Thursday moning I slept in and then got ready to meet Lorenzo, the real captain who works with Mike Crawford. EP had called in the morning and came over to my apartment for a few minutes. We were sort of sharing a washer / dryer in my apartment. In our conversation we agreed to all go with Lorenzo to the port captain's office to file a complaint about the prior day's boat switch.
Lorenzo met us in my apartment at about 11am and we all took a taxi to the center of town, just outside the old city. It was interesting seeing this part of Cartagena. There were manny street vendors with tables set up with their wares. At the government office we surrendered our ID and received visitor's badges. Unfortunately we learned the person we needed to speak with was at lunch until 2pm. EP, his girl and I decided to walk into the old city for lunch.
We walked to plaza santo domingo and took a a table near one of the restaurants. EP talked with his girl while I flirted with a pretty waitress named Daisy. Unfortunately she had a boyfriend and was not interested in seeing me later. I decided to call a girl I had met on a previous trip. I had a list of phone numbers on my cell phone which I got from several sources, (Amor de Cartagena, my last trip, and e-mails from friend on some other forums). I called a few people before finding a girl who wanted to have dinner with me Thursday night.
After drinks in plaza santo domingo we walked back to the office building and met the port captain. He asked me to write a detailed account of our experience the previous day. We also gave him copies of photos we had taken the previous day. I had a good photo of the captain and Luis, while EP got a good photo of the boat and its name. Lorenzo was very happy we had taken the time to help him.
After spending 4 hours downtown, we returned to our apartments. I walked to an ATM and mini market close to my apartment to get some cash and some more essentials, (vodka and bailys). I had high expectations for this evening. But I also wanted a plan for the next day. I called Stephanie from the boat ride the previous day to see if she would be interested in a day trip on Friday without Luis or Jovanny along. She said she would meet me at 9am.
My friend Luisa arrived right on time at 6pm. She loooked stunning! I am always taken back by the pure beauty of the Colombian women. She immediately gave me a small kiss and a hug as if seeing a long lost friend. Immediately I felt comfortable with her. She was interested in chicken for dinner, so we asked the security guard at the front desk where to find a restuarant that serves good chicken. I had to laugh when he suggested McDonalds.
Instead of McDonalds we took a taxi to the old city and just wandered around for a few minutes. It was a very plesant night and there were not too many vendors, or maybe I did not notice them. We found an elegant restaurant, but sorry I do not remember the name. It has a large aquarium in the entryway if that is any help. They got us a table right away and we spent the next two hours just relaxing over a nice dinner.
For me the opportunity to have a relaxing dinner with a beautiful girl in a magical city is enough to make it a great vacation. We walked a little more after dinner and talked about what to do next. I suggested Mr Bebidas or Tu Candela. She asked about going to the movies. I told her that I had a few DVD titles back in my apartment and she said she would prefer that idea. So off we went at about 10pm to my apartment.
We sat together on the couch and watched the movie "Holes" in spanish. She cuddled next to me and I was very comfortable. As I had expected this was a great evening.
Part 4 still to come . . .
