Cartagena - Islas del Rosario

We set the alarm for 7am because we had to be at the travel agent at 8 to catch the bus - min-bus actually - to Playa Blanca. The journey was about an hour, we stopped briefly to take on food and water. I made a point of leaving my bank cards in the hotel safe so I simply had 140mils for our expenses. We knew that we would have to pay for the oceanarium but I didn't expect to have to pay much more. The lunch was included in the price. So I gave all my cash to Nini. That was funny because at one stage I had to ask her for 1mil to visit the toilets! It is good if there is a money limit otherwise it is all too easy to visit a cajero for more cash. I am spending a lot of money for sure. But the cost of living is so much cheaper here than in Europe so I am not spending significantly more than I would do if I was on holiday in the Canaries on my own. But I am paying for 3 or even 4 people sometimes!

This was the boat from Playa Blanca to the island. The sea was calm on the way out so the boat was able to go at top speed which was very impressive. The voyage was about 25 minutes.Coming back, not so calm, me neither!

We disembarked and quickly I realised that the island was totally occupied by the oceanarium. We had to pay extra for that, 25 mils each but it was well worth it. The location is spectacular, truly tropical with exotic and very large birds wheeling above in the thermals.

The guide took us around various pools which contained a variety of fish. One was full of sharks, the guide called them "cat sharks" but I will look up the correct name later. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and the boat was due to pick us up an hour after arrival but it was a little late. Nini bought a shell from a guy in a boat..

For the boat trip back, Nini chose a seat at the front of the boat, with no shade from the sun. But the big problem was the sea. By now it was quite choppy but the driver didn't really let up very much on the speed. Maybe he was in a hurry to pick up another load of people. I was getting alarmed, each time we dropped down from a wave, the boat shuddered violently. And so did my spine with no cushioning in the glass fibre seat. I motioned to the driver to slow down. In the end, he stopped and I swapped seats with someone from further back in the boat where the shock of the waves is far less. I am sure they all thought I was being pathetic but, really, I didn't care. Stupid things like that happen on holiday, in different cultures where they don't recognise such dangers. I was seriously worried about the violent compressions that were going through my spine.

We spent a wonderful time on the beach, swimming and sunbathing. I am trying to persuade Nini to swim but she is not interested. I got chatting to a Colombian guy who knew well the area of Spain where I live and Nini was content to splash around in the waves.

We returned in the bus to Cartagena at 4pm which left us with about two hours to relax in the hotel and have a meal - KFC! - before going back to the travel agent at 8pm to catch the disco bus.

The bus contained a band and also a supply of the regular Colombian poison, Aguadiente (Tooth water, literally) which is about 38% alcohol with an aniseed flavour. We stopped of at a square for a few beers and toured around the city, shouting insults to other similar buses.

The final stop at around 11pm was a discotheque where we were due to spend an hour before being taken back to our hotels. Nini tried smuggling a bottle of Aguadiente into the disco in the top of her bra despite our pleas that it wasn't allowed. She soon got caught out and she was presented with a bill for 90mils which is about 30 euros for a bottle of "legal" Aguadiente. And guess who paid for it! I wasn't very happy about that because it was rather foisted on me. Things got worse. The small group for whom I had provided alcohol more or less ignored me and when it came to the time to leave in the bus, Nini wanted to stay. We were in a strange city, late at night, we had both been drinking, I had no idea where we were. I insisted that we returned to the hotel in the bus. This caused a big argument. We returned in the same bus but she sat at the back, away from me.

When we got back to the hotel, she went with three other girls to drink Aguadiente at a table in a bar next to the hotel. I was angry with her and didn't hide it. After a short while, I went back to the hotel because I was tired and didn't want to drink any more alcohol. But I didn't sleep, no surprise there. Nini came back at 3am. The argument continued with me desperately trying to repair the realtionship, she in the bed, me sitting on the side. I think I went back to my bed around 4am.


I slept a little more after my breakfast, while Nini watched cartoons on the TV.
 
It required all my efforts to re-make the relationship when we were at the airport. We did it with a hug. But the relationship was doomed. What does one expect when money is the major factor?

