I Hate Being Cold

View of the Old City, a UNESCO Heritage Site, from my balcony

 

The title of this blog explains why I'm spending January and February in Cartagena, Colombia.  Yes, I know I live in Central Florida.  Where it will be in the 30's next week.  Meanwhile I'll be on my oceanfront balcony where the weather will be around 86 each day with brutal lows of 76.    Yes, it is hot.  And yes, I love it.

I spent Jan/Feb of 2024 on the first half of the Holland America world cruise.  It was mostly warm and delightful.  Tokyo was delightful but not warm!  I'd loved to have done this year's world cruise but couldn't afford it.  The small, beautiful condo I've rented is about 1/4 of the price of the cruise.  And, the beautiful condo I found in Cartagena is significantly less than comparable condos in Mexico.

The hardest part of being away from home is leaving Buddy, the Chug.  But he is home being well loved and cared for by Nora and Eric.  I cannot thank them enough for taking such good care of Bud and the house.

Here are answers to some common questions I've gotten:

Isn't Colombia dangerous?

Like any city, Cartagena can be dangerous.  Would I stroll through the streets late at night alone?  No.  Would I stroll through the streets of Orlando alone at night?  Also, no.  Cartagena is a popular cruise ship destination, with at least one ship in port each day.   Both the Old City (a five minute drive) and my neighborhood of Bocagrande are popular tourist destinations and Cartagena wants to keep it that way.  My condo complex has security and only residents and registered guests are admitted.  I feel as safe here as I do at home.  The biggest threat to me is getting overcharged by a vendor on the beach.

Isn't South America far away?  

Well, it depends on where you start.  From Miami, it's a direct 3 1/2 hour flight.  I flew from Orlando.  I left at 8:30 a.m., had a 3 hour layover in Miami and arrived at 3:15 p.m.  It took less than 30 minutes to go through immigration, customs, meet my driver and get some Colombian pesos from an ATM.

Don't they speak Spanish there?  How will you communicate?

I'd like to say that I'm fluent in Spanish and it is no problem.  Sadly, that's not true.  But, my Spanglish is pretty good and Google Translate works for phrases I don't know.  Juan Carlos, my new driver, doesn't speak English but so far, we're doing fine and only had to whip out the translator app once.  It has been less than 24 hours and I've only spoken a few words of English.  My brain hurts.  I'm never going to be truly fluent, but this two months should help my language skills.

Is it spelled Colombia or Columbia?

I used to think it was spelled Columbia but it isn't.  That is the name of several cities in the US.  There is a city in Colombia spelled Columbia.  Yes, you could live in Columbia, Colombia.  

Why do you travel?

We all have a "happy place".  My home, with Buddy the Big Butt is one happy place.  And a place where everything is new to me and even things like using the ATM (cajero automatico) and grocery shopping are an adventure is my favorite happy place.  Exploring and experiencing new things brings me joy.