First week over and I am still feeling restless and not entirely settled and still very unsure whether I want to be here and if I am going to last the 4 weeks.
I was still tired on Sunday from the trekking episode on Saturday and my plans to visit the Simon Bolivar museum and gardens went by the wayside. A day of R and R, a quiet stroll in the deserted Sunday streets and some homework. The Spanish is slowly improving on paper but my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth and my mind goes blank when I want to speak it!
Monday is a meeting of the volunteers prior to classes, I decide to speak to the stand in coordinators about my dissatisfaction with the group and the lack of support and introduction etc. Marnie and Nick are really nice and doing the best they can and take on board what I say and promise to let the directors be aware of my concerns. Elsa tells me that I am not the first volunteer to believe that organization is lacking in the group.
Suzanne is severely hung over from Saturday ( still, this is Monday) so I suggest she stay at base and I go and teach on my own. The class went well and I am starting to feel a bit more useful.
Teaching here is a challenge as there is such little aids available, the classroom is less than basic and with a little money spent on it, the process would be much easier. I am still unsure if I want to continue and start to investigate the possibility of leaving early and returning to Florida. All these doubts are making me even more unsettled but the process of changing my ticket is unbelievable! Australia can't do it because the flights don't leave or finish there! I have to go to Avianca, the Colombian airline. I finally find it and nobody speaks ANY English so the bad Spanish is employed once again but I do understand no way Jose, you have to speak to American Airlines as they set up the ticketing even though Avianca are one of the legs! American airlines in the USA can't help me even though I fly with them in and out of the USA because I am in Colombia! This is extraordinary. I can't get through to the number that I have been given for the Bogota office! I give up!!! Since I have given up and decided to get on with it and make the most of things I have settled more and started to feel a bit more comfortable.
The week progresses, I continue to co teach, do some individual work with a couple of students who have been to classes but not regularly and I continue to enjoy the bus trip. I must either look a bit more approachable with my new acceptance of being here or I am more confident as I now get into a bit of simple conversation on the buses which is fun as everyone in hearing range of my beginner Spanish turns around and adds a little bit.
A couple from the local Church turn up at school and want to know if the beginners course is still being offered as they think they have a few people interested. We agree to do a 2 week introduction to English because we don't know if we have anyone to take over from me. They return Thursday and have 6 people starting on Tuesday. Monday is another festiva!!! On the way home I am day dreaming and somehow miss my bus stop, or at least the spot where I have to call out " señor, aqui" and he screeches to a halt and I fall out the door. I must be getting familiar with the place as I recognized I was not where I should be! On the way back I see outside the supermarket that the food stalls, called carrettas or kioskas are set up with street food that looks very appealing and they are doing a roaring trade. I am determined that I want to try some, it may cost me a day off work with an upset stomach but that it just a bit of weight loss! I am a bit chicken so suggest to Roland that he needs to toughen up his stomach as heaven knows what he is going to have to eat when bike riding! He agrees to come with me.
SO off we head, first stop is at a little cart where he is cooking what look like fat pancakes. They are called arepas, a type of patty made from white corn and cheese. They remind me of polenta and are probably very similar. Polenta that has been cooked, loaded with cheese, allowed to cool and then cut or moulded into fat discs about 10 cm in diameter. They are then grilled sitting on banana leaf. Quite delicious but later seen on other stalls delivered with salsas and butter!
Next we try a grilled corn on the cob. There are a couple of different types of corn, sweet as we know it but the one we had was the whiter version and tasted less sweet and very starchy and I didn't like either the taste nor the starchy texture. Lucky everything is so cheap! The vendors also sell this amazing lemon or orange drink, loaded with sugar but made from fresh citrus fruit and sits in what looks like a small fish aquarium filled with loads of ice. This is a gastric upsetting drink if ever there was but it was SO good and 50c for a large plastic glass. Last try for the evening as we are sitting on the steps to the supermarket eating all our selections with the vendors watching us and having a laugh because this is unusual, not many non Spanish looking people around here never mind eating the street food! I can't remember the name given to this dish but it like a big shashlik, they are all the exact same length, all made exactly the same. 3 choices. There is beef, sausage and then a mixed one. They all have capsicum, onion and baby potatoes, all about 25cm long. I go the mixed one with 2 pieces of chicken, a piece of beef and 2 pieces of chorizo. Big spender, 2500 pesos which is around $1.50. Hope I'm not being ripped off. The food has been pre BBQed and then they lash it with more oil or butter and give it another zap over hot coals. Salmonella food if I've ever seen it! It was good, no stomach upset for me but Roland wasnt so good the next day and we ate the same. He hasn't been buying water though and boils his own, could be that???
We decide then to head off to the malecon or Carrera one for a drink. Every little bar or restaurant has their music blaring out in competition. We pick the place where we like the music most! It ends up as a competition between the bar, the pizza joint next to it and then the traditional Colombian band turn up and even though we all say no thanks to the serenade, we get it anyway and it took 24 hours for my left ear to stop hurting, it was muy terrible!!! I will return to take some photos of the food, did so with my phone but I don't have the cord to connect to the computer, it was actually quite photogenic and surprisingly good. I have also noticed along the street close to the Plaza de Cathedral that there are pizza carrettas which are ovens on wheels and turn out massive pizzas by the slice which look OK and Elsa recommends trying also.
