Day Fourty-Three: I'm On Boat, Again

On the boat. Goodbye Tayrona!We wake up early for our last yoga practice, pack our bags and shuttle onto the boat.  We return to Santa Marta by water.  We stop in a cove for a swim and some lunch before docking in Santa Marta. 

There are a few tall apartment buildings on the shore.  It is a little bizarre because there is so much empty land around.  Why not build a house on the water?  I learn that when Colombia was much more dangerous, people opted to live in the apartments for safety. 

We arrive at Santa Marta

We load the van, drop a few girls off at the Santa Marta airport and drive for three hours to Cartagena.  When we arrive, we drive into the walled city.  The roads are narrow, a city of small alleys.  It takes forever to get around, but the people here love the slow pace.  Everyone knows each other. 

Dinner at Juan Del Mar

Alanna, Julia, Meghan and me in CartagenaThere is a film festival going on in Cartagena and a lot of people came into town for it, including Lolo, Nacho’s best friend who is from Colombia and has been advising me on where to go and what to see throughout my trip.  He knows his way around here.  Lolo is one of 4,000 Jews in Colombia.  Jews account for 0.1% of the Colombian population.  He has piercing blue eyes.  We weren’t going to cross paths before we changed our plans, but he texts me to see how I was doing and where I was.  When I tell him Cartagena, he exclaims that he is too.  He invites us to one of the parties for the film festival.  His good friend produced a film, Pablo’s Hippos, and after a late dinner at Juan del Mar we meet him at the after-party.

Everyone at the party is beautiful.  Toned, tan.  They are glowing.  They are happy.  They are salsa dancing. 

Lolo!

Our hotel is beautiful.  Our ceilings are at least 15 feel tall.

The base from the party next door vibrates through our walls as we drift to sleep.  See more pictures.