Colombia Part II

After lunch Frank, or Francisco as his mother calls him, asked me if there was any way I could help him move. After a lunch of steak and mushrooms how could I possibly say no. Frank had just moved to Cartagena from Bogota and was crashing with his folks until his place was ready. So Frank, his wife Andrea and I loaded up the truck with clothes, tv, dishes etc with the mattress strapped to the roofrack. I was sweating like a dog, the humidity and heat had my shirt soaked but it felt extremely normal. I could use the fancy right-click thesaurus that Microsoft offers, or even dig out my dictionary but the fact is ‘normal’ is the right word. Helping a friend move, piling stuff into a Cruiser is a pretty common practice back home in Utah and this felt no different. We stopped by the store to confirm delivery of new appliances and then hauled all the stuff up 18 flights of stairs. Oh wait that’s not right, there was an elevator. It just felt like I was clmbing that many stairs. Have I mentioned Cartagena was hot?

Next few days I hung out with Frank and Andrea. I wandered the old city, dined at outdoor cafes, attempted to haggle with the many vendors of fine Colombian goods and tacky tourist crap. I think I scored the former. Probably got hoodwinked and ended up with the latter. One of the highlights of Cartagena is the old Spanish fort. (pics in the gallery)I’m sure there is real name like Bastion or something like that but it’s 12:30 at night cut me some slack. It was built to protect their stashed gold from plundering pirates. It was the only fortress the Spanish built in the ‘new world’ that was never occupied or destroyed and still stands today very well preserved. I know this might strike some as odd but I think I enjoy it as much as the ruins at Tikal or Chitzen Itza. Perhaps it was the ability to wander freely amongst the ruins, or the passageways plunging into the depths of the stronghold, but it was an amazing structure and a great experience.

Another of the old Spanish buildings remaining in the town was the, crap I’m forgetting the name and my book is in the car. Ummm, Palace of Inquisition? That sounds right. They had rebuilt many of the torture devices used on heretics and criminals. (again I think I posted pics in my gallery.) They were neat to see but the thing that impressed me the most was that the altar still remained where the most egregious offenders were decapitated. Thought provoking to say the least. All of this in a tranquil courtyard with hanging garden.

Above the Palace of Inquisition was a museum dedicated to the history of Cartagena. Not just the Spanish history but the indigenous history as well. I’m not much of a museum guy but it was truly fascinating. One of the more intriguing exhibits detailed the construction of the wall surrounding the city and the various techniques used. Yep boring to read about, so I’m sorry. But it lead to a long hot walk around the entire wall looking for signs of the engineering detailed. One afternoon I got an email stating the my truck had arrived and it was time to go pick it up. This seems like another good time to break. My eyes are burning and if I quit now you have the detailed account of 14 hours, over two days, to get my truck out of port, and the following night spent in an hourly rate motel, home to prostitutes and transvestites to look forward to.