Cartagena is infinitely better than Medellin. Even though 90% of people will tell you Medellin is great. I guess I like to be different, but in a very unassuming, out of the spotlight kind of way. I started off with a walking tour today in Cartagena. It wasn’t very good but only lasted for 2 hours so I survived. There isn’t a ton to see in the walled city except it reminds me of Sevilla where every corner/turn is an interesting photo.
I found this dog just chilling in the plaza because it is very humid and hot in Cartagena. So humid that I’m praying my cell phone doesn’t get a humidity bubble like it did in Brazil that one time. At least now, my iPhone is backed up to the cloud and I know how to navigate without a cell phone if something should happen. Still really hoping nothing does.
Some scenes around Cartagena…it just feels better to me.
On the tour, I made a friend. Her name is Veronika and she’s from Bratislava – one of the places I went to while in Europe. She’s very nice and sweet to the street vendors. I, on the other hand, have that whole “don’t approach me” kind of attitude that seems to transcend language barriers. And I think I like it that way! The nice part about making a friend is you can ask them to take your picture for you. So here I am trying to look cool in Cartagena.
After the tour, we decided to get lunch and learn a little bit more about each other. When lunch was over, she took us to a souvenir shop where I found an international stamp so I could finally mail a postcard from South America! Then, we went our separate ways but made plans to go watch the sunset from the fortress walls. Around 5pm, she came to my hotel with her new roommate Lucy and all 3 of us went to watch the sunset. I brought along beer for all of us because it was $1 for each can at the supermarket and I was feeling generous. Plus, I didn’t want to drink alone. Sunset was beautiful but my hair isn’t. It got dirty in less than 24 hours in Cartagena…maybe that’s why everyone wears Panama hats here!
About this blog post title…we stopped at a little eatery to see the menu and Veronika thought “pechuga” meant “fish.” I had to point at my “pechuga” to tell her it wasn’t fish. Also, my Spanish is so good now that I’m teaching guys words in English to hit on her with. They ask me how to say something like “you’re very beautiful” and I had to tell her sorry for being the middle person. Trust me, I didn’t want to be there but felt proud that I could actually translate!
There She Goes... 