8-9 July 05

The nice thing about traveling alone is the opportunity to change plans on a whim without having to discuss with anyone but the voices in my head. Being in Leticia with the big relief of having just come off the slow boat, I wasn´t in the mood to spend 10 more days semi-comatose in a hammock, as planned, getting to the coast of Brazil. I was dreaming of the Caribbean, of diving & snorkelling, laying on a beach, drinking fruit juices during the day and rum at night... and it was all there, just a planeride away on the north coast of Colombia... I didn´t need much persuasion, and the little voices were very encouraging. Voila, I had a new plan!

Actually realizing my plan turned out to be a lot more frustrating and difficult that anticipated. It is a long story of patience and bravery (me), lies and deceit (the airline and travel agency). ;-) and is best saved for an occasion that involves drinking of wine. My only comment is this: In Leticia, DO NOT trust that you will be able to buy a ticket, that you actually have purchased a valid ticket, that your ticket has actually been reconfirmed, that you will actually be able to check in with your ticket, not until you are sitting on the plane. And even then, don´t think that you will catch your connection :-) You will get there somehow, but things work slightly differently around here...

With a few extra hours to spare at Bogota Airport, I got to explore it in detail and it soon earned the spot as my all-time favourite airport. My main judgement criteria are threefold: fantastic coffee (among my top 5 of all times), good food (yes, at an airport!!) and lots of great bookshops. Add to that comfortable seating and beautiful people to look at, and you have a winner! (One of my other favourites is the Chicago O´Hare, but only for the fact that if you wave your hand in the toilets, the toilet seat automatically changes its plastic cover. Fabulous!!)

A few oohhhs and aaahhhs later, newly purchased Colombia guidebook in hand (of course, it was a total rip-off), I finally boarded my plane to Cartagena and soon found myself watching TV in my hotel room, a rare luxury that would only last a night until a cheaper place had space :-)