I arrived into Cartagena, Colombia, from Panama, after dark, on the night of December 16th. I took a taxi to my hotel in the Bocagrande district and then ate a pizza before calling it a night. Cartagena is one of the new world’s oldest cities as it was founded by the Spanish in 1533. Today it is Colombia’s largest port and a major tourist destination, which is probably why I had heard so much about it.
On the 17th, I woke up to explore the town. I walked down to the long, wide Bocagrande beach and took in the great views of the Caribbean Sea. I then hailed a 
taxi to the old town. The old town of Cartagena looks a lot like many European cities, with cobbled streets, old churches and small alleyways. I entered through the main gateway, the Puerta del Reloj, and saw among other things, the Church of San Pedro Claver and the Church of Santa Domingo. I went through several plazas as well, which were filled with art for sale along with other trinkets and jewelries. The town was very colorful and quaint. There are several expensive restaurants and hotels which cater to tourists. Not to mention, much of the old buildings and homes have been renovated and refurbished. There was a nice festive atmosphere as Christmas 
was right around the corner. Christmas trees, nativity displays, etc. were all over town and even at my hotel. It was very hard for me to feel the Christmas spirit though in the 90+ degree heat. I found some lunch in old town and then proceeded to walk along Las Murallas, or the thick fortress walls built to protect the town from invading forces. I was reminded of my walk along similar walls in Xian, China. From the walls, I glimpsed the huge stone fortress called Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas. It was a great, imposing site in the distance, with a huge Colombian flag hoisted on its flag pole. I then made my way back to my hotel via taxi and ate some dinner, which really was just leftovers from my huge lunch.
That night, I decided to check out first hand, the famous Colombian nightlife. Beforehand, I was on my computer in the hotel lobby, and two Colombian kids, 
brother and sister, 11 and 12 came up to me and started practicing the English they were learning in school on me. This was big fun. In fact, my whole time in Colombia, I struggled to find people who knew English, especially in Cartagena. Fortunately, that night, at the first bar I went to, I met a couple of friends who did. (Well actually only Francisco knew English.) Another thing Colombia is famous for is the extremely friendly people. From my experience, I can assure you, this is absolutely true. Everyone I met in Colombia was “so nice” and even went out of their way to make me feel welcome and safe. Francisco took me to another couple bars that night and it was a great time with all the friendly, beautiful Colombian people even though most did not know English.
When I woke up the next morning, I decided to have a day at the beach. As such, I grabbed my towel, left my valuables and took a small amount of cash with me. I rented some sort of beach cabana, which it seemed everyone was doing and just 
relaxed, having a few of the weak Colombian beers, Aguila. I went swimming, and later had one of the many beach vendors make up some lobster ceviche. For jus under $10, I had a whole Caribbean lobster mixed in with lime juice, onions, ketchup and mayonnaise. It was damn good. Later, I had to have some shrimp ceviche. Ceviches of several kinds are very common in this part of the world. On the beach and in Cartagena as a whole, I did not meet any United States Americans or Europeans or see any that stood out. Later, at the airport, talking with a Colombian woman, we concluded with the season being so close to Christmas, it was probably keeping people in their home countries. Also, Colombia still has a steep hill to climb to rid is self of the stigma of being a dangerous place. I can assure you, there is nothing to be afraid of, other than random crimes that can happen to you in your home town.
After my day at the beach, that night, I met up with Francisco at some super nice hotel amidst some company Christmas parties and live Colombian music. We had a couple drinks and then went to meet up with his friends at a karaoke party at one of their houses. This was pretty interesting. Not only did I get to see some local neighborhoods and houses, but to experience a party with the locals. Almost all the karaoke was in Spanish and songs I did not know, but I still had a great time and met some cool people.
On Saturday, the 19th, I flew down to another great Colombian city I had heard so much about, Medellin. Medellin is Colombia’s 2nd biggest city. It is set amidst the 
Andes mountains, covered in rainforest. Being only about 5 degrees above the equator and at a high elevation, Medellin has perpetual spring-like weather. It is a beautiful place, full of beautiful women. Not only do they have good genes, but plastic surgery is extremely common. It is the fashion capital of Colombia and once was the drug capital. However, crime there has been greatly cleaned up over the past decade and it is safe as most big cities in the world. One of the best times to visit Medellin is during the months of December and January. This is when, the whole city is decorated with Christmas lights and over the river are temporary fountains lit in many colors. It is pretty amazing.
