And away I go...
- jill
- Nov 12, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 18, 2020
The trip begins as it often does...anxiously. Couldn't sleep the night before...and woke with a nervous stomach. Looking at my kittens gets me choked up. Got to the airport and through security fairly quickly...then grabbed a bagel from Einstein's. The flight to Ft Lauderdale was uneventful (btw, the girl next to me orders CHAMPAGNE to drink at 630 in the morning).
My friend Chris was waiting for me when I arrived, and he took me to "lunch" (way too early for him, but i've been up since 330am), and we caught up for a couple of hours. It was so very good to see him. Now another couple of hours to wait for the flight to Cartagena.
I watched two women try to jump the line when boarding began...but they actually got turned away by the crew (I'm already loving Jet Blue). Unfortunately, they wind up being my seat mates, and one of them had on EXTREMELY strong perfume...and the other needed to go to the bathroom (I sit on the aisle), and when she got back she stood in the spot where I needed to stand to let her back in. She just STOOD there like *I* was doing something wrong. I finally had to ask her to move so I could stand up. Sheesh.
Finally arrive. When I headed outside, my car wasn't there (I booked a transfer to my airbnb through Jet Blue), so I wandered around looking for someone who looked like they could help. I finally spot a guy in a shirt with the name of the company providing my ride...but he isn't there for me. Through some broken English and a woman who could translate a bit, he calls his company and they work out something and a car finally arrives.
The drive into the city is a beautiful one along the beach. Even with clouds (which will basically follow me for the next couple of weeks) and the sun setting, it is stunning. My airBNB host Omaira is very nice (but speaks almost no English, so we communicate by speaking into Google Translate). I have my own room and bathroom, which is nice. The bed, however, is SUPER hard. I spend the next few nights trying to find a position that doesn't hurt--including putting clothes and towels between me and the mattress (spoiler alert: I never find the right position). Best part? The view from the balcony.
There is a SIM card store on the ground floor of the apartment building, so I get that taken care of, and head across the street to a restaurant called Riquisimo BBQ and order some chicken empanadas and a beer. They are delicious, and I feel much better after some real food (not to mention they have a cat hanging out). I head back to my room and get in bed--early day tomorrow and LOTS of walking.
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