Cartagena, Columbia so far...

Clock tower and main entrance through the wall to the Historic Center

Wow, once again it is crazy how fast time flies. It´s hard to believe that I have been here in Cartagena now for two weeks already! A lot has happened in those two weeks, most notably the fact that I have been taking Spanish classes every day, as well as salsa lessons a couple of times a week. I have been enjoying the salsa the most, and was told today, on my last day, that I have improved immmensely over the course of the four lessons I have taken. That was especially nice to hear since the Spanish is not going so well. At least I can feel I am making progress in one area! Before I go into more about the Spanish, let me talk a bit about Cartagena.

Fruit ladies

I flew all the way here from Berlin back on August 4th. The journey took 20 hours, and besides the obvious issues that arise from such a lengthly trip, everything went well. First I flew from Berlin to Miami. It was pretty hard to land in the U.S. and know that I couldn´t stay. I admit I got a little teary when the plane touched down. Everyone else was clapping (Europeans do that - it is kind of funny to me but generally a nice way to say thanks for being back on solid ground again), and I was wiping away my tears. The sadness was short-lived though, because I realized that if I really wanted to, I could forget the rest of my journey and buy a ticket home right at that moment. Of course, no matter how good that idea sounded, I knew that it wasn´t time yet, and that I wasn´t ready to go home until I completed the next five months. Also, my mind was taken off of my self-pity by having to go through immigration and customs, and then to the ticket counters at the front of the airport to check in again because I had a multiple-airline ticket. That was pretty frustrating because when I got to the counter and checked in, the guy asked me if I had proof of onward travel out of Columbia. I did not, but had read that this might happen. Apparently, the airlines get fined by Columbian immigration if no proof can be shown when asked upon arrival. I had also read that no one in Columia ever asks for that information, so I tried really hard to not buy that ticket. He basically told me that I had to, and although I also tried to get him to look for one on the cheaper side of the spectrum, he assured me that it would be 100% fully refundable, so it didn´t matter. Needless to say, I have still been struggling to get that refund! I went to the Copa Airlines office here in Cartagena when I arrived, as the guy in Miami had told me to do. They said they were not able to help me, and that I would have to go back to the place that I purchased the ticket to get the refund! Well, since I have no plans to ever return to Miami, that was not an option. I made my first ever skype landline phone call to the toll-free Copa number, which turned out to be in Panama City. The guy there also told me that I would have to go through the Miami office, and gave me the email of the head of the department there. She and I exchanged a couple of frustrating (on my end) emails back and forth before she finally just told me that she would process my refund. I am still waiting for that to happen. I did nicely mention to her though, that I am currently on a trip around the world and cannot afford to buy plane tickets that I won´t be using! The next time that happens, I will be better prepared and have some sort of solution, such as an onward ticket that I actually plan on using.

Sunset over the Caribbean :)

In Miami, it was fun to be able to use a pay phone (at least the one that eventually worked and didn´t eat my precious quarters!) to call home and talk to my dad and sister. If I had had more time, I would have made more phone calls. Next, I flew to Panama City, and then on to Cartagena. When I landed, I was greeted with a rush of tropical hot and humid weather. It was so hot, even at ten o´clock at night! The airport was shutting down, so once I got my bag and went through the checks (which were very easy, and no, they did not ask for proof of onward travel!), I found an ATM and got some pesos out. I asked a couple of airport employees that were standing around if they knew of a bus I could take to the center of the old town. They said buses didn´t run anymore, and that it wasn´t very safe around there anyway, and that it would be better to take a taxi. When I walked outside to look for one, I had such a nice experience to welcome me to this country! I was walking towards a yellow car that looked like it could be a taxi, and another employee from the airport came up to me and asked in good English if he could help me. I told him that I was looking for a taxi and where I wanted to go. Some of his friends came up and pretty soon I had about 5 or 6  people all helping me. They basically flagged down a taxi, made sure he knew where he was taking me, opened the door for me and helped me and my big pack get in, made sure of the price so I wouldn´t get ripped off, and waved me on my way. Really, it was amazing to have that be my first experience in a new and strange country, especially when I was so tired and wary. I got to the hostel and the girl working there was waiting for me, and called me by name, since I had made a reservation online. Of course then I basically went straight to bed.

Famous Fat Lady statue that seems to be one of the symbols of the city

For the next day or so, I wandered around Cartagena in a zombie-like state. The heat was oppressive, and a huge change from the cold and rainy Berlin that I had just left. I couldn´t last for very long outside before I would have to go back to the hostel to cool off. I think the heat index was over 100 degrees those first several days, and while the days since have all been hot, I don´t think they have been as hot as it was then. The old city here, which is where I was staying then, is surrounded by really thick old walls that used to protect it. The walls are so thick that you can walk and bike on them. There is also a cafe with a great atmosphere and view of the ocean and the awesome Caribbean sunsets that we have spent a few nights at. The buildings inside the walls are really beautiful, with a colonial style of architecture and amazing balconies with flowers, plants, and bougainvillea covering them.

A lot of the buildings are also painted bright colors, so the overall feel is just really quiant and unique. I had been hoping that there would be a beach nearby that I could enjoy, especially during the hot afternoons, but there isn´t. The ocean is near, but the shore is rocky, and the closest beach would be a long walk. By the time I emerged from my jet-lag funk, I realized that I should have looked into Spanish schools on Friday. I started researching them on Saturday, and walked all the way to the main one, but it was closed by then. So, on Monday morning I got up early and walked back over there to see if it was possible to get in last-minute. I really didn´t expect to be able to, but when I walked in and asked, they handed me a test and told me to go take it! Having never taken a Spanish class before, of course there was really no point in me even taking the exam, but I understand it was protocol. She took one look at my test and started telling me that I had "mucho problemas" with everything, with which I wholeheartedly agreed. At first they told me they didn´t have a class for me since I might be the only beginner, but then they put another girl with me, and it turned out that she was from Boulder, Colorado! Angie and I became fast friends and were happy to be in the same class. She had taken two years of Spanish in high school, so was really more advanced than me, but it was awhile ago and she needed to be refreshed anyway.

Awesome huge doorway

I am going to continue with more about my Spanish classes, and life in Cartagena, in the next post. Just wanted to get started and let you all read about at least some of my experiences in the past couple of weeks. Now I have to go take a cold shower (which actually feels amazing once you get used to it, because the rest of every day is spent sweating profusely...including the part immediately after taking the shower) to prepare to sweat some more while salsa dancing! I still really appreciate the comments and messages, which have slowed way down lately, so please let me know that you all are still out there and reading this!

The signature hats of Cartagena