Welcome to Cartagena!
Our exit from the plane was similar to its entrance. We had to descend stairs and walk a bit to get indoors. Once inside we headed straight for the bathrooms. After we relieved ourselves, we checked our backpack and luggage and braced ourselves for the outside. Well, I braced myself to experience the muggy heat again. Michael welcomed it with open armpits.
We didn't bother to UBER this time and just headed towards the line of taxis. Since Cartagena is a city whose economics are so dependent on tourism, it was unlikely we were going to get swindlers at the airport. The method to getting a taxi was very organized! You stand in a line to get to an operator behind a glass window. You speak into the microphone your general destination, which the operator types into a computer. You grab the ticket he hands you and hand it to the next available taxi driver. I describe the process using the second person because we didn't not experience it first hand. We had been the first ones outside that we just headed straight for the taxi first in line. We didn't know! When we told him our hotel's address, he left the car and I wondered what was going on. He ended up going to the operator and grabbing a ticket for us. On the ticket were the words "Centro Historico" (I think. It's been so long, I don't quite remember.) and the numbers "8,000." It was going to cost us $3.20 to get to our destination! I bristled with excitement that Cartagena might end up being cheaper than Medellín.
The neighborhood just outside the airport was very residential and rundown, but the driver assured us that inside the walls of Cartagena were safe and much better looking. He was a lively fellow who did not stop talking. At 7am, he was quite the chipper chap pointing out new buildings, discouraging us from the beachfront, and trying to sell us on hiring him for future trips around the city. He fed us tidbits on a couple of landmarks in the distance and up some hills and assured us that he would give us the best information and the best ride to said locations if we go on his best trip evah.
When we had given our driver our hotel's nearest intersection, we gave him street names that were labeled on Google Maps. He had no idea what those names were and I started to worry. Then he explained that silly Cartagena keeps changing the street names. What we knew as Carerra 7 was known locally as Calle de San Agustin Chiquita. So after our repeated, "See-eh-teh! Cah-reh-rah ... see-eh-teh!" He gave up and asked us our hotel name. He uttered an "Aha" as if to say, "Hotel Don Pedro de Heredia! Why didn't you say so in the first place! Yes, yes ... it's right around the corner." And within 5 minutes, we were at our destination.
We tried to get an early check-in but to no success. The hotel was booked because of the impending Holy Week. Colombians treat this time off as an opportunity to take vacations to the coast or other touristy destinations. We were going to have to sweat it out (literally) until 2pm, when our room would be ready. We left our luggage in a secured room near the front desk and stepped out into the city.
No comments:
Post a Comment