Colombia why the hell are you going to Colombia?

Once again I have lied to all of you. I said last time that I would give a summary of all of the places that I had visited from the end of the last blog on. About an hour and a half and a half page of writing I got bored. All of those places were very interesting and I had a great time. The problem is that I cannot write that way. As difficult as it is to write on the tiny little keyboard, it is ten times worse when you can't keep your eyes open to write.
All of that said, I am beginning again here in Colombia.
I arrived here about three weeks ago from Panama. My initial plan was to take a sailboat from Panama City (Panama not the Redneck Riviera.) From what I had heard from a hippy painter from New York who was vacationing in Bochete, The ride was a pleasant one. After further review, I found that the cruise lasted four or five days with a three day stop at San Blas Island off the Panama Coast. And there was a hostal in PC that could set the whole thing up for me for about $350. My research into flights led me to believe that the cheapest flight to cover the 400 or so miles from PC to Cartegena would cost around $400 dollars and connect in Miami. The cruise seemed to be a much better option and a much greater adventure.
I arrived in PC a few days later and headed straight for the hostal to book my trip. It was owned and operated by a couple of Aussies. When I ask them about the trip, a look of caution fell over their faces. Apparently, the Carribean is pretty rough this time of year and there was only one boat going to Cartegena any time soon. When the ride was described as “paying $350 to puke for three days” I decided that alternate plans had to be made. Those who know me know that I am not a seaman and even in the lightest chop, I am hanging my head over the side in a matter of minutes. I was so disappointed that I considered foregoing the visit to Colombia all together so that I could buy a plane ticket that seemed to be a better value. I told the Aussies my concerns and they immediately said, check out Aires Airlines. I had never heard of Aires and it did not show up on any of the searches that I conducted at travel web sites. $150 done, Colombia here I come.
I arrived in Cartegena at about noon. Not knowing a soul, able to speak very broken Spanish, and all that I had ever heard were horror stories about kidnapping and car bombs by the warring drug cartels and the rebel armies attempting to over throw the government. I expected to get off the plane, be handed a flack jacket, and hail mary. There wasn't much encouragement from home either. I was directed to the State Dept. web site by my mother. Others sent me warnings via newspaper reports and second or third hand information. The Airport wasn't too encouraging either. Aires flies primarily double prop planes, each of which makes a few stops in there route, sort of like a flying bus. When the plane landed, I was the only one of the 30 or so passengers to get off. I was standing on the tarmac and was quickly ushered tocustoms by one of the Aires employees. It was about a quarter of a mile from where I landed to customs. Not that the airport was that big, but that was how far away we landed. I guess you pay extra for the proximity to the terminal. There was no one in Customs except for 2 immigration people, 5 soldiers and a Rottweiler with a leather Hannibal Lector Mask over its face. When I approached the immigration people I discovered the little Spanish i could speak was irrelevant because Spanish in Colombia is spoken at a rate that would impress the bald guy from those 1980's commercials. (Think about it, he was the one who talked really fast.) After several no se and no comprendos (Spanish for I don't understand what you are saying to me) the immigration guy just waved me on out of frustration. It was a similar experience with the soldiers who were manning the customs table. After 15 minutes I was through.
Bear in mind that to this point, I had been travelling on the GAP tour. For two months, I had every destination habitation and meal planned for me on routes that had been tried and tested by thousands of other people before me. This was my first destination of my independent travels. Everything else was training camp.
I gave the Rott a pat on the head and headed for a nearby cab. I had booked a room in a mid range hotel called Hotel Da Pietro in the newer part of the city called Boca Grande. I squeezed into the cab (the cabs here make a Mini look like an Expedition) and off we went.
It was high season when i arrived in Cartegena so the street were packed with scantly clad Colombians who were enjoying the sun and cool waters of their Carribean Coast. We arrived at the hotel, I checked in, I walked about a block and a half, grabbed a late lunch, went back to the hotel and stayed there for 18 hours. For 18 hours I did not do anything. Partly because I had been traveling for two months at break neck speed through Mexico and Central America and was exhausted: and partly because I was petrified of the evils that were lurking outside my door on the Colombian streets. I had drawn up scenarios of people scouting me out in my cab ride and just waiting to take me away.
After a night of rest and several hours of debate, I decided that I could no longer just stare at the wall of my hotel room. I decided to head to the fortified “old town” or Ciudad Antigua. The city had been fortified by the Spaniards in the 1600's to protect it from pirates when Cartegena was one of the primary colonial shipping ports. I figured a museum would be a safe place so I told the cabbie to take take me to the Museum of the Inquisition. It was recommended in my guide book so I figured it was as good a start as any.
The old town reminded me a lot of New Orleans (accept for the giant wall all around it) narrow cobblestone streets, stuccoed buildings with grand courtyards. It was beautiful. I spent the day wandering around the maze of buildings and plazas with a new discovery at every turn. The greatest thing about my tour was that it gave me the comfort to continue exploring.
After five days in Cartegena, I realized something. This place is no more dangerous than some of the places I have lived. Someone in my situation would have to go looking for trouble or have to be really stupid to get into a dire situation. Yes, there are people here that will kill you. No, you do not go to the impoverished neighborhoods in the cities. No, you do not wear your rolex out at night. But, if you are willing to open yourself to the people, they will take care of you like a family member. Colombians are fighting back and are winning victories every day against the people who once held them in fear. I imagine that it was similar in the days of prohibition and the control that the mafias had in America. Progress has been made and of all of the places that I have visited, I have not felt more secure than in Colombia. Yes, there are swindlers and pickpockets, but you just have to be aware. Not necessarily on guard, just aware.
Colombia has mandatory military service for all men (and women I think) after they complete high school. Graduates have a choice of one year of service in the police force or two years of service in the military. Because of the shortened commitment, many of the youths choose to join the police force. This mandatory servitude gives the country an ample supply of willing and able men and women to stand on nearly every street corner with machine guns. Literally, in the larger cities, there are police on nearly every street corner.
I guess my moral of this blog is to relay the fact that fears of Colombia are obsolete. My visit here has been nothing but a pleasure. The people are caring, hospitable, and generous. The infrastructure is modern. And the security is probably better than the US. So don't write off Colombia based on Hollywood movies or even State Dept warnings. I know that I say this about everywhere I visit, but truly Colombia is one of my favorite countries in the world.

I will continue to work on the synopsis of Central America and hopefully will finish soon. Also, I plan to fill all of you in on the places and cuisine of Colombia just know for now that my favorite city is Medellin, Beach town is Taganga, and food is Lechona.

Until Next Time (Sooner, I promise)

Bond

ps headed to Ecuador tomorrow, Country #2 in South America