Whitey's Barranquilla Trip Report: July2009

[Whitey]

OK, here goes ... my first trip report! This one is for you Micky, for shaming me into it.

I hope you all enjoy it ... there's not much drama since we're in a committed relationship and things are going great so far. If nothing else, newbies and those still searching for a great Colombiana can take heart that there are fantastic women out there. If this gets too boring, maybe I'll take a little creative license and throw in some dwarves or car chases. ;-)

But first, a little background: this was my fourth trip to Colombia, all within the last 10 months. I met my (now) novia online through a mutual friend 19 months ago, with the intention of practicing my Spanish, meeting someone new, and learning about the culture of a country my friend really enjoyed visiting (he was in a relationship with a woman from Barranquilla at the time). I'm 46 with an 18 year old daughter; Nazly is in her early 30's with no kids. If you're interested you'll find more information on how we met here in the A Little About Us section: A little about us!

I live about 2.5 hours from the Detroit airport. I always fly out of Detroit because Spirit Airlines offers the lowest fares I've been able to find with a good schedule. I can fly out at 6:30am and be in Cartagena by 12:30pm ... at least that's how it's supposed to work ... but more on that later! I'm all about cheap with a good schedule ... I'd much rather spend my money in Colombia than on a seat in a plane that's pretty much the same as a seat on any other airline as far as I'm concerned.

Many people slag Spirit because you have to pay for checked luggage ($15) and food/drinks ($3 for a coke), but I'd much rather pay an additional $18 each way than several hundred dollars more. I usually pay around $620 round trip including all taxes and luggage. Flying out of Toronto for instance would likely cost between $800 and $1200. An easy decision for me, Sr. Tacano! But I digress ... ;-)

This was our itinerary for the trip:

- Friday: fly into Cartagena, take Puerta-a-Puerta to BAQ, stay the night at Nazly's house
- Sat, Sun, Mon: rented apartment on the beach in el Rodadero
- Tues-Fri: stay at the Hotel Blvd 58 in BAQ - Nazly has to work
- Sat-Sun: Cartagena
- Monday: fly back home :-(

Well, it didn't quite work out that way. My 6:30am flight sat on the tarmac until about 7:30am ... some kind of computer glitch. They eventually tow the plane back and the techs reboot the computer and we're off the ground around 8:00am. The only problem is that I have a connecting flight in Ft Lauderdale to Cartagena, with only a 1.25 hour layover. So, there's no way I'm going to make my connection. And I know that Spirit only flies to Cartagena once per day and I've missed it ... what I didn't know at this point was that they don't fly the next day (Saturday). So, I'm starting to get a little bummed out because I'm thinking I'll miss a day with Nazly. Also, we have a deposit down on the apartment in el Rodadero which is 4 hours from Cartagena by bus, so instead of getting there in the afternoon it will be late at night ... more bad news.

Upon arriving in Ft Lauderdale, I head over to the Spirit ticket counter and line up to be re-routed ... with all the other happy campers who have missed their connections to Cartagena, Bogota, Guatamala, etc. I usually love the Spirit terminal in Ft Lauderdale ... it's packed full of Colombians, and this is the point when I really begin to feel my trip has begun. Damn I love the way they look and dress ... no sweat pants and baggy t-shirts to be found here! But this time I'm not enjoying the view ... I've got problems to deal with ...

Another flight had also been delayed that morning, so there were quite a number of us. And only one line serving us while about 10 lines served regular flyers. Needless to say the service wasn't very good or fast. Amongst the first to talk to the lone ticket agent was a large group of Colombian women and their kids (about 10 people) heading to Bogota. When they found out they missed the last/only flight and may have trouble getting on another airline, one of the women (clearly the Queen Bee or at least the one most po'd) starts yelling, waving her arms around, asking for a manager, and generally making a big fuss. This doesn't really seem to be an effective strategy, but is quite entertaining. For awhile that is, until 45 minutes later the line still hasn't moved because they're making a fuss.

