Another Day of Not Working

I love this. I come to Cartagena for what I think is going to be a 5-day course compressed into four days. I came two days early to try to melt the chill out of my bones. Then I find out that we don't start until 2pm on Monday. That's alright with me. We're compressing anyway, we'll just have to squeeze a bit more out, and I can spend the morning in bed or at the pool or whatever. So today, it turns out that I'm not going to actually start until tomorrow morning. Wicked. The only downside was that I had to keep showing up for work functions, and then I'd have a couple hours off in between to spend by the pool. Bathing suit - work clothes - bathing suit - work clothes. I changed my clothes today more than the bride at a Chinese wedding.

This is a large event where business partners from all across South America come to take some training. Since the courses I taught in South America last year were sort of the same thing but on a smaller scale, a lot of the people that I met are also here for this event. We had a cocktail meet-and-greet sort of deal this evening on the beach and I got to see some of the people that I know from Bogotá, Medellín, and Lima. I also met a few people from Ecuador who are going to be in my class if it ever starts. I'll be having dinner with them in the old part of Cartagena tomorrow night.

I went out with another instructor from Brazil last night. We went to the old city. Old Cartagena is absolutely beautiful; especially so at night. Lots of old Spanish architecture that's been well maintained and kept quite clean and (seemingly) safe. On the way back, we had the taxi driver take us on a little tour of the city. Lovely.

I'd have to say that Cartagena would be a very good place to come for a little vacation. Everything seems relatively cheap, and you don't get the same sense of getting ripped off that you do in so many places nowadays. There's lots to see and do in the old city, the beaches are lovely, and there are resorts (I'm staying the Hotel las Americas which is quite nice and has good food). If the place I ate last night is any indication there are good, upscale restaurants (Restuarante San Pedro, Centro plaza de San pedro - good food and pretty inexpensive).

I hope that all you winter-dwellers aren't jealous about any of this because it's not as great as it sounds. For example, I was getting sweaty because it was so hot. We all know how horrible that can be. Also I got water in my ear from spending too much time at the pool. Don't you hate that?

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!