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Published: December 20th 2006
Hello everybody!
Can´t beleive it´s only 5 days till Christmas Guys! It feels weird knowing what it´s like at home and how different it is here! We´re all in Cartagene at the moment and we have been since we arrived in South America, and it´s really beautiful here and they like to go in for all the Christmas lights and decorations so it does feel a bit Christmassy. Must say though, the selfish side of me is enjoying the no hassel side of Christmas away from the present buying pressures!!
So, what have we been up to?? I´ve got so much to update you on, i think more than a month possibly! So, i´ll keep it short, if poss, and
then load as many photos as i can up.
So, first i´ll write up what´s happened here and why we haven´t yet left.....
We arrived in Cartagene, Columbia 20 days ago on the 1st December. We were all really excited about starting the next continebnt but also really sad to say good bye to Central America as we had such a great time there and loved so many of the places and people we came accross. We walked
off the airplane to an almost a different climate which was amazing as we´d only flown for 45 mins! And made our way through customs and out on to search for a taxi and head to a hostel. However, instead we bumped into Jovani whom nstantly told us the hostel we wanted to stay in was a dump, how he knew somewhere better and jumped in our cab with us and drove us into the old town banging on about how he loves the ladies, and yes we are 3 ladies! Anyway, Jovani has been a great saviour to us along with his brothers and a few other characters, cos on the Monday night, after arriving Friday i managed to completely dislocate my left knee. I even pushed it back in myself after it seemed to slip halfway back on it´s own whilst people were trying to move / help me! So, later that night, everyone was putting ice on my knee, giving me a few more beers for the pain and looking after me, but recomending i see a doctor the next day.
So the next day Jovani takes me to the hospital to get what i thought
was a quick check up and be told to not over exert myself, and possibly even a small bandage, to then be told i had to have an entire plaster card on my leg!!! I´m still in shock now! Have tried to ask the doctor to take it off twice before now, saying i´m happy to pay, but he won´t even do it for the money i mean i thought we were in Columbia!!! It has to be on 21 days apparently.
So, i haven´t been up to that much over the last 20 days. We´ve got a few friends from around that come visit and stuff and a friend who i used to work with but fled to South America has come to spend his holiday here so have had a familiar face which is cool, plus another servant!!
The town though, especially the old town inside the wall, is beautiful, the streets are so varied with muticoured buildings, lovely sqaures and plazas and all the houses and balconies have christmas lights up. The room we have is OK, we have a balcoy where you can watch the world go by and cabel tv so i´m surving
though to my horror am becoming addicted to the OC, it´s constantly on!!
Yesterday though, a mate called Nacho, took us out on a day trip, or more we took him, but he did the organising and planning. Basically we went to a beach where all the locals hang out and had a plate of lobster and prawns, coco rice etc and then went on a boat best described as a conoe, through the mangles (mongroves) to this other beach, but with a guy using a punt rather than an oar to move the boat. Check out the pictures, it was well cool!
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Auntie Liz
non-member comment
Mery Christmas
Hi Jo, Just to send some Christmas greetings and commiserations. I was so sorry to hear about your knee. I imagine the cast must be about to come off - much to your relief! Do take it steady for a while and make sure you do any physio and exercises your told to do -- it's important!!!! Things here are in the usual manic stage as we approach Christmas and I rather envy your situation with no pressures. We are also in the grip of dreadful foggy weather coupled with hard frosts. No fun for driving. I,m having a Christmas of work and little family contact. Penance of being a nurse. Paul and sheryl + bump are coming back next week for a couple of days so the 5 of us will have our family time then. Andy and Jane hope to move to there new home in Ipswich next month - everything very busy really. Anyway, I hope you have a great time in Columbia and hopefully a brilliant New Year of further exploration. Love from us all. Liz x x