Eventually this group is dealt with (I don't know how), and the line creeps forward. I make it up there about 2.5 hours later ... during this time I unpacked my laptop and sent Nazly an email at work to let her know that I wouldn't be making my flight and would let her know what was going on as soon as I knew. At this point, based on what was happening in front of me, I'm figuring on staying the night in some crappy hotel in Ft Lauderdale and then heading to CTG the next afternoon. That's when I find out Spirit isn't flying the next day and they don't know how they're going to get me to Colombia. And to make matters worse, a few lines over is a gorgeous Colombianita with her boyfriend who looks very much like Nazly (the girl, not the boyfriend ... hahahaha), only 10 years younger. Man I miss her! Only 10 days and I'm about to lose at least one!

What happens next? Will our intrepid hero make it to CTG? WHEN will he make it to CTG? What about the apartment in el Rodadero?

Stay tuned bat-friends ...

Whitey

[Jim]

Good luck Whitey,

4 trips in ten months. Sounds like you're getting to know each other pretty well.

Have you made any long term plans yet or is it still too early?

[Benjio]

Damn airlines.....keep it comin' Whitey.

[Whitey]

Hi Jim:

Yes, I'm lucky to have been able to travel so frequently this year ... I had a lot of vacation time built up, but it's all gone now.

For me it has been too soon to talk long term until the last month or so. Not because I have any more than the normal doubts, but because I was married for almost 20 years and am still not divorced. In Canada, you need to be separated for one year before you can begin the divorce process. In August it will be one year. I'm not going to propose to her until my divorce is behind me.

Ideally I didn't want to jump from one relationship to another so quickly ... better to have some time to adjust. But my marriage had been effectively over for 4 years, I wasn't seeking a relationship yet when I met Nazly, and I'm sure not going to close this door just because the timing isn't perfect.

Whitey

[Jim]

Effectively, you've had four years between relationships so I definitely don't think you'd be rushing into anything. Having lots of time to get to know each other and discuss what you each want can only be good and you have devoted much time to this.

Do you speak to each other in English or Spanish?

[Benjio]

Originally Posted by Whitey

For me it has been too soon to talk long term until the last month or so. Not because I have any more than the normal doubts....Whitey

I too had a lot of trouble even considering long term until recently, and my girlfriend and I will have been together for a year next month. We've started the visa process, but realistically, we will have been together two years before she steps one foot in the states...if everything works out of course.

I for one can't fathom how any man could make such an important decision in less time.

[Whitey]

Wow, the last week went by pretty fast. Guess I'd better write more before I forget everything ...

OK, so I'm still at the ticket counter in Ft Lauderdale, and things aren't looking good. Spirit doesn't fly to Colombia on Saturdays this time of year, and I was at the end of the line, so seats on the other available airlines are tight. I'm given a voucher for lunch, told they'll keep looking, and I should come back in an hour. Great. I look at the voucher ... $7 bucks ... woo hoo ...guess I won't be having the surf and turf!

After an hour, I come back to good news. I've got a seat on Avianca to Cartagena via Bogota tonight. I won't get in until 11:30pm, but at least I'll be in Colombia tonight! But this means a change of plans. I want to see Nazly tonight, and it doesn't make sense to spend the best part of Saturday on a bus to el Rodadero. So, I send Nazly an email, and ask her if she can meet me at the airport in Cartagena for the weekend. We'll have to give up our deposit on the apartment in Rodadero ($30.000), but after the day I'm having it's a very small price to pay.

Now that I know I'll be seeing Nazly in a few hours, I'm actually excited that I'll get to fly Avianca and see Bogota, if only from the air. Just my luck, I'm seated next to one of the only other gringos on the flight. Arghh! Why does this always happen to me?! The plane is loaded with beautiful Colombianas! Ah well, nice guy. We had a good talk, although I don't remember much. I couldn't decide between having a beer or a whiskey ... the steward, being Colombian of course, helped me with my decision. He gave me a triple shot of whiskey plus a beer to chase it down. I'm liking Avianca ... ;-)

Bogota looks beautiful at night, but the airport is messed up. I guess it's under repair, so we are bused from the plane to the airport, where there's a fairly long walk to the next gate where I'll eventually have to take another bus to the plane to Cartagena. I've got about 40 minutes, so I unpack the laptop, check my email, and sure enough Nazly will be on a puerta-a-puerta to Cartagena, and she's called our favourite hotel to book a reservation. We're all set!