Wednesday night is quiz night at the Dreamer hostal, a little out of town. I am invited but they meet at 8.30 to go there and I know it will be a late night so decline the offer. Glad I did as it became a shots night which I would never have recovered from.
The group are going to the Sierra Mar music festival over the weekend, during the day bands from all over the Caribbean including Puerto Rico and Cuba and at night duff duff dance music. I have already booked my hotel for Cartagena and organized the bus or I may have been tempted for the day time. It is only a taxi ride away and could have been fun.
Monday is another festiva, the students are looking forward to it but have no idea what they are celebrating, it is usually another battle victory of some sorts somewhere!
I am taking the Friday off school and am using the time for a trip to Cartagena. Very pleased with myself as I booked the door to door bus over the phone in Spanish. The test is if they turn up on the right day at the right time!
Cartagena has the history of being the second oldest city in Colombia and the most vital port in the countries history. It is also the only city in Colombia which suffered the inquisition and that lasted for 200 years where thousands were tortured and murdered for witchery and other perceived crimes against the church. The inquisitors were not the Spanish but from Rome. All done in the name of the Church!!! This is actually a Very Catholic country, over 80%. Visited the museum and the torture instruments made my blood run cold.
The trip to Cartagena is 4 hours by bus and costs $42000 pesos each way, around $45aus return. The bus is a 12 seater Mercedes and is door to door, pretty good value.
I am due to be picked up at 9.30.
10 am, no bus, beginning to doubt my Spanish skills. Ring them, si señora, cinco minutos. 30 minutos later they arrive! An interesting trip. 1 Colombian aboard and he nearly drove us all crazy with jumping up and down, wanted to put his foot on my arm rest, he was in the middle seat of the back row just behind me, instead I had his foot almost in my face until the man in the seat on the other side of the bus asked him to sit properly. Otherwise a comfortable trip for a bus!
I booked a hotel on line after reading comments on trip advisor which have turned out to be pretty good advise. I am in Centro historical, which is lovely and close to everything, looks like a very old mansion with a central courtyard which has been renovated in the colonial style with big mahogany timbers and terracotta floor tiling, very attractive. There is a small swimming pool but strangely enough I haven't used it. Not been really hot enough and isn't really big enough to swim, just splash around and cool off but nice all the same. I am on the 3 rd floor, have a window to the internal courtyard. Very clean, Hot water, first time in 2 weeks of very cool showers which is the norm in Santa Marta, air con which is exciting, a big bed which even though is very firm, is better than I have had recently and good water pressure. Didn't think I would get excited about what is probably 3 and half stars! Also includes a decent American breakfast. Fruit, yogurt, juice, tea or coffee, croissant, bread rolls, tostadas, eggs how you want them. Fancy me with no complaints. It's all relevant to what I have had recently!
Cartagena, I am so glad that I have come here. It is beautiful. An old fortress city enclosed by about 12 kms of fortress walls that took 200 years to build. In parts a couple of metres deep. There are 12 " boulevards" as the locals call them and they are mostly connected with bridges across what were the access for horses etc and are now little roads. You are able to walk on top of the wall in most parts. A lovely walk because the old town is on one side and you get to look down the narrow streets with unimpeded vision and on the other side is the Caribbean. Where you can't walk on the wall you get to see through the gun or cannon openings regularly. I have walked probably half way around and plan on doing a bit more in the morning.
The city is comprised of narrow streets, some parts cobbled, beautiful architecture, it is like being in Iguazzu except instead of water falls it is buildings to be photographed!
You can have a horse drawn carriage tour or just keep walking and there is a gorgeous plaza around every corner. Little cafes and restaurants mostly set up outside and in the rain the awnings and big umbrellas come out. There are museums galore to be visited and and plenty of shit shopping gift shops to be visited. I have yet to see any real local craft that I want to buy for myself.
The food by South American standards can be expensive but by Australian standards is pretty good value. I have had a couple of very ordinary meals and a couple of great ones.
At last I have tried ceviches!! I read about a restaurant that specializes in it and read that Anthony Bourdain ate there and gave it a good review. If it was good enough for him then it would do me, even though I knew it had to be pricey. Even then I had 2 courses, even though that was excessive I couldn't make up my mind and knew the ceviche wouldn't be enough, plus 2 glasses of wine, for around $60
First course, mixed seafood ceviche, small prawns, octopus, white fish and squid, very citrus with mango and coriander, delicious!!!! Second course, langoustine (4 of them and each about the size of small lobster)!!! Cooked in a slightly picante salsa, served with crisp corn tostadas and salad. Really enough seafood for 2 people, did my best but couldn't quite finish it! Outrageous not finishing langoustine!!!!!
Second night, knew I had seen a good looking pizza place somewhere, but could I find it? Obviously not because I left this one hungry, it was terrible. Decided to have a walk around after this horrible meal. This is a safe pace to walk and you are in more danger of being a little harassed by street peddlers than being hurt, even then when you say no thanks they leave you alone.
