Cartagena, Colombia

The next destination was Cartagena, Colombia. By the time, we arrived there, my foot was almost healed. I had really lucked out on not breaking it. Anyways, we flew there and directly went the island that I had booked. I had arranged to have someone pick us up at the airport who took us to a private boat taxi that took us to Bocachica Island. I felt rich getting out of the airport where there was a guy holding up a sign that said my name. Alejandro became our uber driver for the time we were in Cartagena. He was so kind and funny. It's always good to know someone in the area.
      It was rainy season so there wasn't too many people on the island. I'm talking about another family or possibly 5-10 more guests. So when Karrie went off with a book, I had to find something to do. The resort told us it was too dangerous to leave the resort due to the residents that might rob you. We ended up leaving the resort anyways. We met a few Argentinians and we took off to the local store. The power went out but I think they do it regularly every night to save electricity on the island. The first night, they gave us a free drink due the blackout. Everyday after that it happened and we all got used to it.
      As the Argentinian girls, Karrie and I walked towards the local store which was a 25 minute walk, we were stopped twice by people. The first time were cops on a motorcycle who asked us if we had anything on us that was important or worth stealing. We said we didn't carry anything important. We were only getting a few beers since it was less costly at the local store. The second time we were stopped was by locals that just had finished work from a neighboring hotel. They started to walk with us to make sure we weren't bothered and no one messed with us. They weren't expecting anything but at the store we bought them a coca cola each. I never knew if the hype of being dangerous was true or not but people say when you walk around with no fear, that's when you get in trouble. Be aware of your surroundings and always be prepared for anything. If you have a second billfold or wallet, you should be carrying it for a diversion. I became a little nervous since I had carried my phone with me. If I lost my phone, I didn't just loose my camera but also my communication with my family and the only way to book the next part of my trip. It was more important than my wallet.
       The local market was crazy. Water was sold in bags and the snacks weren't appetizing at all. We got a couple beers each and some water and snacks. It would be a lot cheaper this way. We made our way back to the hotel. The guys that walked us before told us that it wasn't safe and now it was getting dark. They refused to leave us. The danger that lurked out there was hard to say if it really was there but we thanked them profusely after they walked us home. I didn't feel danger but you really don't know. When I had asked about Cartagena, people always warned me to be careful. After leaving Cartagena, I felt like it was one of the safest places although it was the only place I had been robbed.

   

       They upgraded our room at the Blue Apple Beach House and gave us a private porch and our own hammocks. During the day, guests from Cartagena had paid to come over for a day trip. It was nice to have other people come to the island. It made it fun to drink, lay back and have fun. They even had a kayak and paddle board to use whenever we felt like it. So Karrie and I went out into the kayak the first day but I realized we have different ideas on where to go. She wanted to go around the island and I wanted to go straight out into the ocean. Her way was definitely safer so we decided to go. I think she went with me because I really wanted to go but it was a two person kayak. After I felt the uncomfortable energy as soon as she got in, I knew it wouldn't be good. It's really important to do things you want to do and not to do them to please another person. We both did not have a good time although if you ask her, she will say she did. We both felt a little sea sick and decided to go in. Our relationship was getting to the point where we both preferred to hang out with someone else.
        Whenever there was another person in the pool that I was in a conversation with, she was ease dropping and jumped into the conversation with her opinion or a correction. I kindly looked at her and told her No, I was right and she might not have heard the whole conversation. It wasn't just once or twice but it was very frequent that she did this. I didn't understand why she had to correct my story or my perception of a story that I was telling. Was it a way to maybe feel superior to me? I'm actually not sure. I just realized from this point on that I was going to try to be nice but we probably would never talk to each other again after the trip. I cant stand someone putting me down all the time. I was learning patience here on this island and very quickly at that. When I couldn't stand it anymore, I would take the paddle board straight out into the ocean and just sit there trying a few yoga poses and meditation techniques. I was in paradise so there wasn't a reason why I should be so upset about this. The crazy thing was, she followed me down to the beach and watched me. It was like I couldn't escape. I'm sure everyone feels this way when they travel with someone. You just need a break. She wouldn't give me one.
 I spend some time out on that paddle board. I watched a few sunsets. It was beautiful. When I returned to my room that last night, I realized my bag was out. I quickly looked at the money but couldn't figure out if it was all there due to the difference in currency. I then put it into the safe and silently yelled at myself for leaving it out this whole time. How could I be so careless? It was after we left that I was looking at the money and realized I had only 45,000 pesos instead of 200,000. The cleaning lady was the only one in the room and she stole about 50.00 american dollars from me. Always be careful. I learned this lesson real quick and paid more attention to my money after this. I hoped this money would benefit the lady that stole it. I know that it probably was more than 3 months pay. I had to be more careful. I had a belt that held my money and usually I would never take it off. Here on the beach, it was a different story and I went out into the ocean many times. I made it quite easy to steal it. I had an interview from a hospital back in Colorado Springs one night here on the island. The time difference was only an hour and the reception was pretty good. The interview went well except that I had another vacation planned in Hawaii in December due to my mom giving me her timeshare. The lady interviewing me said there is no way she could hire me when I was asking off two weeks during the holidays. It was during the end of the phone call I realized how hard it would be to get a job when I got back.
        Karrie had suggested that I just stay in South America and travel since I didn't have a job. I told her it wasn't the responsible thing to do. I didn't have the clothes for it or a backpack. It wasn't a good idea. She and I was at dinner one night and she repeated to me, "You have to stay, you have to stay." After she said it six to seven times, I thought she would stop but she kept repeating it again and again. I stopped her at fifteen and said, "Ok, can we talk about something else? I'll make a decision but for right now, I'm not going to stay." I told her that night that I was staying in South America and without another thought, I changed my ticket to stay for another month until December 12.
        The last two nights we spent in Cartagena were in a hotel, ten minutes away from the city center which was amazing. We were back on the mainland. I had heard that this is the place that everyone tried to steal from you and the most dangerous in Colombia. Both rumors were not true. I had asked a few friends about Cartagena but every person's experience is going to be different. You just have to trust and go with it. Take in the bad with the good, right? Karrie and I met up with some friends that we had met on the island in the city center. We had dinner and then went out dancing at a salsa club. Dancing salsa makes me so happy. I enjoyed myself highly. Karrie wanted to go back to the hotel around 12:30am and I said she could grab a cab and head there but she said she would wait for me. We headed home around 1:30am. She didn't want to go anywhere without me. It is understandable because it can be scary when you barely know the language and you really don't know how dangerous it can be especially while you are alone. I am so used to traveling by myself, I forget this sometimes. I loved the energy of this place and thought, I have to come back here someday.