The flight was about 30 minutes late but very soon we were back in Pereira. We had a quick meal at the airport and Nini went off to pick up her daughter from where she was being taken care of.

I think I got about 2 hours sleep last night so I was glad to get back to my apartment and get some rest. It is crazy really, going out with a girl of 23, dressed to kill (I bought the dress... and the bra!) with no possibility of anything physical. It is a kind of torture as you can imagine...... But lots of fun. Just watch the video! I am more than happy spending days with her, it is different at night when it is like a date but, of course, it is nothing of the sort. In case you wondered, I never imagined anything other than that. Hey, dream on, Steve!

Cartagena - day one, a tour of ancient buildings. Plus the beach, of course!

So, we are now in the morning of 16th December! I think this is the first time I have celebrated Christmas in anything other than a cold climate. Last year, I was in Ukraine and that was cold for sure! So, in the heat of Cartagena - much warmer than Pereira - I found it strange to see Christmas decorations and to hear carols in the music in supermarkets. We took a taxi and Nini had the idea of paying the driver to take us to one or two locations. Sure, we could have taken the tourist bus which would have been cheaper but we only had two days. Nini said that she was more interested in buildings than the beach.

The photo shows the area called Bocagrande which is where our hotel was situated.

We went first of all to La Popa which appears rather like a monastery on the top of a hill (I took the photo from La Popa). In fact it was a centre for worship of the Devil!



After la Popa, our taxi took us to las Fortificaciones de Cartagena, a fort designed to repel the evil British who arrived in a large fleet in the 16th Century. I'm not sure of my facts here so I will update this post from Wikipedia!! There is an absolute rabbit's warren of tunnels inside the fortificaciones, it is a good thing that we had a guide otherwise we would stll be there. I wrote this on Monday 19th, the day after we got back. After we left our taxi, we went to a centre commercial (shopping mall) for some lunch and then went back to the hotel. I wanted to swim in the hotel pool and Nini came too, but just watched my sinuous (or is is sensuous?) stroke from a lounger. We soon got bored and decided to go to the beach which is where we spent the rest of the day. Nini had a massage but I won't publish the photos here to save her blushes.

Lots of photos of Nini but I'm not in love, honest! For sure she is physically attractive to me but she is my friend, so I have to put aside any impure thoughts. I would not have come here if I had not met her in the first place. So I have her to thank for that. I am sure my main attraction is money; trips to places which otherwise she could only dream about. But it is more than that, I am part of her family now. They seem to like me, her mum, her sister Luisa. Nini has a strong, proud personality which is not always easy to handle but I have enormous respect for her.

On our way back from the beach, we met a girl outside a travel agent with a brochure of exactly what I had planned for the next day. I had simply in my mind, "the islands". What the excursion included was a bus to Playa Blanca to the south of Cartagena, a boat to the island of Sta Marta where there is an oceanarium. And then we booked a night on a disco-bus.

After a shower in the hotel, we went out for a meal, an Italian restaurant, very expensive with awful wine. And in the next post I write about our two excursions...

Thursday 15th - A Party and a Flight!

Today was Sebastian's birthday, he is the son of Luisa. So we went to the finca where Luisa and Didier look after their herd of cattle and the farm. I met Nini and Brandon in Cuba and we went to pick up the cake. Part of the icing was bright red!

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......

Wednesday 14th - quiet day

Phew, this has been non-stop up till now! Most days I am out with the family but today is a day on my own and tomorrow Nini and I go to Cartagena.

I even had the luxury of a glass or two of wine at lunch-time. Tomorrow is Sebastian's birthday and I will write about that in the next post!

Tuesday 13th - Salento

Read the comments below, they are very interesting!

Today, we went to Salento which is a picturesque town up in the hills, a one hour bus journey from Pereira. We (Nini, Sofia, Brandon, Luisa and her two children) all met at the bus station and I paid for all of us. 35 mils which by now you will know is just over 10 euros. So you can see why I am happy to pay for theses things. They have very little money and the euros that I bring here has great value.

There are dozens of arts and crafts shops, that is what Salento is famous for.