Annoyingly I trip over a fabulous plaza, bursting with life and people and they are all being served delicious looking food. Bugger, plaza noted, I will find you mañana, and I do!!!
Pizza base so thin it is like a chip, just the right amount of cheese and mushrooms to die for, heaven. Far too much for 1 person but it didn't stop me! 2 glasses of nice crisp Chilean white wine, an indulgence of a superb Creme carmille and a coffee all for $35 . What a great place to sit, eat and observe! I got there at the right time because people were queuing for tables 30 minutes later. As in most of these countries, just as I am heading home from dinner, everyone else is starting to come out. It must be the siesta that does it! I am exhausted and they are all ready to party on!
I haven't just been eating, have also done the sight seeing! After my morning walking tour along the wall and passing through as many plazas as I could by following the map I then went on an open bus city tour that was recommended by the concierge. It took in Bocagrande where the rich and famous live and stay ( prefer Centro) this is on the beach, then we headed off to see a few monuments, the Popes palace on the mountain, A large fortress called San Felipe but this was all a bit much for me as all in Spanish even though the desk told me it would also be in English. The difficulty arose when the tour ended and I discovered I was miles away from Centro and didn't know that I should have told them to let me off! There was a young girl who I discovered spoke a bit of English, I asked her where we where she told her mother who told a man who promptly stood up, yelled to the tour guide to stop the bus, there was a heated discussion in which I did understand that he was telling the guide that he knew I didn't speak Spanish and he should have told me what to do, everyone clapped and helped me climb down from this wretched vehicle and then the men started telling him he had to pay for a taxi to send me back to town. When he did, there was another round of applause and cheering with many waves and adios!!!! It was quite funny in the end.
The other bit of sight seeing that I was bent on doing was Islas de Rosarias. A group of around 100 islands, some tiny and uninhabited and others private for the rich and famous and others for main stream tours. All covered by an environmental charter which charges every single person who puts a foot in a boat $6 for conservation. This is on top of the tour fare.
I decide to bite the bullet, go for the more expensive tour to Isla del Sol. Smaller tour, nicer boat and island with no peddlers and includes lunch and refreshments on the boat plus snorkeling. Had to be at reception at 8.15 to be picked up. 9.15, still waiting. Reception rings company and after 30 minutes is told that boat has mechanical problems and not going. Translated means either somebody forgot to inform them I had paid or company forgot to come and get me. Offered a tour to see the volcanoe or a sight seeing half day tour of the mangroves. Not interested thanks, annoyed about the island tour as I was so keen to do this and the snorkeling and was one of the reasons I came here. Return to my room wondering what I am going to do with myself for the day when reception rings me. Come down stairs immediately, we have another idea. The reception girl and I practically run in the scorching sun down to the harbour where they are loading all the boats for the standard island tour. About 50 people squashed into these big speed boats, all with life jackets on which looks promising for safety and off we head. We stop along the way
Looking at a few islands, the guy speaks slowly and I can understand some of what is said.
A couple of boys paddle out in what looks like a dug out canoe and they dive for coins that some of the passengers throw for them. We move on to our first stop. Some people disembark, they are going to chill out here for a while on the little beach or at the small swimming pool while the boat takes 13 of us snorkeling. The cost is $10 each extra which includes the gear and the guy from the boat actually tours us around the reef. Most people haven't snorkeled before and this one is probably the most challenging that I have encountered out of the 3 I have experienced in the past 12 months. He ties some floats together and there are ropeshanging from them. The novices have a rope each and he helps pull them along while a few of us just follow behind or at the side. It was great having a guide because we went over all different areas of the reef and it is such a big area with currents that would soon have you a bit lost or separated from the group. This was the most interesting snorkel I have done because apart from the gorgeous fish, the reef was the most diverse I have encountered. There were what looked like big sponges, corals, canyons, amazing differences in the depth that at times I felt like I could scrape my knees and was swimming through schools of tiny fish. I loved it. When we got out a few people were very cold and a couple felt sea sick! The weather started turning on us and came over very dark and a thunder and lightning storm hit us and lasted for most of the afternoon. Over lunch we had rain, a few people went off to the aquarium but I decided I wanted beach time which wasn't a good decision due to the weather!
The return journey was very cold and wet due to the rain but part of the tour was a stop over at Playa Blanca which if the weather was good would have been magnificent but because I was sitting close to the front of the boat, I was already damp and very cold and had to wrap myself in my towel. Half of us stayed on the boat and just chilled out whilst some did have a swim and a drink on the beach in the rain!
All in all a lovely day but reception owe me 30.000 pesos as I found out most people only paid
60-70000 depending where they booked! But I am very glad I got to do this and have found a new love in snorkeling!
My next indulgence will be an underwater camera next time I snorkel as there is so much beauty to see.
I went to bed very early last night and the penalty is waking up
at 3 am, hence an opportunity to write my blog or else watch more CSI Miami! Back to Santa Marta after lunch and now have time to do my tarea (homework) upon return!
Hasta Luego amigos y familia!!!!!!
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