DAY 1:

I made it!  Currently, I am laying in a bed in Cartagena, Colombia.  It was a long day of travel with a 5 hour layover in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  I had zero problems navigating from home to my current residence in Cartagena.  (+20 experience points)

It’s hot.  Sweltering even.  I spent the day navigating the old city and sampling various meat dishes.  I also napped.  Post nap, I explored the city on foot.  A walking, eating tour.  There is a lot of street food available.  The main dish seems to be rice with meat, plantains and some kind of juice that I have yet to learn to pronounce.  I am turning in early tonight to try and catch up on rest.

The airbnb is nice.  It’s a room with a shared bathroom.  The lady is nice.  She speaks almost zero english.  In fact, almost none of the Colombians I’ve encountered speak English.  I’ll say this, I know a lot more words than I thought I knew.  Señor Guzman would be proud.

I did get offered cocaine and hookers at least 20 times today.  Maybe I’m putting out a vibe.

The highlight of the day was this square right by where I am staying.  It is an old church with an open concrete space.  People gather and spend time with family and friends.  Hundreds of locals, musicians, food and even street performers were all gathered and just hanging out.  I hung out for a while and just watched.

DAY 2:

Today I took a guided tour to a mud volcano.  A van picked me up in the alley by where I am staying and took me to a bus, which I was the only one on.  “Yo soy la unica persona?”  I said.  The docent informed me that there would be more.  After navigating the city for over an hour and probably a grand total of 1 kilometer we were on our way.  It was a pleasant drive out to the volcano.  As we approached, the docent began giving instructions on what to expect and the do and do nots of the trip.  All in Spanish.  I’d say I caught every twentieth word.  In other words, I caught the gist of it.  The volcano was a dirt pile probably 100m high up hastily built ‘steps.’  Our entire crew took turns climbing into the mud pit, where we were massaged and moved to our own little corner.  Photographs were taken.  It reminded me of the Dead Sea, in that you could not do anything BUT float.  Any attempt at maneuvering would result in falling onto your back and calling for help for someone to tilt you upright.  It was all very amusing.  It felt kind of like this:

After the mud pit, we headed back towards Cartagena.  We made a stop by the beach for lunch.  (red snapper and rice) We also had a quick dip in the ocean.  Thankfully, I waited the appropriate 20 minutes.  I can’t say the same for the others in the group.

Finally, we returned to Cartagena.  Here, I ate at a rooftop Italian restaurant for some pasta w/ shrimp.  (camarones if you will)

The whole day was really fun.  Exhausting though.  I passed out at 8 PM and woke up at 8 AM.

DAY 3:

Today, i walked to El Castillo de Phillipe.  A Spanish fort built in 1552 and expanded throughout the centuries.  I was amazed that this was built so long ago and remains in such good shape.  One fun fact, the fort was built so that even if invaders took control, they would not have access to the cannons.  It offered great views of the city, and I hung out on a ledge reading my book for hours.

Afterwards, I walked around the city.  A strong (read STRONG) cup of Colombian coffee later, I was at a church.  Someone once told me that every church I visit I should make three wishes.  It was a beautiful church, with a lush garden/jungle at the entrance.  I made my rounds, wished my wishes and moved along.

Next, I made my way to the Museo de Arto Moderno.  It was closed.  Luckily there was a live, 20 piece Salsa band playing in the square.  I awkwardly turned my hips in an attempt to dance.  I’ll admit, I was somewhat wishing someone would say ‘Alguien aqui un DJ”  When the music was over, I made my way back to the art museum.  It was nice, although not very modern.  Most of the art was from the 1960s.  But, still some lovely pieces.  (Sorry no pictures, my phone was dead)

Now, I’m back at my airbnb and writing this post.  My host just told me there is live music around the corner.  Heading out!

More updates to follow 🙂

Adios!