One of the amazing examples of street art in Getsemania
I know that title might sound like a movie but it was a real-life experience.
Two of my oldest and dearest friends, Joe and Mike (we have been friends for 40+ years) have been getting together for dinner every 4-6 weeks for over 15 years. We each take a turn choosing the restaurant and paying for that night. Not only have we had dinner in some great Toronto restaurants, but we get to have quality time together catching up and staying current in each other's lives. Every time I leave the restaurant, I realize why Joe, Mike and I have been friends for so long.
During one of our dinners six or seven years ago, Joe suggested we do something special for our 60th birthdays. Rather than celebrating in Toronto, we would each pick a restaurant in any location and travel there for dinner. I was first up and chose Nobu in Malibu - https://noburestaurants.com/malibu/nobu-malibu-japanese-restaurant-bar-and-lounge. My idea was to chose a restaurant I had been to and loved. It also allowed me to show them my favourite spots in Santa Monica, our family's most frequent vacation destination. We followed that trip with travel to London, England for Mike's choice and then San Francisco for Joe's. The trips were amazing with memories for a lifetime. We still talk about them today.
A year ago Joe suggested we travel again for our 65th birthdays. This time it would be one trip to a location that none of us had ever visited. This eliminated a lot of places as we have all travelled a great deal either for business or personal. We eventually landed on the idea of South America, came up with Columbia, and decided on Cartagena. The stop in Panama City was added so we did not have to fly overnight and sleep in an airport. I think we were all initially concerned with safety in Columbia. However, as we did more research it was clear that Cartagena is the safest city in Columbia especially if you stay within the walled section. With a plan in place, we were ready to go. What follows is a brief overview of our 60-hour trip:
Toronto - Thursday - 3:15 pm - 6-hour 40-minute flight to Panama City arrive 8:55 pm
Panama City - Thursday - 8:55 pm - The flight was on time and customs was reasonable but it still took about an hour before we were out to meet our driver and on to our hotel.
Las Clementinas - Thursday - 10:30 pm - https://lasclementinas.com/. I found this hotel when searching for the best boutique hotels in Panama City. With only 9 rooms it was intimate but not crowded - the hotel seemed larger than 9 rooms. It was in the old town of Panama City, away from the downtown highrises and was the perfect location for us. Our original plan was to check in and take a short walk to La Pulperia - https://www.lapulperia.com.pa/?lang=en for something to eat and drink, but by the time we got to the hotel, it was 10:30 pm. After cancelling our reservation we quickly checked in and headed to the hotel restaurant. It was a good call as the food and beer were great. We could hardly believe we had made the trip and were in Panama City.
Our first night in South America - late dinner in Panama City
Las Clemintinas - Friday - 8:00 am - Given how good the food was the night before we decided to have breakfast in the hotel restaurant, however, it was not open. We headed out to explore the old town of Panama City with its old, historic, interesting buildings and shops. After an hour we returned to the hotel for a delicious breakfast and much-needed coffee. The food at Las Clemintinas was good. We had time for another quick walk about the town before heading to the airport. We concluded that 12 hours was enough time in Panama City (smile).
A few of the sights in the Old Town of Panama City
Panama City - Friday - 12:16 pm - Our flight to Cartagena arrived on time at 1:31 pm. Everything was good until we joined a massive and extremely slow customs line which got longer as time went on. It became painfully obvious that we would miss our 3:00 pm reservation at the rooftop bar at Buena Vida. I eventually got through to them and they agreed to wait for us after I explained we had travelled from Toronto to have a late lunch at their place.
Buena Vida - Friday - 4:00 pm - https://www.buenavidamarisqueria.com/ - We finally made it! Our limo driver dropped us off at our VRBO, we met the housekeeper who gave us our keys and a brief tour of the apartment. We noticed that the water was not running for some of the toilets and sinks. She said the water was likely just restarting. We were in a hurry to get to the restaurant so we did not investigate further and rushed off to Buena Vida. The rooftop was spectacular, the weather was perfect and the food and beer were amazing. What a great place to start our adventure in Cartagena.
