Today was… eventful.

Laura and I arrived in Cartagena, Colombia yesterday afternoon after flying on our first South American airline, Avianca. It was THE BEST flight! We had English television and spacious seats and the service was excellent. Colombia has been so impressive.

We arrived by taxi to our adorable little hotel in Bocagrande called Hotel San Pietro. It´s about 30 minutes outside the city and a mere 3 minute walk from the beach. We absolutely love it! The weather is extremely hot and humid; nothing like Bogota. We are extremely thankful for our A/C… that´s for sure. We’re also big fans of our roof top hammocks. Now I really feel like I’m on vacation!

Today we decided to take a boat tour to the Isla del Rosario, which are 27 islands just off the coast of Cartagena… or at least I think so. We actually don´t really know what we´ve seen since we appear to be the only white females in the city. All the other tourists are from Colombia as well so the tour was led completely in Spanish… great!

Our first stop was on an island where we could take an optional visit to an Aquarium. We didn´t want to pay the extra to see what looked like the worst aquarium in existence so we opted to bake in the sun instead. We had to push away some pesky vendors for a while but they mostly left us alone. More boats arrived throughout the morning and we watched as idiotic tourists proceeded to buy raw seafood from the sketchy vendors on the dock. When is that ever a good idea? Do you really want raw shrimp that badly?

Fortunately, we made friends with the most adorable Colombian family in the whole wide world who ended up saving our lives later that day.  And then, we met the day´s entertainment… the oddest couple you could imagine. First, meet Daniel: a middle-aged, overweight, gay flight attendant from Miami. He complained about pretty much everything but won us over with his hilarious comments and unique charm… oh and Laura enjoyed having the company of a fellow red head. Then, meet Luis: a native Ecuadorian, gypsy/flight attendant who agreed to travel with Daniel and act as his translator.

Once we arrived at our afternoon destination, Playa Blanca, we spent the whole afternoon chatting with our new amigos. Luis speaks 6 languages and has been to virtually every country in existence. In short… I want to be Luis. We found a secluded spot on the gorgeous white beach and floated in the warm Caribbean ocean for hours. It was so wonderful.

Playa Blanca

On our walk back to the boat… Laura and I were standing with Daniel as we got harrassed by more vendors selling goods that I wouldn´t even donate to MCC. Daniel then proceeded to auction Laura and I off to one young and unsuspecting vendor. “Which one of these lovely ladies would you like? We have Miss Vancouver and Miss Toronto over here.” The vendor quickly decided to vacate the premise. Daniel was an expert at giving the locals a hard time.

The boat ride back was also an experience. Our motor boat was driving so fast that we crashed up and down on every wave. Laura was continually splashed with water as we went so that provided some humor… although I´ll definitely need to see a chiropractor when I get home.

The worst part of our day was once we got back to the main dock. All of the other guests on our boat magically disappeared and we were left standing in our towels, without a guide, without a bus, and completely clueless. Hmm… we wandered around the “terminal” aimlessly until we stumbled upon our favourite little Colombian family who we promised to email pictures to when we got home. They didn´t speak any English but they understood that we were clearly lost. They offered to share a cab with us and tried to explain to the driver where our hotel was. We found it thanks to my amazing ability to remember the two intersecting streets at the corner by our hotel. I am no longer directionally challenged!!!! Anyways, we were never so relieved to see our room again and to shower away the salt. However, Laura was left looking like a little lobster.

We decided to treat ourselves after our long ordeal and waited till the sun went down to take a lovely stroll to Crepes & Waffles. This restaurant was so gorgeous. We sat on the outdoor patio and I had waffles with Arequipe (like caramel) and Bananas. Laura had a vegetarian pita. We were both so satisfied! Ice cream has become a nightly tradition in Cartagena.

Well, the Internet lineup is growing so I better vacate my seat. Miss you all but I am having the time of my life!