destination Atlanta before our flight to Cartagena. Thanks to some good luck and good
fortune I was upgraded to first class. Upon arrival at the airport we negotiated and
finagled our way into acquiring a companion pass for Mike to join me at the front of the
plane. (Rich had made the economical/looking back at it dumb decision to fly Spirit
airlines). As we boarded the plane we wanted to take full advantage of being first class
passengers and washed our breakfast quiche down with a few man-mosas. As the flight
attendants prepared to land we asked for another drink only to be denied. However, to
our delight our air hostess Megan hooked us up with another man-mosa to get us
through the landing process. After arriving in Atlanta we were hoping Mike would luck
out and get upgraded for the second leg. After speaking with the gate agent she
assured us we wouldn't be as lucky this time around. Alas delta pulled through and back
in first class we flew. Our 3 course meals and drinks had us drinking the proverbial kool
aid and dreaming of the high life. The Colombia immigration line is where we ran
into Rich and now our trip was ready to take on Colombia. Unlike our high flying first
class flight,Rich had flown Spirit airlines where you were charged for EVERYTHING,
even a cup of water.
From the airport we went to El Viajero Hostel our home base
during our time in Cartagena and a $4 taxi from the airport was our transport there.
Stopping at red lights was naturally only a suggestion as our cab weaved through traffic
with complete disregard for lanes. Ironically he refused to bring us anywhere but the
front door. Our first room fortunately was a private triple where we took a quick rest and
enjoyed the air conditioning on an otherwise sweltering hot day. We wanted to get
acquainted with the city and took to the streets of Old City. We wandered through the
Narrow streets lined with colorful homes draped in flowers passing a few of the sights
marked on our map.
Being the gringos in shorts and t shirts made us stick out pretty
badly. We were continuously offered good and services by vendors on the street. John
the fixer was the most memorable offering anything under the sun with broken promises
and lies of living in New York where no one knows him. A much needed nap back at the
hostel restored or energy right before sundown. Rich and I grabbed a few Aguilas from
the super market and we headed to watch the sunset. Staking out a spot on top of the
wall in a cannon portal we watched as the sun sank into the Caribbean with views of the
business district in the distance.
To be Colombihonest we were in no rush to leave. We
made new friends atop the wall as we learned about Ingrids trials and tribulations of a
traveling boat saleswoman. We parted ways and headed back to the hostel. After
debating how much we wanted to turn the dial up on just our first night in Colombia. Our
bottle of James Dowell made the decision for us. Our rooftop dinner in Getsemani (or as
Corey pronounced it Get-some-money) lined our stomachs and the fireworks in the
distance filled our eyes. Media Luna hostel is the jumping off point for all things
Wednesday and we joined in on the fun. Although we weren't allowed to join the band
our requests of the stanky leg were taken but never fulfilled.
No comments:
Post a Comment