[AltoHombre]

Trip Report

Day 2.

I arrived late the night before. I had thought I had a hotel reservation including transport from the airport to the hotel, with San Fernando Real, but when I got to the curb, no cab driver. Ok, so I sweated this a bit. A number of guys at the curb offered a ride, and I was uncertain about taking a ride with any of them. Having heard about safety concerns here. First mistake of the trip, I didn't readily at hand have the phone number for the hotel. So no way to contact them. I will say that several of the drivers who were hoping to find a fare offered to let me use their cell phones to call the hotel. Had I had the number I might have done that, not that there was much to do at that point. I had to get into the city.

Luckily there was a guy there from Avianca, so he helped me finding a cab that I assumed at that point would be safe. The rate for the trip to Cali, 48,000COP. That was about 12000COP less then what they had quoted me at the Hotel that morning. I figured I was as safe as I was going to get, so in the cab I jumped.

I will say that I had a fair idea of what the lay of the land should look like from having looked at this route a few times in Google Earth. So I was reasonably happy with understanding the basics of getting from the airport to Cali. I knew where we should be turning, and how we should be traveling. Not that big a deal really, but gave me some peace of mind.

Driving in Colombia is everything I had expected based on chats here. Personally I prefer to pick a lane and stay in it, my driver clearly felt the best way to travel was follow the dotted white line between the lanes. It was late, and once we got into the city I had no idea where I was going. I will say I had one moment of WTF, when the rode we were supposed to be taking was closed off by a barrier and he had to detour around through what looked like some pretty shady streets. But eventually we arrived at the hotel and all was good.

To get in to the hotel, the driver pulls up to the gate outside the courtyard and waits for the gate to be opened by the security guard. We're not in Kansas anymore Toto.

I get to the desk, no reservation. No surprise, to me, so I ask, yes they have rooms and soon I'm all set. With one small exception. I really wanted internet access in the hotel, In my room if possible, they had assured me that was the case when I had picked this place that morning. Of course now I'm here, and they clerk tells me, "I'm sorry Señor, the internet is down now". Great, no way to check in with email or to let my friend in the states know all is good.

Of course it's too late for the restaurant in the hotel, but the desk clerk tells me there's a delivery place that's open. I order some polllo y arroza. It comes about 40 minutes later. I eat and call it a night.

I get up the next morning, and first order of business is internet access. I explain to the new desk clerk that I need a SIM card for my mobile phone and internet access. He points me at the local market. I go but they don't have any. They point me at a store across the way. Moviephone, I talk to the folks in the store. A nice woman who speaks no english, and a guy there who's either a customer or another clerk, not sure which, who does speak some. He helps me explain to the woman what I want, the transaction takes about 40 minutes, but i walk out with a new SIM card in my phone. I know have a local phone number in Colombia. Cost me 20,000COP (8USD) for the card, and it has 40,000COP in credit on it. The internet cafe is next door. I quickly rent for an hour (2800COP) and I'm on-line checking email and the financial news and touching base with the US.

Remember, my original plan was to stay at the hotel at the airport. It's much closer to Palmira, but I couldn't find a phone number that works for that hotel when calling from the US, which is how I ended up at San Fernando. I had left a quick note for Luza the morning before letting her know she shouldn't go to the airport on Friday morning to meet me, that I'm staying in Cali. When I get back to the hotel, it's about 11AM, and there's a message for me. I know this because I check in at the front counter. And before I've had a chance to say much the Desk Clerk says, "Luza called, she'll be at the hotel at 1PM. Don't leave."

Direct and to the point. Part of the reason why I like this woman.

I kill a little time walking around, looking the place over, basically leave the hotel and wander. I have a bit to eat at the restaurant at the corner. Nice older lady offers me something fried in batter and a green salsa which is not too spicy. I realize later that it's probably arrapa. Then back to the hotel for a hot show and a quick change.

At 1:40 Luza shows up. With her friend Yenny. We talk a bit in the hallway.

