My building is a star :)

I learned yesterday that the building I will live in was featured in a telenovela, "Reina del Sur". I passed by yesterday with Patricia and she was like "I know this place"... And yes, I had a look at the episode and there it is. :)
We went for a stroll and sunset drinks at Cafe Del Mar, here are a few pics of the old town:

Silent treatment

Due to work overload, there is not much blogging going on this days... Deadline is Thursday evening, so I should be back after that. In other news, the owner of the flat sent the contract yesterday and I had to change a few things. I was kind of scared that he would back off ...but he said yes to everything, the flat is being painted and a few things fixed, and I should be able to move in on Friday. *happyme*
Until then, it's work, work, work (and swimming in the sea, and eating fresh papaya, and... but I will not bother you with that) :)

There is a life outside the happy hippie village

Yesterday was a very long and boring working day and as soon as I reached my daily quota, I closed my lap top to jump in the sea and enjoy the last minutes of daylight. And it does work, 20 min in the sea clears up a translation fucked brain and instead of ending up in a vegetative state in front of TV, which is what usually happens after such a day in Vienna, I was all up and ready to go out. There is an Italian fencing maestro teaching fencing classes for a month in the happy hippie village and he and two of his pupils invited me for a drink. We went to the Club Naval de Cartagena, a fancy fancy and very beautiful place. It was quite a change to go from hippie style to members only in about 10 min. The Club Naval is located in Castillo Grande, the most fancy part of the modern town. It has a beautiful terrace with a great view of the bay of Cartagena. And we happened to arrive just in time for the happy hour. So, Mojito Cubano it was. A very lovely evening, I learned a lot about the city and had my first taste of how the partying is going to be like. Sorry, no pics, it was dark and the Mojitos didn't help a steady hand...
In other news: I got the place in the center!!! I am one happy girl, should be moving in next Wednesday. It is absolutely not cheap but within a reasonable range. I gave up the idea of a cheap place, the prices are similar to Vienna, nothing to do about it. And I really don't feel like living in a crappy place when I spend so much time working at home. :)
A bit more about the different parts of Cartagena: 1) Centro Historico: the 13 km par inside the city walls, the old Colonial town 2) Boca Grande: New part of town, consisting of huge condo towers, directly at the beach 3) Castillo Grande: the same as Boca Grande, but even more expensive 4) Lagito: The same as Boca Grande but in a cheap, all inclusive and eighties kind of way 5) Marbella: Also at the beach but nothing fancy about it
Word of the day: fumigar. After the rain, two days ago, nasty mosquitos showed up (that's the ugly side effect of all the beautiful trees and plants), so the owner decided it's time for a round of fumigation. All ecologists among you, stop reading. This means spraying nasty DDT like stuff all around the place, it stinks for hours, you can't breath, but.... None of the crappy bugs survives that. So, yeah to fumigation. ;)
A few random pics from a park in the center this morning:

And I am off to work, lazy me...

Yesterday's post....

Just drowned. Yesterday was the first rainy day and maaaaaaan, they mean business here when it comes to rain. I was at the other end of town looking for an apartment when it started pouring. In 5 minutes, the streets were flooded, and when I say flooded, I mean calf high water, not ankle high. I thought that it was this typical tropical rainfall that would be over in 10 minutes. Nope. And I was wearing very a very long, very nice cream colored skirt (wanted to impress real estate agents into not asking for all the paper work I don't have). I got a taxi and I should maybe better have gotten a boat... The taxis here are very small, very narrow cars, think Fiat Punto sized.Every time a SUV passed us by at full speed, a big fat splash of water entered the car through the closed window. I jumped left and right, trying to avoid the splashes, kind of Mario style. The car just drowned, not to far away from home, but it the middle of some kind of highway thing. The drivers reaction: none. After 5 minutes of silence, I asked him what he was going to do. He said nothing but hope the motor would dry. Wait and hope we did and after a while, the motor did start again.What I learned yesterday: Cartagena is not made for rain.
I had a look at another place yesterday, with the most incredible view: two sides of the bedroom are huge windows with a view of the open see. Breathtaking. But the rest of the place, not so much... Bad, bad eighties style. It is directly at the beach and the price is Ok. Now, I can't decided what would be better: a stylish flat in the center or an ugly one with a great view and the beach...
A few more pics from the happy hippie village:

And the juice of the day: no idea what the name is, tastes like something between black current and grapes:

Forget the Mango Tree

I got a better one :)))

My new temporary home is absolutely charming, more like a small village then a hotel. Most of the people living here are professors and students from all over the world, spending a year in Cartagena. Very funny I ended up in a place like that, loving it.
I got to see my dream place today and I do want it, badly.... a few pics:

The owner is calling tonight and we should meet this weekend to discuss the price... So, fingers crossed.
I learned today that I look... Brazilian :))) Yes, I had a good laugh at that one but after three different people asking me if I was from Brazil, I got the confirmation from my Brazilian neighbor : seems like I do look Brazilian. I can live with that.
Juice of the day: passion fruit, deliciously sour.
A last pic from m:y first sunset yesterday, and I am off to the beach... errrr, sorry, to work and then to the beach :)

First day in Cartagena

Arriving at 8 p.m. yesterday night, after 24 hours traveling, I was just looking for the taxi driver who should be standing at the airport, holding a sign with my name on it. But no luck, about 10 guys standing there but not mine.... I went outside, ready to start fighting with a taxi driver when I noticed someone exiting the airport with a sign upside down in his hands.... Yes, my driver managed to hold the wrong side of the sign, so it was reading Victor Emanuel *whoever* instead of my name. Anyway, we made it to hotel and I pretty much fell into a coma until 5 in the morning, when the jet lag kicked in. And that is the view at 5 from my hotel room on the 11th floor:

Breakfast was quick and very Colombian arepas y queso blanco (love it), and tree tomato juice (google that one, no pic). The first mission today was to get a phone. Done in 10 minutes, for 20€ you get a phone, a sim card and about 20 free calls. After reaching the historic city center (centro historico, the old town inside the walls), I met the owner of the first potential apartment. Well, she didn't have any place for me but as works... she had a friend who does. And we went to have a look at it from the outside since the owner wasn't there... And I fell in love. No, no mango tree... But a small, very stylish place in the center, but with a view of the sea and everything I need. Finger crossed the owner calls me back tomorrow and doesn't go crazy with the price. Then, I took a taxi to Marbella, since a girl in the plane to Cartagena yesterday recommended another hotel to stay at until I find a place. It is called Bellavista and a family business since 1952. Monique, the French owner, took it over from her mother. It is located in front of the beach in a very old colonial house with a huge patio and 4 routers, so Wifi is great everywhere.... I am moving there tomorrow. ;) It is a bit run down, the rooms are very very small and basic but more charming then the huge building I am staying at right now. I walked some more around Marbella and asked about places to rent, but nothing was really interesting, so, I took a taxi collectivo back to the center and managed to get lost for 20 minutes, looking for my favorite lunch place. I forgot the name and the address, not helpful... I did finally find it and here are a few pics:

I had a look at another place in Bocagrande, bigger and directly at the beach, but my heart is pretty much set on the first place... After some shopping, I am back at the hotel and starting the working day. Words of the day: Taxi collectivo: a shared taxi, costs 1500 (less then 1 €) pesos instead of 5000 and they make themselves known by honking twice and showing one finger... So, you stand at the side of the street (you have to now the routes) and wait for the honking ones... ;) Tinto: what they drink here instead of coffee, warm water with a bit of color... I am on cold turkey, only had one espresso this afternoon