05 December 2011

Bocagrande-bound

Look, there I am!

What you can't see in the pic is that I am nice and crispy from the sun... Three days walking around in 90 degree heat will do that to even the most well-sunscreened person. (Don't worry, mom, it'll turn to brown and fade soon enough.)

Yesterday we took a loooonnggg walk all the way to the other end of Cartagena -- Bocagrande ("big mouth"). It's where all the high-rise hotels and resorts are, and the beach. The ocean breeze felt nice, but other than that... I think we made the right choice to stay in old town. Bocagrande lacks the charm of this side of town, and mainly feels like an old Hawaii or something.  I think there will be a lot of updating happening in the next few years as Colombia becomes more of a destination; it will be interesting to see how that area changes. 

We came back and once again it was siesta time for me by the pool. I was up there for a few hours reading, and was joined for a bit by two other guests at the hotel... They were originally from the Caribbean, but were currently living in NYC...for about a month, then going to Brasil. They were super nice and gave me some background on the hotel (owned by a coworker of the man's) . 

For dinner we went back to the old town for some street food...unfortunately there weren't many options on a Sunday night! After that, there was just a lot of hanging out and drinking beers.

 A struck by how many stray dogs there are here. It is rather sad...some look healthy but most are pretty raggedy and emaciated. They are all pretty friendly, and a few follow the police officers around as they patrol the streets.  Last night one sat at my feet for a while as I ate a snack...I gave her a few pieces and she was my new best friend!

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