Islas del Rosario

So, I went to spend some time this weekend in Cartagena with the folks visting from UC and we ended up taking a day trip to the Islas del Rosario. Like many things in Cartagena, the isla trip was nice and I enjoyed it, but I think I always expect more after hearing people talk about it. The lancha takes about one hour to get out to the archipelago, which is just outside the Bay of Cartagena. There's somewhere between 23 and 27 small islands, depending on who you're talking to, many of which are privately owned. We were on Isla Grande, at a place called Media Naranja. This was the first turquiose blue, what-I've-always-thought-the-Caribbean-should-look-like water I've seen since I've been here.

The interior of the island was also interesting, although not very accesible. One of the other girls and I started walking on our own, but a guide quickly caught up with us. That was probably for the better, since all of the paths looked the same! I didn't have my camera with me though, which was unfortunate. Lunch was included, too-the typical fried fish, arroz con coco, salad, and patacones.

The best part though, was the trip back. The sea was fairly calm in the morning when we went out, but the afternoon was a different story. It was the next best thing to a rollercoaster! Luckily, we had sat in the front of the lancha, so most of the water flew over us and hit the poor, unspecting people sitting in the back. I felt bad for the couples that had brought their babies with them...it must have been completely miserable. So, in the end, I'm nice and tan now, but I'm sure I'll lose it quickly over Christmas!

10 more days until I freeze

So I see this tree outside my office every day and then I think about how it's only 30-some degrees in Cincinnati right now and how I'm going to freeze to death when I step off of that plane on Christmas Eve. Maybe that's a good thing though...it doesn't feel like Christmas here, where on a hot day it's still in the 90s. I went to the artesians fair to buy some presents to take back with me and was looking at some hats made of Alpaca wool, but it's not easy to think about wearing a wool on your head when it's that hot!

There's no Christmas music playing here either, although I have been hearing a lot more cumbia lately on the buses since Carnaval is getting close. The carols I have heard are all translations from the English versions, other than one or two. I'll have to post pics of some of the crazy Christmas light displays I've seen. To me, it's rather depressing that Christmas here is just as commercial as it is in the States, if not more so. To be continued...  

Futbol

So I went on Sunday evening to see Junior play against one of the Cali teams. This was the fourth time that I've been to the stadium. It really irks me that every time I go, they change the rules about what you can and can't bring in with you.