Santa Marta

Cartagena is supposed to be the safest city in Colombia, 5000 policemen guarding the historical center. Unbelievable. Santa Marta, South Americas oldest surviving city and the second most imporrtaant colonial city on Colombias Caribean cost does not compare to Caartagena. There are a few nices plazzas , some cute streets, but that's about it.

In the background of this last picture you can see some mountains of the Sierra Nevada, the worlds highest coastal mountain range , which reaches up to 5775 m. These are also the countries highest mountains. 

The police in Santa Marta , much less than in Cartagena, patrol the city in their Colombian Police "cars". I wonder if they aree quicker than a thief running. 

As everywhere in Colombia, people trying to make a living selling something on the streets.

Well, I thought, with 30 degrees centigrades, the Caribbean sea just a few meters away, I might as well stay here and decided to open a hairdressing saloon. you can come and visit me and have your hair done whenever you want.

Near the cathedral, on a bench, there were 2 men sitting and talking with a box with extremely loud music near them. It is just amazing. 

Colombia is actually the noisiest country I have ever seen. Today I took a local bus and had to hold my fingers in my ears because some girls in the back were shouting like crazy. People here have such loud voices that I figure they must have some voice development lessons in school. When somebody steps into the bus trying to sell you something, which happens about every stop, they talk so loud you get nearly deaf. And the mess on the streets outside the historical center is just unbelievable.

and the traffic!

When they are not standing in a traffic jam, everybody drives like crazy. Busses and taxis go with 80 km/h in the city center where you are allowed 30 or 40. 

Santa Marta has a beach in the center between the yacht port and the port where large ships are standing, not too inviting.

One really beautiful place here is the Quinta de San Pedro where there is a museum and a small botanical garden with absolutely fantastic trees. One of them, a Ficus Benjamina, is one of the talles trees I have seen. I fell in love with it. Couldn't stop photographing it. To give you an idea:

and one of my favorites:

and that's little me near that tree. 

There are some more huge fantastic trees in that park:

with large woods supporting one of its huge branches

and cacti growing on some branches

Can you imagine the size?

There is a museum in the park with the house and the room where Simon Bolivar, the most "worshiped" man in 6 South American countries, died in 1830. He liberated Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru , Panama abd Ecuador from the Spanish .