Where do I begin? Bili and I arrived on a Sunday, we met our newfound Chilean amiga, and they both stayed until the next Sunday when we split. I stayed another week. Oh, glorious Cartagena. My days were spent going to various beaches, soaking up all the sun, actually getting a tan though you probably wouldn't know it if you didn't know me, wandering around the walled city and the castle, strolling on the wall, shopping just a little, riding bikes, catching the sunset over the ocean, sipping coffee, sharing ice cream with a beautiful Chilean man, falling in lust with said man, reliving heartache, meeting amazing people, practicing Spanglish, learning more about South American culture, and pretty much just enjoying myself completely. My nights were spent out every night dancing like crazy until last call. Que vida.
It's as if, ever since I got to Colombia, there hasn't been a dull moment - I have been constantly busy falling in love with the world all the time. The beaches are amazing - I fall in love with the water every time I swim in the blue Carribean waves. I could let the ocean swallow me up in it's wonder. The sun is endlessly hot. The nights are perfect. Cartagena has a certain charm to it, it's old and rustic within the walls, but modern and "Miami beach" like outside the walls. I stayed inside the walls, in the beauty. During the day there are vendors selling all sorts of colorful crafts, street food, cigarettes and lolly pops, and pretty much anything else you're looking for. It's bustling with life and suffocatingly humid. And the nights are filled with a sweet mysterious air. An intoxicating air that leaves you feeling like anything is possible. There's nothing else like Cartagena at night for me. It's purely magical.
One night I ventured out to a small island of 1000 people ironically called Isla Grande. I went with another Chilean girl I met and she figured out everything for us in her perfect native Spanish. It's a blessing making so many Spanish speaking friends here. Without her I don't know that I could have gotten by but with her everything went so smoothly and so beautifully. I'm really disappointed in myself for not improving my Spanish more on this trip - it really makes a world of difference. It's a never ending journey of frustration after frustration. I wish learning a language would come easier to me. I must force myself to keep going with it after I'm home so all is not lost. Anyway, we spent our 2 days on a beautiful beach, swimming, snorkeling, getting a guided tour of the town and a canoe ride in the Manglares trees, swimming in a lagoon with 2 Colombian guys from the Island, and sleeping like a baby for the first time since I got to Colombia. Isla Grande was a nice change of scene - extremely secluded and quiet, and oh so beautiful, though expensive and manifested by mosquitos. But after 2 days and 1 night we went back to my love, Cartagena.
I met an Argentinian girl immediately upon arrival, who spoke less English than I speak Spanish and we decided to go to Santa Marta together in our broken communication. So the love affair had to come to an end. Nothing lasts forever. Oh Colombia, you're so good to me...
