January 12

We left Octopus today on a small boat to Paradise Cove. This truly IS paradise! Although the coral is not as good for snorkeling, the water is much calmer, the waves are few, and there is more to do here. Everything is free except the diving – kayaks, paddle boards, guided hikes, snorkeling trips, and the food is wonderful.

Our bure is HUGE and gorgeous, and we are the only ones on the beach, so this has become the cocktail party place at 6:00. Unfortunately, it is also the most expensive one here, but Nancy and I waited too long to make our reservation, and this was the only place left. In the main room, it has a beautiful four poster bed covered with soft white curtains (just like you see in the movies), an L-shaped couch, and a large screen TV.

Our bathroom is also huge – open air with all kinds of plants, two showers, and double round sinks.

Nancy gets the big bed here, so I am sleeping in the back room which has twin beds, another couch, and a very small extra half bath. Every day the maid puts lovely fresh flowers on our beds and throughout the bathroom area as well as water and soda in the refrigerator. We decided that this is the perfect place for a Honeymoon! (And we truly are sharing Katie and Ashley’s honeymoon with them as they are traveling with us until the 17th when we leave for home.)

We arrived, had lunch (there are always several choices like rice paper wraps, sticky beef salad, chicken stir fry, and of course, hamburgers!) Then we all took out kayaks and paddled partway around the island, came back and snorkeled off the beach, and then swam before dinner. That evening was a movie under the stars around the pool with pop corn and ice cream. It is amazing how well we are all sleeping here. I guess no stress IS the recipe for happiness! 😉

January 13

Another quiet day—I got up about 9:00 (breakfast here is from 6:30 – 10:00, so we loved that!), had breakfast, worked on email and my journal, read on the porch, and then after lunch, we had our first big adventure here. They took us by boat to another area of the island where we snorkeled for over an hour. It was absolutely breathtaking to see all the brightly colored fish and coral! I saw an eel, “Nemo” fish, angel fish, jellyfish, and all kinds of different colored varieties from rainbow to neon blues, tiger stripes and polka dots. The coral ranged from fushia to lime green to all shades of purples, browns and tans.

Afterwards we came back and swam in the ocean in front of our bure. The view is so spectacular here that I want to cement it in my mind forever and ever! I feel so very close to God in this peaceful place. We showered, then read for awhile until the gang of 12 came over for our nightly cocktail gathering (mostly wine and beer…) Then, before dinner, we all hiked up to Sunset Point. Unfortunately, the sun was in another part of the sky so we couldn’t see it, but the view was lovely.

Dinner here has some choices unlike Octopus Resort, so I had risotto with muschrooms and prawns – delicious! We all laugh because whenever we cannot finish our meals, we just pass them to Ashley, the groom, and he polishes them off! 😉 After dinner we went back and read until our eyes began to droop. When I got up in the night to go to the bathroom, I just happened to look up (remember it is open air), and I saw more stars than I have seen for years – what a magnificent world God has created!

Stay connected for the continuation of the trip and added pictures. For more information on Barbara’s professional work, go to www.barbaraglanz.com

January 6

Today was a quiet day. We had a late breakfast and I worked on the computer doing email and writing until early afternoon. We then had lunch around the pool and a swim, had showers, dressed and went to the main street for our “souvenir” shopping at Jack’s. I bought my grandsons the instruments that the Nadi cannibals used to subdue their “victims”—a brain scrambler, a skull crusher, and wooden swords. Being boys, they will love the stories! I also bought gifts for girl friends and my other family members, so we had lots of fun. (My luggage was overweight to begin with, so now I am REALLY going to have to pay, but it’s worth it! 😉

After that we stopped at the little market in town for water and bug spray. The bugs are especially bad when you are eating outside. One fun thing we learned was that there are 4 different levels of taxis – the junky ones, nicer ones, ones that have AC for which you have to pay extra, and private cars. This day we were blessed to have a nice one! He even suggested we leave all our souvenir purchases with him in the car and he would meet us outside the market. We were a bit skeptical at first, but everyone here seems VERY honest, so we decided to be trusting.

