Saturday & Sunday, March 18 & 19, 2023 – Back to Cartagena & Home Again (Author: J)
(photo: sunrise at El Dorado)
Some things we learned on our final morning at El Dorado. Don’t feel guilty about sleeping in; the sunset from the cabins is just as nice as the sunset from the San Lorenzo Ridge. There is a discount if you settle your account with cash. You can make it back to Santa Marta pretty quickly if you don’t slow down for curves in the road. Just honk as you round the bend. Folks will know to get out of your way. (That last bit is what I told myself to keep my mind off the risk of plummeting off the side of the mountain as we sped towards town).
After making the trip to Santa Marta in record time, we switched cars and drivers in a grocery store parking lot in Santa Marta. The new ride was a fancy looking SUV designed for tourist transport; it had TV screens on the backs of the seats and everything. Before hitting the road, we popped into the grocery store to buy some snacks for the drive. Then we headed back to Cartagena on the same road that had taken us to Tayrona several days earlier. Along the way, our driver pumped his favorite American pop hits from the early 2000s. We initially thought he was humoring the American tourists, but our assessment changed when he started belting the classic Backstreet Boys jam, I Want It That Way. Clearly American pop of the early 2000s was his jam.
Our destination in Cartagena was the Hilton in Bocagrande. Since we had already spent time in the Historic Centre, I opted to finish our stay in the more affordable tourist area along the beach. I selected the Hilton because it had an elaborate-looking pool area.
We arrived in Bocagrande around 1 pm – perfect timing because I was getting hungry. It soon became apparent that our driver was lost though. We made several circles around the block, getting tripped up after each lap by the GPS, which was rather forcefully suggesting that we drive into the ocean. As we circled the block trying to find a road that led to the Hilton, we were surrounded by a group of men selling the usual tourist trinkets. Unwilling to squish anyone, our driver stopped. Then he rolled down the window and asked directions. The trinket vendors obliged and then parted to allow us to proceed on our way. 5 minutes later, we were at the Hilton.
The friendly folks at the front desk were able to check us in early, so we headed to our room to change. (Although we were happy to be able to check in early, it seems like housekeeping was rushed as a result. Our room wasn’t as clean as I would have liked and some of the items in the room – such as coffee for the coffeemaker – had not been replenished). After changing, we spent our afternoon at the pool area where we had a light lunch and some fruity drinks at the pool bar. Although the sky was cloudy, the threat of rain never turned into actual rain and we were able to enjoy a long swim. That evening, we had dinner at the on-site restaurant (convenient, but not very tasty) and then relaxed in our room before our final night’s sleep in Colombia. Bocagrande was a relaxing place to end our trip, though it cannot hold a candle to the Historic Centre when it comes to charm.
Because our flight home was not until 3 pm, our final morning was a leisurely one. We slept in and then headed to the Hilton’s breakfast buffet – a choice we made because it allowed us to use up a good chunk of our remaining pesos. The Hilton’s breakfast buffet is elaborate, with a wide variety of options including breakfast pastries, eggs, French toast, and Colombian specialties. The arepas con huevos here were crispy and flavorful; they put the ones at Hotel Bantu to shame. We enjoyed our meal amidst tables full of tan and happy-looking people wearing clothing adorned with sea turtles. This was apparently the uniform of the sea turtle scientist. It turned out that the sea turtle convention was in town. I don’t think I have ever seen a happier looking group of professionals – and I work in a field where we get the whole summer off.
After breakfast, we packed and then puttered around the room until it was time to check out. While we were waiting, I made a last dish effort to fix our flight itinerary. Several weeks prior, JetBlue had kicked us off our connecting flight because – in their view – changes to the flight schedule had made the connection too tight. We now had a 12-hour overnight layover at JFK, a change for which we had not received any compensation. My plan was to ask customer service if we could be moved back to our original connecting flight if we agreed not to complain or ask for a new flight if we missed the connection. This plan was summarily rejected; the customer service representative told me that the connection was simply too tight and that it was not a permitted booking. This stuck in my mind because we met several people in the Cartagena airport who were booked on this “unpermitted” connection; those folks had not been bumped to a later flight.
(Photos: the pool area at the Hilton)
We arrived at the airport 3 hours before our flight as suggested by JetBlue. Our first decision was whether to grab lunch before security or after. Choices are limited in both places and there are really no great options. We ultimately decided to take our chances at the gate. The next hurdle was to clear passport control. At the entrance to the passport control line, a staff member is stationed to confirm that everyone has completed their Check MIG form. This form is required to both enter and exit the country. It appeared that the form check was on the honor system. If you say yes, the staff member will take your word for it and let you leave the country. We hadn’t completed our form and had plenty of time, so we stepped out of line to do our paperwork. Fortunately, the airport offers 15-minutes of free wi-fi for all visitors – a service that we took advantage of to get the Check MIG done.
With our paperwork out of the way, we got back in line and waited for passport control. It moved much more quickly than passport control on arrival. After about 20 minutes, we had our exit stamp and found a seat to wait for our flight. The international departures area in Cartagena has limited seating and few shopping and dining options. There is a convenience store, a deli-type restaurant, a duty-free store, and a Colombian souvenir shop. We used our last remaining pesos to buy cheese sandwiches for lunch and then bought some small items at the souvenir shop. The prices there were obscene, so I recommend doing your shopping before coming to the airport.
It turned out that our flight was delayed, so a 2-hour wait stretched into 3. Finally, our flight began boarding. We found our seats and settled in. As I sat down, the cushion on my seat slipped forward; apparently it wasn’t attached. I shoved it back in to place and buckled up. Then we booted up the entertainment system. It quickly became apparent that something was wrong with that too. The only child-friendly selections were a few short videos of preschool songs – and even those would not play. As it turned out, the entertainment system on the plane was not working. As an added bonus, I discovered that I had left my book at the Hilton. I was in for a lot of hours of admiring my own fingernails.
After an unpleasant flight, during which I had to repeatedly assure P that there was no connection between malfunctioning entertainment systems and plane crashes, we arrived in New York. I really enjoyed waiting in the passport control line surrounded by wisecracking New Yorkers complaining about our flight. (It turns out that I wasn’t the only one whose seat fell off). I’m originally from New Jersey, so both the accent and the humor sounded like home to me. After a 20 to 30 minute wait, the passport control agent welcomed us home and told that our son’s hair was too long. We did not comment on the passport control agent’s bald head.
At this point, I checked my watch and confirmed that it was about 30 minutes until our original connecting flight would have departed. Could we have made it? I don’t know. But since JetBlue had given us the boot, we instead took the airport train to the car rental counters and picked up a rental car. Then we drove the 3.5 hours to Boston. I am proud to say that we managed to stay awake the whole time and we thus lived long enough for me to complete this trip report.
On the way, I called JetBlue to let them know that we wouldn’t be on our connecting flight the next morning. They agreed to issue a credit of several hundred dollars, which made me feel a little better about the situation. However, I do think that the way JetBlue handled the situation was unethical at best. (As you may recall, I had previously asked for a refund for the New York/Boston leg of our flight and I was told that was not possible because the fare was not apportioned by leg. Accepting the 12-hour layover was presented as a take it or leave it proposition. That other travelers were not bumped from the same connection only added to the perceived unfairness of the situation).
Despite the stress of the trip home, it had been another excellent family vacation.
Travel Monkeys 