It's fun, she sweet. We laugh a lot and generally have a very nice time. She's a wee pixie of a girl at 5'2". I'm 6'4" so the first words out of her mouth when she see me, are, "Madre de Dios, muy Grande.... Muy Grande... Grande Grande Grande Grande". She then proceeds to put herself next to me, realizing that her head doesn't come much above my armpit. We put hands together, her hands are tiny compared to mine. She's beautiful. She's polite and tells me I'm "hermosa." I laugh cause I know it's not true, but she does her best to convince me.

I invite them, both up to the room. We order room service and start to chat. This is not easy because neither of them speak much English. And I don't speak much Spanish, but with the help of my little pocket Eng/Spn dictionary we manage to get the point across. Much of this conversation occurs over lunch where we proceed to exchange language lessons. Chicken-pollo, Pork-Cerdo, Beef -Vacca. Papa amarillo- Potato.

Then we start to make plans. I'm going to go to Palmira with her and Yenny. We're going to her home, meet her parents, her sisters. I tell her, I'm glad to spend the next three days with her and her family. However, I need to return to Cali by Sunday night as I have an early morning flight on Monday. She understands and agrees. She then proceeds to help, no change that, proceeds to pick out which clothing she thinks is appropriate for travel to Palmira. Which pants, which shirts, which things are good. What she thinks I will need. That's fine by me, I'm willing to sit back and see who and what she picks and what makes sense.

We argue a bit about my hat. It's a Tilley hat. For those of you who don't know a Tilley hat is a canadian hat made to be durable and sturdy, but not very stylish. She objects, I explain I need it for the sun. She points out it's cloudy. I try to explain that it doesn't matter UV light can cut through the clouds and I'm very fair skinned and burn easily. Try doing that with someone who doesn't understand your language. Woo boy.. but in the end she relents. What she is not willing to relent on is my shoes. It's clear that she thinks my Good Balance walking shoes and the socks that go with them are not going to cut in in Cali or Palmira. She claims that everyone there wears sandals and that I need a pair.

After a bit of back and forth we agree to go to ChimiChanga shopping district to buy me some sandals. It's a quick cab ride, and I watch the world go buy trying to figure out how crazy this is all seeming, but how even so I'm just really loving it.

Finally we get to the mall, we wander around a bit, she and I and Yenny. We manage to find a set of sandals that I can live with and that she thinks aren't horrible. The price is right, another 20,000COP. I look for Coffee, and am struck when we finally end up at the Juan Valdez Cafe, at how coffee in Colombia is more like Expresso. How everyone drinks coffee with sugar, except me of course, and how crazy everyone thinks I am because I put cream in my coffee. Good fun all around.

We wander through a department store. Window shopping mostly. I pick up a few small things and once we're done it's time to head back to the hotel. We make a quick stop, she wants to go to McDonald's. By this time it's now Friday afternoon, after 5PM and McD's is packed. I mean packed with people. The line is going to be at least 20 minutes to order and get food. Personally I feel McDonalds is one of America's toxic exports. She clearly thinks McD's is the next best thing to heaven. I make a deal. I'll take her to McDonalds another time, but not today as the line is too damn long. She reluctantly agrees. We grab a cab and it's back to the hotel for us.

At the hotel we're back to the room, I had brought a few gifts for her and her family. I packed them, grabbed the bag she had packed for me. We're ready to go to Palmira.

The trip to Palmira is relatively uneventful. Again I have a basic idea of where I'm going because I've figured it out on Google Earth. So no big surprises. She sits in the back seat with Yenny. I sit in the front seat next to the driver. This is a pattern that repeats itself all through the trip. I'm a big guy. So I get the front seat. She and usually two or three other people sit in the back. It's a little awkward for me. I'd prefer to be sitting with her, but I also appreciate the extra room in the front seat. Taxi's in Colombia are tiny.. and I'm a big guy.


Tony