He then drove us to the only Japanese restaurant in town, similar to Beni Hana, and we shared the table with a lovely family from Australia. There are many Aussies here, of course, since it is relatively close. When we came out, there was our taxi driver waiting for us, and when we asked him how much it would be to take us back to our hotel, he said, “Whatever you think.” WOW! Have you EVER had a taxi driver tell you that???
We had a glass of wine, packed to leave in the AM, and watched another episode of “Downton Abbey.”

January 7
We had to get up at 6:00 am (which I hate!) to get ready to be picked up to go to the island. We met my brother, Bruce, Ashley, the groom, and several of their friends at the airport and then got dropped off at the boat dock. The little open boat that took us only held 14 people and all our luggage. (We had been told to bring anything we wanted to drink from Nadi as it was all very expensive at the resort, so there were cases of wine, gin, vodka, soda, and mixers – this is a PARTYING group of young people! 😉 It was an 1¼ hour ride, a bit like a bucking bronco, but the scenery was beautiful as we approached the island.

Typical of the Fijian hospitality, there was an island group to serenade us as we arrived. We have LOVED the people here! They all seem to have an innate sense of service. Everyone you meet, even people on the street or throughout the resort, look you directly in the eyes, greet you with “Bula,” the traditional “hello”, tell you their name, ask you yours, and shake your hand. A friend just sent me an article that they have been voted the second friendliest people in the world, and we would certainly agree with that.

The resort is exactly what you would picture on a South Sea island—darling thatched huts (bures) right on the water, everything open, palm trees, lovely bushes, and gorgeous flowers everywhere, and water that is the deepest, brightest shade of turquoise. We have one of the few bures with AC which is a real blessing as it is VERY hot and humid here, even moreso than Florida in the summer. But the good news is you just give up on looking good and doing anything with hair and makeup – VERY freeing! 😉
The food is extraordinary as well. Breakfast is a buffet with gobs of fresh fruit –pineapple, mango, coconut, watermelon, papaya—and all kinds of eggs, omelets, cereals, etc. At lunch you can choose from specials of the day, a different curry (lots of Indian influence in Fiji), a special native Fijian dish each day, interesting salads and pizzas, or a fresh fish entrée. Dinner is served at 8:00 and is a sitdown lovely occasion with a set menu. They are extremely accommodating to people who are vegetarian or need gluten free as well. We love that they have filtered water, so we don’t have to be worried about where to buy bottled water as we did in Nadi. (I have learned in all travel to never drink the local water or eat salads or any kind of fruit that has not been peeled since that is the easiest way to get sick.)

After arriving, we met the rest of the group, had lunch (I had a pumpkin salad with garbanzo beans and fresh fruit – LOVE trying different local things), unpacked, and then Bruce took us on a snorkeling adventure. He is a college professor in Biology and Zoology and teaches survival at Mesa State University in Colorado, so he is a great instructor! He and Beth, my sister and the mother of the bride, gave me a traveling snorkel set for Christmas, so I was all prepared!

The bride and groom are both marine biologists as are most of their guest friends, so it is a really neat group to be with on an island. They all said it was the best snorkeling they had seen anywhere in the world! I have never seen so many different, beautiful varieties of coral in purples, greens, and tans, and all kinds of beautiful fish. Bruce shared the name of many of the corals and fish and even encouraged me to hold a sea cucumber he found so he could take a picture. When it started to “spit,” however, I freaked out and dropped it! 😉

We spent the afternoon reading and talking, met the group for cocktails at 6:00 and a lovely dinner at 8:00. We all slept really well with no stress and no commitments.

January 8
Today was the day for adventure! We all met at 9:30 for a trip to the local village with a guide. We were told to cover our knees and shoulders and that we could not wear hats in the village as a gesture of respect for the chief. The half hour climb over the mountain was a challenge for some – many steps up to the top and then a mud path down to the village—but it was an amazing experience. We saw a wild pig on the way and many varieties of forest plants.

