sail around the east of the island through Bateria de San Jose and head out to sea by Bocachica on the south of the island through the Bocachica straits. Two forts are located on the entrance to the straits, Fuete de San Fernando and on the opposite side of the strait Bateria de San Jose. Together they protected and once controlled access to the bay with a heavy chain strung between the two in prevent surprise attacks in the 1700s. From here we continued to sail by the side of Isal de Baru to finally reach Islas del Rosairo. It was nice travelling at a slower pace despite the onboard music and guide come DJ! We moored at Isla de San Martin de Pararales and visited the small aquarium, just in time to see the sharks being fed and the dolphins entertaining the crowds. It was lovely to see them but at the same time disturbing to see such wonderful creatures tamed and in captivity. We also saw how most of the surrounding coral has died off due to increased water temperatures. From here we sailed to Playa Blanca on Isla de Baru where we had a typical Colombian lunch of fried fish, rice and plantain, and time to chill out on the beach. The beach was nice, a stretch of white sand with clear waters, but didn't seem as special as we thought it would be. Still we were both very grateful to have the opportunity to cool off in the sea before getting back on board the boat for the return trip to Cartagena. Just as we entered the Bahia de Cartagena a storm suddenly appeared, the sky went black, lightening could be seen nearby and the wind picked up speed, turning calm clear waters into a dark swelling sea. As the ship started to rock around a bit and water sprayed over the sides, some passengers resorted to shouting and screaming which seemed a bit extreme! Luckily is wasn't too long before we were back in port and the brilliant black sky had a full rainbow arching across it. We wandered back towards the b&b enjoying the coolness of the rain and stopped off by the church plaza for a drink, taking advantage of 2 for 1 happy hour (which wasn't quite 2 for 1 but then we are in South America). In the evening we decided to go to La Guacha for dinner again given we'd enjoyed it so much on our first visit. On the way back to the b&b we bumped into Sergio (our translator on our Lost City trek) who is now in Cartagena drumming up business for one of the tour companies. We couldn't resist stopping again at the ice cream parlour on route.