Day 7, Friday March 7th
My flight to Cartagena was scheduled to leave at 11:55 AM so I had to pack my stuff, check out, and catch a taxi to the airport that morning. I made it there in plenty of time and since it was a domestic flight getting through security wasn’t much of an issue. The flight was almost full so evidently Cartagena is still a popular destination with Colombians, although while waiting at the gate I met a couple of guys from the Dominican Republic who were tooling around Colombia on vacation. I was very excited about going to Cartagena for a couple of reasons. For one, I was really interested in the lady I was going there to meet for reasons I’ve already alluded to. I’ll call her E.R. We had spoken on the phone quite a bit before my trip and I found myself liking a lot of what I heard. Also, I think I was looking forward to having a couple of days free from having to deal with juggling things between several women. E.R. was at work today and we wouldn’t be able to meet until later that evening. That left me with a few hours in the afternoon to just chill and catch my breath, maybe hit the beach. Anyway, we landed and disembarked on the tarmac and of course the first thing I note is that it is HOT in Cartagena! No problem, there is an ocean here and I plan to use it. I grabbed my one remaining suitcase, took a taxi to the hotel and checked in. I stayed at the Almirante, those of you who’ve been to Cartagena know it well. It’s a great place, 5 star I think, for around $50 a night. The service there is incredible, most of the staff speak English fairly well, unlike what you typically find in Bogotá. I was a little disappointed in the room, but what the hell. Overall a great place for any off you who are thinking about going. Here’s a link to their website: http://www.hotelesestelar.com/contenido/capitulo.asp?chapter=3. I was just getting settled in when E.R. called me from her work to welcome me. Cool. We agreed to meet around 7:30 down in the lobby and head over to the Old City. In the meantime, I wanted to check my email and hit an ATM so I took a walk around the hotel and neighborhood. The area around the hotel is fine, it’s right on the beach. Hotel security was pretty tight and just like in Bogotá, everyone got checked coming in the door. There weren’t as many police around but plenty of private security walking around the hotel, checking cars, etc. I walked several blocks in either direction along Calle 6, and also up toward the Bahia de Cartagena and never felt in danger. There are shops galore along the street, a nice coffee shop next door to the hotel and an ATM about 100 yds down from the hotel towards the Old City. I also hit a local grocery store a block up towards the Bahia de Cartagena. No problems at all. After I’d seen enough I went back to the hotel to chill for a while.
E.R. showed up around 7:30 and I went down to the lobby to meet her. Once again fellas, I was not disappointed. She looked a little different in person as compared to her photo, but very attractive still. We caught a taxi over to the Old City though I don’t remember exactly where we let out. We walked around for a while, she showed me many of the sights over there and then we settled down in an outdoor café in one of the squares, I think Plaza de San Diego. There was a huge celebration going on in the Old City that night and there were people and entertainers everywhere, a bandstand set up in one of the other plazas and most of the restaurants had set up tables outside. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner outside and had a great conversation. All the while, the vendors were stopping by trying to sell us flowers, jewelry or sing a serenade. I finally gave in at one point and bought a rose for E.R. We talked until the plaza was just about empty, I don’t recall what time it was but it was late. I was having a great time and really enjoyed her company. After dinner, we walked a bit more and then headed towards the Torre del Reloj to catch a taxi to the hotel. However, I couldn’t resist flagging down one of the horse drawn carriages for a romantic ride around the Old City. E.R. was elated and we took off. Guys, it just doesn’t get much better than this. We’d been holding hands since earlier in the night and now she was settled comfortably in my arms. We continued chatting it up and absolutely loving the ride. I think it was during this time that she mentioned to me how very happy she was. Uh oh, I’m startin’ to get that warm fuzzy feeling. She’s a doll and very sweet and I guess Cartagena is just too damn romantic. We took the carriage all the way back to the hotel and said our goodnights. Turns out she lives pretty close to the hotel but we got her a taxi home since it was so late. I am jazzed but manage to settle down enough to get to sleep that night.
JR