The first thing we encountered when we arrived in the village was a lady doing laundry with a tub and a stick and her darling little two year old daughter (with no clothes on) helping her. I was enthralled with the beautiful children in the village – they all shyly said “Bula” and showed us with fingers how old they were. (The native language is Fijian, but most people here also learn English.) They all wanted their picture taken, so I got some darling ones. They lead a very simple rural life with almost no conveniences, and we all came away feeling so very grateful (and almost guilty) for all that we have in America. The electricity, for example, comes on only from 6:00 to 9:00 pm every evening.

We saw them drying the palms they weave for hats and baskets, we visited the local kindergarten, and we saw a man digging for crabs on the beach. We were struck, however, by all the litter around – made you want to help clean it up but decided it would be disrespectful. They eat casaba which is similar to a potato every day, and we saw their rustic cooking sheds and also the area where they have the traditional Kava ceremony.
Kava is a root that they boil and then drink, and they say it “makes your tongue numb.” They also tout its properties for relaxation and stress relief, so they all enjoy drinking it to varying degrees of “saturation!” (We have, however, learned that there is the concept of “Fijian time” that makes one wonder where the stress comes from……;-) There was also a small Methodist church in the village. Interestingly, the Kava ceremony area was right next to the church!

This is such a lush land surrounded by the ocean and dotted by volcanoes, and we learned a great deal about how easily one could survive here just with resources from the land and sea. Each village is composed of just one family, and our guide told us that 320 people lived in Nalauwaki. At the end of our tour they asked if they could bring out their crafts. I bought three brightly colored small round rugs made of many different fabrics for which they are famous and several gifts for the grandchildren. It was lovely to be able to do something to support the village. They were wonderfully welcoming in opening their entire village to us.

After our hike back up the mountain and down again, we had lunch, snorkeled, swam in the pool, read a bit and met again for cocktails and then dinner. Afterwards there was a trivia and talent contest for the whole resort. Ashley, the groom, is famous for his digeridoo playing, so as he performed, our whole group danced “gangnam style” like a flash mob, adding a few at a time until we were all up in front. We actually even won that part of the contest! 😉 Then the young people had their own party until (rumor was) 4:00 am. Ah, to be young like that again!!!!! 😉

January 9
Today was “play day” for us all. The guys took a hike to the top of another very high mountain where Katie, the bride, and her accomplices had buried treasure for the groom to find. All the girls met for a spa day and fun bachelorette games. I had a massage and reflexology, and we learned lots about Katie and even more about Ashley (some things I think he would rather NOT have had us know…..;-)

Then we all met for lunch, snorkeling, swimming and reading. Nancy and I had a pina colada around the pool and ate deep fried banana chips (like potato chips). The food is all inclusive here, so we are all eating way too much – will have to work hard to lose it all when I get home, but it is worth it! 😉

We all met at 6:30 at Beth’s bure for cocktails and the wedding rehearsal. We nearly died laughing when Katie and Ashley appeared. Only a photo can explain their outfits! Oh, how I wish I had ever had a body like Katie’s – they looked like high class strippers…..and we were all delighted and envious of Youth. We encouraged them to wear the costumes to dinner to the delight of the whole resort. After dinner, everyone called it an early night and headed home for a great night’s sleep.

The continuation of the trip will be posted periodically or you can read the full account later at www.barbaraglanz.com.

FIJI TRIP – January 2 – 17

January 2—I left Erin’s home in Portland at 5:45 pm to fly to Los Angeles where I met my traveling buddy, Nancy Cobb from Chicago, at the airport. I arrived in LA at Terminal 7 and had to walk all the way to Terminal 3 and then go through security again, but amazingly, Nancy was in the same security line, so from then on, we were together. Our flight on Fiji Airlines left at 9:30 pm and arrived in Nadi, the capital of Fiji, at 5:30 am, losing a day as we crossed the international dateline. The seats were not very comfortable, but the flight was uneventful. I watched two Polynesian movies with subtitles, finished my Danielle Steel “escape” novel, then took an ambien and got several hours sleep before we landed.

