Post 66: Choroni to Caracas to Bogota to Cartagena + Day uno

F.A.,

11/19/11

It has been a few days since our last post here, for that I apologize. Our return journey to Caracas was another long one. We were both happy to have Gustavo as our driver again, as we very much enjoyed his company on the way to Choroni. The beginning of the drive was peaceful, as we rode through giant bamboo tunnels and the lush rain forest settings of Henry Pittier National Park. June slept in the car most of the way, and I held on for dear life as Gustavo flew around corners and repeatedly switched lanes to make our travel to Caracas quicker. The other side of the road was full of delays and we saw a very fatal looking car accident. Our only delay was getting into Caracas, where Gustavo pointed out all the barrios of the city and explained how houses are frequently washed away by rains.

The airport and customs leaving Venezuela was fairly simple. Our meal of the day was a little touch of home...Burger King, not our first choice, but something familiar. The flight to Bogota was a pleasant one, as it should have been for the price we paid. Upon arrival in Colombia, we went through the usual customs and immigration stuff before searching for our flight to Cartagena, which unfortunately was delayed by an hour.

Due to the delay, we didn't end up in the coastal city until well after midnight, even with the added half hour in time change. I found an ATM and prayed to god that Bank of America wouldnt lock me out again, luckily I was able to pull out all the money I needed for the cab ride and our lodging for the next 5 days at Makako.  We didnt know the exact address to our hostel, but with some luck, we were able to stop somewhere random where I was able to look up the address for the driver on a computer. When we finally arrived to what we thought was our hostel, we freaked out because there was a party going on, at a time when we only desired sleep. Luckily, we were directed down the street to much calmer confines.

11/20/11

Our first day in the beautiful Spanish colonial city of Cartagena was a great one. We spent the morning trying to figure out money and food for the next few days. We shopped at the local 'Exito' store, a massive grocery slash department store, full of modern appliances and food. Coming from the socialist land of Venezuela, it was a bit of a shock to see. The drastic difference between these neighboring nations is evident everywhere, and while Colombia is certainly not rich, the quality of life here seems far ahead of its neighbor.

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city, and exploring its outer walls. It reminded me of St. Augustine, Florida, another colonial Spanish city close to my heart that was built around the same time, though much smaller and less significant than the mighty Cartagena. We ate lunch at Pizza y Pasta, a traditional meal consisting of Soup, a Banana, Salad, Fried Plantain, Rice, Beans, and a choice of meat for less than $10 USD. It was nice not to eat fried everything, like in Venezuela. We must have gone around the old city 5 times, enchanted by the beautiful architecture, squares and great choice of street food abounding all around us.

In the evening we searched for an ATM, after which we had some pizza and beer while people watching at a local square. We got gellato before calling it a night so I could watch the MLS Cup (Congrats LA!) via a stream on the internet.

Today we are going to the Gold Museum (Museo del Oro) and the giant Catillo de San Felipe de Barajas, and hopefully we will figure out what the rest of the week has in store for us. We are still unsure where to go after we depart Cartagena.

Gavin

P.S.: please check our prior post for some photos. We will try to add more as soon as possible, and even some videos as well. Thank you!