We then took the jeep to La Selva which is where the finca is situated. But we had to wait ages because we missed one at 10am and the next was at 12.
Nini is expert at creating balloon sculptures! In fact, it seems that Colombians in general like balloons!
We stayed till about 4pm and then went down to the main road for a jeep to take us back to Cuba. We waited for about an hour but finally one came along and we all bundled-in. There was another family which had also come at the same time.
Nini and I went back to her home where we had left our bags, we had some coffee and at 7pm Nini used the app on her phone to call for a taxi to the airport. Except that there was no reply. So we went up to the top of her street and waited for a taxi to pass by. We were very lucky because one came along almost immediately. As usual, Nini started chatting to the driver!
We arrived at the airport in a rain storm. Nini was admitting to being nervous, never having flown before and we took a seat in the departure lounge. I bought a fruit juice and she bought chewing-gum to help her nerves! In fact, our flight to Cartagena went on to New York so passengers were divided into two groups. We had arrived in plenty of time, partly thanks to the rapidly arriving taxi but finally we went through security. I have never in my life seen such thorough checks. There was an X-ray machine for sure but every bag was opened anyway and checked very closely. I had made the mistake of letting Nini buy sun-lotion in Pereira but without checking the size and unfortunately it was 130ml. Nini tried to charm her way through security but to no avail. So we had to buy some more in Cartagena.
The flight was delayed for 40 minutes so it was 10.15pm when we boarded the plane. I had given Nini the window seat and on my other side was a woman who was clearly nervous and chatting to me and Nini. She was funny, she insisted on holding my hand as we took off. Nini took it in her stride as one would expect. Confidence she has in abundance.
The flight was just one hour, so we arrived in the hotel, The Holiday Inn Express, at getting on for midnight. We debated about going to find some food but Nini snuggled down into her bed and was soon close to sleep. I did the same. The beds were fantastically comfortable, very large. I was worried that I would snore during the night and wake Nini but she sleeps well and didn't hear a thing. When I shared a room with Marina in Pisa, she said that when I snored, I reminded her of her grandmother!
So, we woke to a bright, part-cloudy morning, very warm and, after breakfast decided what to do.
And the next post is all about our days in Cartagena......
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