We were approached by a not-very-smart guy with a mobile phone offering horse riding. Nini started negotiating with him but I felt uncomfortable about it. Mainly because I felt I was at risk of losing control of the situation. So I said, "no". I wanted to see a kiosk, literature, a map. Lots of long faces! We walked back to the square and to the coffee shop where we had been earlier. The family sat outside and I went in and asked about horse-riding. And there in the shop was a guy, a regular, wearing riding boots, professional looking. Perfect! I soon agreed a price and he led us across town to the stables where he ran his company. The two young girls sat in front of their mothers and young Sebastian had his own horse. Nini had never ridden a horse before but it was obvious that Brandon had ridden before because he was always charging ahead but with little Estefania in his lap.

We trekked up a road and then along a path up the side of a hill. The views were wonderful. We stopped at a waterfall to take photos and then turned around back down the road. In the distance

was an ominous curtain of rain and it was coming our way. So the last 25 minutes of our trek were under a downpour. Each horse was equipped with a cape which kept the top part of us dry but I could feel the water running down my trousers into my shoes. Poor little Estefania was not very happy, hidden under her mother's cape.

It was ironic because I was wearing my Mulla't tee shirt. Mulla't is catalan for "get yourself wet" but it actually refers to a swimming pool and not a rain storm.

When we got back into town, we dismounted at the first restuarant we came to and our guide led all the horses back to the stable. We had lunch together and guess who paid? My dear friends have very little money so I don't mind. That is what I intended. I am sharing my good fortune which actually dates back to the 80s and 90s when my pension pot was increasing at a regular pace. And when I reached 60, the annuity rates were very generous by today's standards so my two private pensions were pegged to about £700 per month, for the rest of my life. Add to that, my State Pension and the exchange rate between the euro and the Colombian peso and you will see that I am very happy to support my family in Colombia, just as I do in Ukraine and the Philippines.

After the meal, we wandered around the shops and then caught the bus back to Pereira. We had pre-booked just to make sure we had places.

Monday 12th - the Circus comes to town!

More shopping! I promised to buy Nini clothes for our visit to Caratgena on Thursday and we ended up in Falabella which rather like H&M or Bershka (there is a Bershka here but it is quite expensive).

Nini bought a beautiful white dress, the material quite thin. Many men are expert on womens' clothes so I made sure she bought  a white bra to wear under it! We bought a bikini and a black dress to wear over it. When I say "Nini bought", I am sure you know what I mean. More about that dress later, in Cartagena!

In the evening we went to a circus which was in town during December. Nini and Sofia and mama, and Luisa with her two children. While we were queueing to go in, a woman and a small child offered us two promotional tickets but I was sure it was a little scam, nothing too serious. Something like 2 euros. I have forgotten what I paid for our whole group but it probably would have bought one ticket to the circus it the UK!

The show had some good acts but one act went on far two long. But it was quite impressive. There were two brothers in smart grey suits (would you buy a car from this man?), one in the arena looking away and the other interviewing members of the audience. The brother in the arena was able to describe the audience member but also their date of birth. Well, I believe in miracles but I don't believe anyone can tell when I was born. But for sure I don't know how they did it.

During the interval, one of the men did palm-reading for 10 mils (3,50 euros). Nini, Luisa and mama went for it but I don't want some guy telling me what will happen in the future, I like to think that I have a measure of control over that. In other words, I don't believe in fate.

After the show, I was to take a taxi back to the apartment and the family planned to take a bus back home - in the opposite direction. But, three small children? And the circus half way along Avenida de las Americas, out of town. Nooo, I gave them money for a taxi!

Sunday 11th - Cuba. No, not that Cuba!

Cuba is a suburb of Pereira and it is close to where Nini and her family live. It's where they do most of their shopping. So we spent much of the day wandering around the town, we bought shoes for one or two of the family as Christmas presents. And apart from the, there is not much to say about the day! Sorry! I will write more when it comes to mind.

Taxis are very cheap and the drivers very friendly. And most ask me what I think about Colombia. But it is a question tinged with pride, because all the Colombians that I meet have pride in their country. And my aswer is always very positive, I like Colombia a lot, the people in general are cheerful and friendly. For sure there are places not to visit but, in general it is like any other city in the world.