(A side note—I had been so worried about the weight limits of only one bag at 50 #s and one carry-on at 15#s and HOW to do that with being gone for nearly a month, that I lost a lot of time in sleep and worry. Thankfully, it was for naught as even though my bag was 5#s over the limit, not a word was said, and even though my carry-on was WAY over 15#s, it was never even weighed, so I started the trip with that blessing!)

January 4 –We arrived in Nadi, went through customs, got Fijian money, and then waited and waited to be picked up by our hotel, Aquarius on the Beach. The hotel is OK, but when you book something on the internet, you never know what you will really get, so it was a bit disappointing. It is very stark and plain and old, and although the landscape is lovely, the beach is not great, dogs are roaming, and the bugs are rampant (even had a little lizard in our BR yesterday! 😉 The good news is that even though we don’t have the expected amenities like hair dryer, shampoo, extra towels (only one bath towel each), we DO have a room with AC, which since it is so hot and humid, is a lifesaver. I must say that we are REALLY looking forward to the lovely resorts on the other islands!

The town of Nadi is pretty dirty and a typical third world village. Roads and sidewalks are pretty treacherous, and everything is VERY expensive. (Suntan lotion here is $26 Fijian dollars!) The exchange rate, however, is 1.8 so that does help. The best part of this visit so far is the lovely people. Everyone you meet tells you “Bula,” the word for greeting, asks your name, tells you their name, and shakes your hand. They are extremely gracious and very focused on service.

After arriving at the hotel, we had to wait for our room to be ready, so we changed, had some breakfast, and walked a bit on the beach and swam in the pool. Then we got into our room, took showers and a short nap, and then took a cab into the town. We had dinner at Famers Market, ordered a local fish that was excellent, and enjoyed music from a quite good local group. After we left, we got ice cream, water at the market, and took a cab back to watch the first edition of “Downton Abbey” which I downloaded on my new iPad.

January 5 – This was our day for ADVENTURE! We booked an all-day Fiji Eco Tour which started at 9:00 am. We traveled with a darling couple from Australia and a driver, first to the local outdoor Namaka Fresh Fruit market. We were intrigued with all the unusual fruits and veggies we had not seen before and especially the Kava roots which they use for a special ceremony in Fiji.

The driver then took us to the beautiful Garden of the Sleeping Giants to walk through the Orchid Gardens which were originally owned and built by the famous actor, Raymond Burr. The grounds were just lovely, framed by the Sleeping Giant Mountain, huge palm trees, lily ponds, and bright-colored flower bushes. We saw many beautiful varieties of flowers which only grow in island settings. The walk ended with cold mango juice in the outdoor garden.

Our next stop was the Therapeutic Mud Pool. What a fun experience it was! The area has a very hot spring as well as a mud pool that supposedly has many healing qualities. After changing into swimsuits, our guide instructed us to cover ourselves with the mud from head to toe and then let it dry in the sun. Afterwards, he led us to the mud pool where we swam a bit and enjoyed the feeling of the mud in the bottom of the pond. We were even joined by frogs! 😉 Then he led us to another cleaner “pool” where we washed off the rest of the mud. Finally, it ended with a 15 minute WONDERFUL massage outside.

The young man who was our guide was the grandson of the owner and a darling person. (I asked to meet his mother to tell her what a good job she had done! 😉 He told us when we dressed again NOT to take a shower until the next day so that the full effects of the mud could be felt. We were pretty sure we could not stand to do that and you will see from the “rest of the story” that we were right! Everyone there was so caring and friendly and focused on making it a happy experience—we truly enjoyed this part of our day.

After that, we drove to a Fijian family’s Bure in the Nalesutale Village for a typical Fijian lunch of local fish, sausage, a dish of spinach and tuna, fresh pineapple and bananas. Unfortunately, they had nothing we could drink since everything they had was made with water. The chief of the village was our driver and even prayed before the meal. He told us he was Methodist. Most of the island is either Catholic or Muslim with a huge Indian influence as well.

