Winter Sucks, But Not Here

I woke up this morning to the sound of the tropical birds singing in the coconut tree outside of my balcony. Delicious. I’ve been luckily enough to get the chance to trade the dismal grays of Canadian winter for the tropical blues and greens of Cartagena, Colombia for the week. Sure I have to work, but not until Monday afternoon. Until then, I’ve got a little time to relax.

I didn’t get up until 8am this morning which is a departure from my usual 6 o-clock wake-up, but yesterday was a really long travel day; Cartagena is not the easiest place to get to. I left the house before 6am yesterday and didn’t get to my hotel here until nearly midnight. Part of that had to do with a five-hour layover in Fort Lauderdale.

The hotel (or should I say resort) where the course is taking place this week is located right on the Carribean ocean. In fact, if I turn my head and look past the palm trees and tennis courts, I can see the waves rolling in onto the white sandy beach. I wish more people would have the good sense to schedule courses in places like this.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m gloating… Wait a minute… Yes I do. A little bit anyway. Let’s face it; winter in Canada sucks. Cold sucks. Snow sucks. It really does – admit it. If snow and cold were that great, we’d have tourists coming up in January and February from the Dominican and from Cuba to trudge around our cities in six inches of brownish-gray slush, scraping ice off of their cars, and wishing they could feel their ears and the tips of their fingers and toes.

Wait… what’s that sound? I think it’s waves. Gotta go now – la playa me llama!