The End of the Trip
More than a month later, it seems like a dream. A stadium packed full of screaming Colombians, there to hear Barranquilla’s favorite daughter, Shakira. It’s dusk, and the temperature is perfect. She starts to sing Ciega Sordomuda. The crowd goes wild. We’re only 100 feet from the stage, but there’s a giant television overhead so all can see, split into four panes – one camera is on Shakira, one on the guitarist, another on the drummer, and the last is a Mongoose. (Don’t ask.) I’m there with two beautiful women, my friend Maria and her sister Alia. Both are tall and very, very attractive. And yet kind, and totally unpretentious.
Shakira’s music is deep. She writes all the songs on her albums, and wrote some of the best before she turned 18. I fell in love with her music before I ever saw her videos, but the belly dancing is a nice touch too.
So, how did I get there? Well, I started in Cartagena.
Introduction
When I heard Shakira was going to be visiting her hometown, I asked Maria if she’d like to go. Of course! I didn’t feel comfortable visiting agencies and dating women in Barranquilla on account of Maria, so decided to concentrate on Cartagena instead. So, I’ll concentrate on Cartagena in this report as well.
Plusses and Minuses of Cartagena
What there’s to like about Cartagena – The old city is arguably as romantic a place as Paris. Kind of like the French Quarter in New Orleans, only larger and with more varied architecture. There are some great restaurants in Cartagena, and a wide range of hotels and apartments. The Fort at San Felipe was a blast to explore. There’s the beach, and you can make a day trip or dive at Islas de Rosario. I understand Sofitel owns a hotel on one of the islands -- I’d like to check it out on the next visit.
What I didn’t like – There are lots of touts. The water and the sky aren’t blue like Mexico, and the beach isn’t particularly attractive.
Guidebook
Before you leave, be sure and buy the Ulysses Guidebook, titled “Cartagena”, by Marc Rigole and Claude Victor Langlois, available from Amazon, etc.
Hotels and Apartments
I rented an apartment. The woman who rented to me has several units available, one of which is VERY nice and priced reasonably at about $80/night, considering the high quality of the accommodation. It’s also booked most of the time. She has other units in the $40 to $50 range. I don’t have her permission to post her phone number on the internet, so E-mail me if interested at Rudy123@mailcity.com and I’ll pass on the telephone number.
Here’s a list of hotels, and prices as of March, 2003 that I got by calling around. Ranked in order, with the best at the top.
1. Santa Clara, Old City, U.S.$220/night, no internet deals, and they didn’t seem to want to negotiate. Telephone (57)(5) 664 6070
2. Hilton, On the beach in Laguito, 492,000 pesos (US$170, cheaper if you book on internet). Tel. (57)(5) 665 0666
3. Charleston Hotel, Old City, 259,000 pesos (US$89), tel. 664 9494. Everybody still calls this hotel by its old name, the Santa Teresa. This is likely where I’ll stay next time, if $89 rate is still available. I heard they were going up on rate.
4. Almirante, I didn’t price this or get phone number. It’s on the main drag in Boca Grande and across the street from the beach. This would be a very good choice, especially if you’re going to be spending a lot of time at the “A Foreign Affair” agency. The agency is right across the street. Also, location is convenient for Magdalena with Latin Destinations, as she originally met me at a restaurant very close to this hotel. Lobby and restaurant are very nice, although JR indicated in his Cartagena report on Planet Love that rooms were on the small side. I suspect the $50/night rate that JR got was a very good deal for this quality of hotel.
5. Hotel Caribe, across the street from the beach in Boca Grande, 166,000 pesos (US$57), tel. 665-0155 or 665-5466. Interesting hotel, architecturally, and grounds are nice. Don’t know about the rooms. Reasonably close to “A Foreign Affair”
Restaurants
The Ulysses guidebook above is a good reference for restaurants. I liked Da Pietro in Boca Grande and La Vitrola in the Old City a lot. Both are romantic places to take a date and food is excellent. I thought Pacos was overrated.
General Advice
ATM machines worked great, and you’ll get a better forex rate than traveler’s checks, provided you exchange large amounts so the service charge doesn’t kill you. ATM cards are also a lot more convenient than travelers’ checks.
Cartagena is very warm. You won’t need a long sleeved shirt, let alone a jacket. Shorts are not appropriate when meeting dates. Jeans are O.K., although slacks are more appropriate in the evening.
My Spanish is O.K. If yours is not, you may want to line up a translator through “A Foreign Affair” or Latin Destinations for your initial contacts with the women. Alex at “A Foreign Affair” (AFA) might be of some help – he moonlights as an English professor. There’s enough English spoken though, that you shouldn’t have much trouble getting around, ordering at restaurants, etc.
I felt safe walking through certain parts of Boca Grande and the Old City late at night. I didn’t feel safe in other parts. Petty crime is rampant. Don’t leave your valuables unguarded on the beach or in your room. There have been a few bombings and kidnappings in Cartagena, but in general the threat from terrorism is much less than in most parts of Colombia. Just to be safe I always ask for a hotel room on the second floor away from roads and parking lots. But, hey, I’m paranoid.
