Annie & Safe Go West

Day 45.  As we were looking for this evening’s fix of arroz con pollo, we heard some interesting whirring noises coming from one of the numerous copy shops.  From a distance we could see a machine reminiscent of a contraption from the film Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the decent version with Gene Wilder).  We entered the shop to investigate further and saw a man tending to the machine as bits of paper flew out of the back.  It occurred to us that the scene was more reminiscent of the modern day Doctor Who flying his Tardis.  We were told that the machine is an ancient refurbished “Multilith Offset”.  Safe nodded in agreement trying not to give away that he worked in the print business and that he had no idea what a “Multilith Offset” was.

Cafe tintos are far too easy to drink and cost pennies.  If you need a quick pick me up, perhaps in the morning before school, or in the evening after a heavy meal of arroz con pollo, it does the trick.  The “red flask” is what we drink from.  Maximum caffeine.  Maximum sugar.

Tinto ... "Choose the Red Pill!"

Safe grins as he's about to drink his third tinto today

Cartagena doesn’t have too many tourists but the locals naturally try to make the most of them.  Walking down the street minding your own business can be hazardous if you’re fair like Annie.  The only Spanish you’re likely to learn is “Taxi?  Taxi?  Taxi?” as though there were a vague hope you might change your plans and decide to take a taxi if the word “Taxi?” were shouted at you enough times by enough people.  Safe, on the other hand, is more of an enigma.  Colombians look at him and assume for an instant that he’s Columbian then do a double take and realise that he looks odd.  Then they stare …

This morning Safe was asked by someone whether he was Israeli.  This afternoon, even though he said he was Egyptian, another man said, “Ah yes, but you look Israeli!”  This evening, a coffee seller across the street shouted at him, “Shalom!  Shalom!”

Thinking back over this trip, it has occurred to us that Safe has been mistaken for being Israeli many times.  This is probably understandable as we have seen several Israeli tourists in Latin America but no Egyptian tourists.

Shalom!

Day 44.  Learning Spanish is hungry business, especially when you have the misfortune to be thrown straight into subjunctives, so after school we looked for somewhere cheap and filling to have lunch.  We were grateful that the menu at a Grill House at the Southern tip of Getsemani had English translations and decided to eat somewhere else instead.

Is the menu correct or is there a boob in it?

In the evening we felt strong enough to brave some street food:

• Arepas con queso (flat cheesy puff):  a type of maize pancake – very popular in the evening – vendors found on most streets.
• Patacones (squashed deep-fried plantain):  very tasty and very filling – we’re not sure how they squash the plantains but we wouldn’t like to be on the wrong end of whoever’s job that is.

Cheesy Puffs (aka Arepas con Queso)

Day 43.  We headed out for brekky this morning at a popular café round the corner from our casa.  As we tucked into our scrambled eggs and rice, we noticed that we were sitting beside a fetching mermaid lamp who we’re pretty sure is the sister of the mermaid coffee table at Safe’s parents’ place.

Long lost sister

In the afternoon Safe visited the apartment of Rich (someone in his class) and Lily on the 37th floor of a building in Boca Grande. (It happens to be the tallest buliding in Cartagena).  The guard at the reception is a lively chap called Juan Carlos.  Juan Carlos was intrigued by where Safe could be from and after pointing to his eyes and making “big nose” gestures with both hands, he guessed Middle Eastern / Israeli.  Safe told him he was Egyptian and after a short conversation about whether Egypt was hotter than Colombia and whether the moon was the same size in both countries, they were instant friends.

Later in the afternoon, we sat down to a couple of hours of private Spanish tuition with Señor Amaury Martelo for a torture of irregular and reflexive verbs.  Enough said.

Day 42.  We enrolled in Spanish School this morning along with several other victims from Germay, Switzerland, USA and UK.  The first thing they did was give us a test to assess our level in order to put us in the correct class.   It’s funny how a quiet room, a pen, a blank piece of paper and some questions can make your heart beat faster.  The marking system was a little arbitrary, though after some musical chairs, we settled down into our classes.

Spanish School

At break time we were all served the popular Colombian beverage, Cafe Tinto, a tiny plastic cup of strong coffee with enough sugar to stand your spoon in.  Cafe Tinto is served from flasks by street sellers who regularly refill their flasks from taps in coffee shops.  We’ve had some very good coffee on our trip so far but this takes some beating.

Tiddly coffees all round at break time

A bit more study whilst hiding from the afternoon heat was followed by an evening’s wander.  A traditional arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) for dinner rounded off the day nicely.

Day 41.  Our first full day in Cartagena.

Cartagena is beautiful.  It’s an old colonial Spanish town meets beachside haven meets modern highrise city.  It’s long and chequered history involves Spanish pirates, French pirates, and at some point, Sir Francis Drake.  Flowers line the large balconies and music is everywhere.  People live with their doors and windows open to the world to watch and be watched (and to survive the moderate heat).  A light wind constantly blows as respite to the afternoon sun.

First job, find somewhere permanent, and more importantly, quiet to live.  The music never stops in Cartagena which is fantastic if you’re awake but not so fantastic if you aren’t (or more accurately, weren’t)!  We settled on the cheap but very cheerful Casa Mara in Getsemani, the old part of town.

Our street: Calle de Espritu Santo

Our home: Casa Mara

Next job, wander around town to orientate ourselves.  Cartagena is split into several districts, the main ones being Getsemani (the old crumbly single storey part of town with lots of flowers – think Garden of Gethsemene) and Centro Historico (the old but swanky part of town also lined with flowers).

Final job, find the beach!  Boca Grande is the Miamiesque district of Cartangena with beaches and tall buildings.  After a quick dip in the sea followed by a fresh coconut juice, we bought some provisions from the supermarket and headed home for an early night as we contemplated starting Spanish School in Getsemani bright and early.

Dear Reader,

Now that we’ve finally settled in one town and we’ll be learning Spanish for half the day, we’ve been thinking about what might happen to our blog posts.  If you’re averse to us posting nothing more than lists of Spanish irregular verbs, let us know!

Annie & Safe

P.S. Happy Birthday Tony Ram!