While we ate, he told us a bit about the early history of the island. Originally, the Fijian people were cannibals who came from Tanzania and lived in the mountains. However, when the missionaries came, they instructed them to cover themselves and not to eat human beings. (He laughingly told us that they liked white people the best! 😉 So, the culture changed completely at that time. Today each rural village is made up of one family, and when they marry, they must go to another village for a mate. He said all the villages gather in one village for church on Sunday, alternating places. We were also told that there are strict “rules” in the villages, especially for the women. They must wear their hair short, they cannot wear pants, and their shoulders must always be covered. In the ceremonies the men are always served first, so women still seem every much secondary in the rural culture.

After lunch, we drove through twisty, winding dirt roads to the bottom of the mountain where met met another young guide. There we were given walking sticks to begin our trek up the mountain to the waterfall. We were not at all prepared for the tough climb it was, however – I had even worn a sundress and Fit flops! We followed a tiny winding, muddy, rutted path through the forest and had to cross several streams with slippery boulders for about a one hour trek to the top. Without our guide’s help across the rough spots, I am not sure Nancy and I would have made it, but we finally did get to the top—hot, sweaty, dirty, and covered with bug bites—to swim in the beautiful, cold mountain stream below the waterfall. IT was the first time I have ever swum in a DRESS! 😉 Nan, our guide, helped each of us to climb the boulders to stand below the waterfall and get a massage as well.

Unfortunately, Nancy had a fall and got two bad bumps on her head and some severe scratches on her face. We were amazed with such a rough trip up the mountain that the company had no insurance disclaimers to sign and the guide did not even carry any kind of first aid kit–I guess that is the lesson of a third world country!

The way down was much easier than the way up, thank goodness! We ended this part of the adventure back the the bure with the chief and our guide for a Kava ceremony. There is a lot of ritual with it – clapping, saying “Bula,” the word for greeting, and prayer. The root is mixed with water and then each person individually drinks from a coconut shell. The kava is supposed to make your tongue feel numb and helps with relaxation, so the natives love it, but I only took a sip since we are not supposed to drink their water.

Finally, the driver took us to the town centre to see the Hindu temple there. There was supposed to be time for shopping, but it was already 6:00 pm and we were exhausted, so we just had him bring us back to the hotel. I had had problems connecting to wifi, so I spent the next hour and a half with the young IT person here helping me to download some things on my new ipad. After a much-needed and APPRECIATED shower, we had a quick dinner here and then watched “The Notebook” which I had rented on my Ipad. We both slept VERY well last night after our Fijian adventure!

To watch for each day’s adventure, go to www.barbaraglanz.com/blog

TRIP TO CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA – October 28 – November 3, 2012

Several months ago I was asked to be a keynote speaker for FENALCO, the largest retail association in South America. The conference of 1200 people was to be held in Cartagena, Colombia, and I must admit that after hearing about all the drug problems in Colombia, I was a bit skeptical about safety there. However, it turned out to be one of the best trips I have ever taken, and I LOVED Cartagena! (Interestingly, just before I left, I got my University of Kansa Alumni magazine and found out that Juan Manuel Santos, the new President of Colombia, was a KU graduate. I decided that fact might be of help if I got into any kind of trouble! 😉

October 28

Barbara Sadek, a good friend and former client, accompanied me on the trip. We have traveled in the past to Singapore, Egypt, the Galapagos Islands, and Peru, so we are great, adventurous travel buddies. The travel time was surprisingly short compared to many of my international trips. I flew to Miami and then flew Avianca, the South American airline, about 3 hours to Cartagena. Barb met me there, the client had arranged transportation to our hotel, and we arrived early evening at Las Americas, a lovely hotel right on the beach.

Our balcony in Cartgena

We were impressed with our large room and lovely balcony, the many pools, and the outstanding service as the week went on.

View from our balcony

We had a light dinner there that night and then both got one of the best night’s sleep we had had in months!

