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We made it back to Bogota yesterday, and although I'm going to miss Cartagena a lot, it's nice to be back in a place where I don't wake up sweating.
The rest of our time in Cartagena was lovely. It really is an enchanting city, but it's definitely undergoing a lot of change and on its way to becoming a popular tourist destination. On Friday we walked outside of the old city to the beach and into the business district, and saw many oceanfront hotels being built, including a Hyatt and a Sheraton. Hopefully the old town will retain its charm and not get overrun by tourists, but I'm really happy that we got to visit when we did. Gabriel Garcia Marquez keeps a home in Cartagena, and on Thursday we were told by some acquaintances we'd made on Wednesday night that he was in the city. We walked by his home (which is pretty much entirely walled off from the street, but I still like to think we might've been within 100 yards of him :) ). We also spent some time Thursday night at the bar of the Santa Clara Hotel, El Caro, where Garcia Marquez apparently used to hang out and where there was an awesome live band playing. The bar is also supposedly haunted and there is a crypt underneath that you can go down into. Ian ventured down, but I stayed put at our table thank-you-very-much.
Today is our last full day in Bogota, and we visited the Botero Museum and walked around some of the city's other neighborhoods for a while. We also stumbled upon the President's house (we knew something was up when armed guards wanted to search our bags before they'd allow us to walk down the street next to it)--so Ian asked what it was. In a bit we're going back to the amazing pizza place for another piece, and tomorrow morning we fly to Buenos Aires.
I'm excited to see and explore a new city, especially one I've heard so much about, but will also miss Colombia.
xo, Rachel
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Sarah great stuff! I love how when traveling you stumble upon all of the unexpected surprises :)