When I arrived into Medellin, it was cold, rainy and dark. I promptly took a 45 minute cab ride into town to my hostel. The hostel was a pretty crazy place full of mostly 
Europeans, complete with a bar and a pool. I stashed my bags there and when to meet up with my friend Paulina, who is from Medellin. I had met her earlier in the year in Buenos Aires. I met up with her and her friends in the Lleras area which is the “Santa Rosa” area of Medellin. The Lleras is packed with restaurants, bars and people all around nice small squares or parks which themselves were filled with Christmas lights. Everyone was extremely welcoming and we had a great time bar-hopping. I stayed up pretty late with everyone in true Colombian/Latino fashion before making it back to my hostel.
The next day was Sunday, so I went to watch the NFL games at a local spot where I met some cool United States Americans. They did business in and frequented Colombia. We all agreed to try and keep this place a secret from other people from the United States. (But I have to write my blog.) As the NFL games were winding down, a soccer game was being put on many of the TVs. This was not just a soccer game, it was the championship game between another team and Medellin! The next thing I knew, Medellin had one the game and the whole city went crazy. I was again in the Lleras area where the streets were closed off and people were everywhere throwing flour, streamers, beads and other party favors. It was quite a celebratory scene. I joined in, and again made some new friends and stayed up late.
After that night, I had to get the hell out of my hostel. A lot of the people there were crazy, party backpackers and the sleeping quarters were not the best. Not to mention, it was now 3 days before Christmas Eve and time to start winding down. I found a good deal on a room at the Sheraton and moved over there. In fact, as you might expect, a lot of things are well priced or cheap in Colombia, compared to the United States. That day, I walked the city a bit, going through the Parque Barrio and seeing the old churches of Candelaria and Metropolitana. I also went through the Parque de los Pies Des Calzos where people were walking through shallow pools of water having fun. Unfortunately, I realized this day, my camera was damaged beyond repair. I’m pretty sure it was the sand from the beach in Cartagena. I did manage to salvage some photos from Medellin, but mostly night photos or ones from other people.
Monday evening, Paulina invited me over to her brother’s apartment where they were having a Christmas party with mostly friends. However, as her brother was much older, most everyone there also had children. On top of that, only Paulina and a couple of teenagers spoke English. Nevertheless, I was shown great hospitality and had a lot of fun. Shortly after I showed up, our chiva arrived. A chiva is an open air, school-like bus, which is very common throughout Central American and Northern 
South America. Some are used for public transportation, while others are used as party buses. The whole party, kids and all, boarded the bus and we were off listening to Bambuco music, driving around. The men had some rum, which apparently is called “ron” in Colombia, and they made sure I drank plenty of it. We rode all around Medellin, where I saw all the amazing Christmas lights and waterworks. Everything was quite elaborate and impressive; definitely cool to see. We drove into a town just outside of Medellin where we stopped to walk around. All the while, I was learning about Colombian culture and talking to more and more people in the party as they tried their English on me. (I really need to learn Spanish.) We didn’t make it back until 2am and the kids all seemed to be wide awake. It’s very much a part of the Latin culture to stay up late, kids and all. I think it’s great, especially during the Christmas time of year with all the parties and celebrations.
I spent the next couple of days in Medellin doing some shopping, swimming and relaxing at my hotel and hanging out with friends. Not to mention a little more partying, because after all, I was in Colombia and that is what they do. I still can’t believe how beautiful the women were and how unbelievably nice everyone was. This country alone, inspires me to learn Spanish. Colombia is an awesome country and I wouldn’t worry about going there at all.
On Christmas Eve, I flew up to South Florida (only 3 hours away) to spend Christmas with my family and then New Years with friends. I’ll briefly write about my past couple weeks in the U.S. soon.