Finally, I'm in Cartagena, and stepping off the plane I'm greeted by the warm tropical night ... it's feels great! A few minutes later, I spot Nazly, and she's got her usual beautiful smile for me. Her smile is the first thing that attracted me to her. It's beautiful, big and open, really lights up her face, but has just a hint of vulnerability ... that's Nazly.

We take a cab to our hotel ($10.000 I think) in the heart of the centro historico section of Cartagena. The hotel is called Los Balcones de Badillo (http://www.hotellosbalconesdebadillo.com/galerias.htm). It's small and cozy with a nice balcony off each room, has a rooftop terrace for breakfast, a 10 minute walk to anywhere in the walled part of the city, and about $150.000 per night taxes included which is not bad for Cartagena. I highly recommend it.

I'm not sure what happened next ... I think we debated the geo-political situation in Northern Africa for an hour or two and then fell asleep ...

[John Wayne]

Nice post Whitey......

Waiting for the rest of the story, of your adventure.....

[Whitey]

Thanks JW ... it's been awhile but next installment in a couple minutes ...

Jim, I realized I didn't answer your question about whether Nazly and I speak in English or Spanish.

We speak almost exclusively in Spanish, both in Colombia and when I'm in Canada. After all, we met because I wanted someone to practice Spanish with. But more than that, I'm a firm believer that if I'm going to spend time in a country, and especially if I'm going to have a relationship with a woman, I'd better learn the language and culture. Without this, my experiences can only be superficial, and I'm looking for something much richer.

Now that Nazly and I are seriously talking about our future together, I'm trying to speak/write a little more to her in English while I'm back home. But it's still only about 10% of the time. As things get closer to her moving here, that will have to shift to 50% or even higher for awhile, but my plan would be for us to have a bilingual home.

Whitey

[Whitey]

Days 2, 3, and 4

So it's our first day in Cartagena ...

Nazly and I slept in pretty late, but just manage to drag ourselves out of bed in time for the last call for breakfast. We've been to Cartagena together a couple of times before, so have already seen some of the major tourist attractions. Today we're feeling a little tired and happy just to spend time together, walking around the centro historico and checking out the beautiful colonial buildings, the sculptures, the squares, and the parks. For those of you who don't know it, this part of the city is entirely surrounded by huge fortified stone walls which were built to keep out invaders. It reminds me of la Habana Vieja, the old section of Havana that at one time was also walled. However, almost all of the centro historico section is beautifully restored, whereas only a small section of Habana Vieja is restored ... but that's part of the charm, right Cuba? ;-)

Anyhow, eventually we find our way to our favourite spot, Parque Simon Bolivar. It's a nice little treed park with lots of benches - a great place to escape the heat, rest, sip some tinto or drink something cold, feed the pigeons, and people watch. Afterwards, we wander around a little more until we find a restaurant that appeals to us, and share a meal. Nazly and I aren't big eaters (actually Nazly will often eat more for lunch than I) and Colombian portions are huge, so we almost always share a single meal between us for lunch and dinner. Ahh, dating in Colombia is so much cheaper than in Canada ... ya gotta love it ... except for the plane ticket and hotels of course!

We had a typical costeno lunch of fried fish, rice with coconut, and salad. I like to kid Nazly about eating parts of animals that most of us won't go near in Canada. One of her favourites is the eyes of the fish, so I take a picture of her eating it with a big smile, and afterwards she finally convinces me to sample the other one. I'll try just about anything once. I've got to say, the eye tasted just about exactly what you'd think an eye would taste like ... won't be trying that a second time!

After lunch, we booked a boat trip for the following morning to Isla Baru and Playa Blanca. I'm a gringo in Cartagena - time to start acting like one! Actually, it's mostly cachacos and paisas that we eventually see on the tour. I've heard mixed reports about the tour, so am not sure what to expect, but I'm ready to try and see something new. Most of the rest of the day was spent ... er ... talking ... so I'll fast forward to day 3.