We made it! Late lunch on the rooftop in Cartagena
VRBO - Friday - 6:00 pm - https://www.vrbo.com/en-ca/cottage-rental/p10959845?regionId=6160058&chkin=2024-03-15&chkout=2024-03-17&useRewards=false&NumRoom=1&NumAdult-Room1=3&expediaPropertyId=72935567
After hanging out on the rooftop for a couple of hours, we returned to the apartment planning on relaxing before having a late dinner. But when we got back to our rooms we realized that the water was not working. I messaged our host who sent the building manager over, but it became obvious that this was not a simple problem. It turned out there was a city-wide water issue that would not be resolved until the next afternoon. Some of the larger hotels, restaurants and buildings had their own water supply but our apartment did not. The host/owner quickly showed up to explain the situation and immediately started working on getting us rooms at another hotel (not easy as most places were fully booked). She eventually found and booked us at a gorgeous hotel, El Marques - https://hotelelmarques.co/. She walked us over to ensure that we were taken care of. I want to make a special note here of her level of customer service. It would have been easy for her to tell us the water was not her fault - it was after all a city-wide problem. She could have told us that it was going to be fixed in a couple of hours and that we would have to wait. She could have ignored us. She did none of the above. She responded quickly and paid for our hotel rooms which was significantly more than what our nightly room rate was. I don't think she could have handled the situation any better.
El Bulador Gastrobar - Friday - 9:00 pm - https://elburladorgastrobar.com/ After checking in to the hotel we headed out for dinner. Gastro bar means something different in Columbia than in Canada. I associate a Gastro bar with an upscale pub with good food but still a pub. El Bulador was a fine dining restaurant. A lot of Gastro and no bar/pub. The food and service were fantastic and it was a great way to finish our first day in Cartagena. Interesting note: while we were having dinner waiters were carrying in many huge jugs of water so clearly the city-wide water issue was real and impacting many places.
Getsemania - Saturday - 9:00 am - After coffee and a delicious breakfast (which was included with our hotel room that we didn't pay for) we headed out to explore. Our first stop was Getsemania, an older neighbourhood in Cartagena that has been transformed and much safer than it once was. We went primarily to see the fun street art but there were lots of narrow old streets with interesting shops to discover. It was a nice way to spend a beautiful, hot, sunny morning.
Amazing street art in Getsemania
Wandering around - Saturday - 11:00 am - We decided we would use the rest of the day seeing as much of Cartagena as we could. The walled city is beautiful with lots of historical buildings, interesting architecture and shops. We walked along the ocean (the beach was inaccessible) and then to the edge of the walled city to see the sunset. By the end of the day, we felt like we had seen everything in Cartagena. The water was running at our apartment so we were able to check back in. We loved the rooftop at Buena Vida so much that we went back for a second time.
Sunset in Cartagena with great friends
Carmen - Saturday - 7:30 pm - https://carmencartagena.com/en/ This was to be our "birthday" dinner. When researching restaurants in Cartagena, virtually every article I read started or ended with, "The best restaurant in Cartagena is Carmen". So Carmen it was. We chose their 7-course dinner and happily the restaurant lived up to its reviews. The food and service were spectacular. A lot of different flavours but everything was prepared and presented with a great deal of care. Despite being a "high-end" restaurant in terms of food and service (and price), the atmosphere and dress of the servers and clientele were casual which made the evening very comfortable. It was a wonderful place to celebrate our friendship during our last night in Cartagena.
Cartagena - Sunday 8:00 am - For our last meal in Cartagena we were lucky to find a delicious breakfast spot near our hotel.
Cartagena - Sunday - 12:45 pm - Our flight to Toronto via Bogota.
Well, that was a whirlwind. Although not for everyone, this trip was perfect for Joe, Mike and me. We travel well together and fortunately enjoy many of the same things. We felt like we saw everything and to be honest, if we had stayed an additional day in Cartagena I am not sure what we would have done.
It is probably worth commenting on personal safety in Cartagena. Although not an observation on Columbia as a country, I can say we felt safe while visiting the city. The streets were busy even in the evenings so we felt secure among the crowds. I am sure there is pickpocketing but that happens in many cities. Street vendors are aggressive and it gets tiresome repeating that you don't want a hat or sunglasses or .... but that is an irritant, not a safety issue.
The trip was perfect for us to celebrate our birthdays and friendships. I am not sure what is next but I am sure it will be an adventure. Stay tuned.
If you have any questions or comments you can send them to thethirdperiod.ca@gmail.ca
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