Our boat leaves from the dock at 7:30am, so we're up early to head down to the pier. It was too early for breakfast at the hotel, so we grab a coffee and an arepa con huevo y carne on the pier and enjoy it while waiting in line to board the boat. The cost for the tour I think was $40.000 each (US$ 20), which included a $10.000 fee for the Port Authority. By boat, there are two choices to get to Playa Blanca - the large tour boat (called the Alcatraz ... I think there are 3 of them) and smaller, speedier speedboats (lanchas). I chose the bigger boat, because we were told the trip takes about an hour, and I was worried that Nazly would find the smaller boat too rough. Turns out this was a bad choice ... here's why:

We spend the first hour in line, then boarding the boat, then waiting for everyone else to board. Finally we're underway, and for the next hour it's pretty good. Colombians always know how to have fun, so even at 8:30am in the morning there's music blaring, beer/aguardiente/rum passed around, and a young guy and girl entertainment directors tell jokes and get everyone dancing. The (fake) strip tease contest for the guys was pretty hilarious, and we all had a good time cheering them on and voting for the winner.

Two and a half hours later, we're happy to reach shore, but it's only to stop off for an hour and a half at an aquarium. Neither of us are interested in seeing it, and there's no beach, so we're basically left to squat under some trees in the shade. Another couple hours by boat later and we're finally at Isla Baru and Playa Blanca. The beach looks large and beautiful, but it's mid afternoon and we're starving, so lunch first. I don't know how it happened, but Nazly and I end up at the back of the lunch line, with at least 200 people in front of us. This isn't looking good.

I spot a beach vendor with a cooler, and ask him (in Spanish) if he has any beers. He looks at me a little funny (I figure it's just my bad Spanish), but starts digging in his cooler and hands me a beer. I ask him how much, and he says nothing. Turns out he wasn't a beach vendor, but just someone else on the tour like me. Not too embarrassing ... but hey, at least I've got a beer to help me through the line.

About an hour and a half later, we're almost at the front of the line ... we can almost taste it ... when suddenly ton's of people start showing up out of the woodwork and butting in ahead of us. Those of you who know Colombia will be chuckling ... a few families seeing that they were at the back of the line kept one person in line as a placeholder, and everyone else went off to the beach. Through some secret method of telepathic communication, they knew just when to come back for lunch. But, I couldn't get too upset ... ya gotta go with the flow ... and turns out that half of them were the family of the guy that gave me the free beer!

Finally, we eat lunch, head off to the beach, and find a nice shady spot under a tree. After 10 minutes of relaxing and digesting, I'm ready for a swim and walk down to the water. I'm just about to jump in when I spot the launches carrying people out to our boat. No! It can't be! Yep, you guessed it ... time to head back. Two and a half hours later on the boat, we're back on the pier. I never did get that swim, and we only spent 10 minutes on the beach. Almost the entire day was spent on the boat. Sigh.

Needless to say, avoid this tour at all cost! Playa Blanca is worth the trip, but take the smaller speedboats. They are twice as fast and go directly to Playa Blanca without stopping at the aquarium.

Back to the hotel to rest and clean up for a late dinner. I'm in the mood for a hamburger at Corral, so we start wandering around in the general direction, but by the time we find it, it's closing for the night. Eventually we find this cool little hole in the wall pizza joint next to a little park, and eat pizza and drink a beer at these tiny tables next to the park. After dinner, we were planning to go to this great little bar/restaurant on top of the wall to dance called Cafe del Mar (http://www.cafedelmarcolombia.com/in...artid=7&page=1), but we're both too tired from our misadventures at sea and head back to the hotel.

Next morning, we're up just in time for breakfast, wander around a bit and spend some time in Parque Simon Bolivar, then there's just enough time for a quick lunch and packing before we head to Barranquilla. We always take puerta-a-puertas (10-12 person air-conditioned passenger vans) when traveling between cities on the coast. The cost is usually between $18.000 to $25.000 (US$9-13) each, depending on whether they are true door-to-door or whether you are dropped off at a central location.

While I like Cartagena, it's expensive and too full of gringos for me to want to stay more than a couple days. I'm happy to be leaving it in the rear view mirror to head to Barranquilla, where I can go for days without spotting any other gringos. Yep, I'm a gringo snob ... I love feeling like I'm the only gringo around ... hahaha ... although after a few days I'm usually dying to speak English to somebody for awhile!

OK, next post ... Barranquilla ... still awake out there ...?

Whitey