October 29

The next day we arranged a city tour after a spectacular lunch of ceviche in the hotel. We spent nearly the whole day exploring the charming ancient walled “Old City”. The wall that surrounds the old city of Cartagena is one of the best-preserved fortifications in the world. It is composed of 11 kilometers of walls, 21 bastions (house-like spaces in the wall where we saw many couples of lovers hanging out!), 7 forts, 13 batteries and 3 breakwaters. The Italian engineer, Bautista Antonelli, serving the Spanish crown, started its construction in 1586 to defend the city after the attack of Sir Francis Drake. The project took almost two centuries to be constructed; after numerous storms and pirate attacks, it was finalized in 1796.

The city is divided into four sections: City Center where we spent most of our time, San Diego, La Matuna, and Gethsamani, which we were told is the rather unsavory part of town although interestingly, that is where most of the nightclubs are located. Both movies “Romancing the Stone” and “The Mission” were partly filmed in the old city.

We first stopped at the famous statue of “the shoes.” We were never quite sure of its meaning except that it memorializes a famous poet, Luis Carlos Lopez and his poem, “My Old Shoes,” and has become a symbol of Cartagena. However, everyone LOVES having their picture taken there!

Barb and I with the “shoes”

Our next stop was the Convent de la Popa. Built in 1566 on top of the highest hill in the city, it is the oldest church in Cartagena. There is a lovely baroque altar, and image of the Virgin with a crown bordered in gold and emeralds, and an image of Christ carved in wood. Each year for their holiest festival, the Virgin is taken off the altar and carried down the steep, winding, LONG trek into the city by a group of specially chosen men. One of the fascinating things for me, the doll lover, was to see the wardrobe of all the different handmade gowns she has worn over the years. Each year a new gown is created, and they are kept in the museum of the church. In the chapel there are glass frames filled with small gold charms of all kinds of things such as animals, children, objects and parts of the body. These were given by individuals to the church when their prayers were answered.

The other thing that intrigued us about this church was the steep cliff at the back of the convent called “Salto del Cabron” or “Jump of the Goat.” The legend goes that when the Catholic Bishop first came to Cartagena, the Indians were worshipping a golden goat. In anger, he took the goat and threw it off the cliff where it exploded and burned the whole side of the mountain. What a creative way to gain converts! 😉 Anyway, this spot has now become a favorite spot for anyone wanting to commit suicide, thus the name, “Jump of the Goat!”

We thoroughly enjoyed the view of the city from this spot. We could see Boca Grande, a peninsula with a large bay which was covered with very modern tall buildings. This is the commercial center of Cartagena. We did not spend much time here, although on the way home, we stopped to take a picture of Hotel Caribe where Obama’s Secret Service agents got into so much trouble! 😉 Barb and I even had lunch there on Thursday just as a bit of fun.

Lunch at the infamous Hotel Caribe

Then we toured the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, the largest Spanish military fortification in the New World. It was constructed in 1536 on San Lazaro Hill, from where it dominated any attempt to invade the city by water or by land. The fortress is an imposing structure full of rooms, labyrinths, tunnels, reverberating noise, different levels, and some very strategic traps.

Barb and I in one of the bastions guarding the fort

We were amazed at the “creativity” employed in building this fort. Little (and big) boys today, especially, would be intrigued with the strategies involved to defeat the enemy that many years ago. The fort was impregnable and was never taken. Reminded me somewhat of some of today’s video games!

Outside the fort was an interesting statue of Don Blas de Lezo, the commander of the fort in its most important battle and one of their national heroes. He is known as the “half man” because he had lost one eye, one leg and one arm! Interestingly, when Edward Vernon, who had 3000 ships while Don Blas had only 6, failed to take the city for England, he returned to the king and lied and said he had conquered it. The king had a coin designed with Vernon as the reining conqueror and de Lezo on his knees before him. It is memorialized on the statue. Our guide also told us that Edward Vernon had a connection with Lawrence Washington, George Washington’s older half brother. Supposedly, he renamed his estate “Mount Vernon” to honor his former commanding officer, Edward Vernon.

We were intrigued with all the beautiful plazas and churches throughout the old city. We first stopped at the most famous Plaza de Santo Domingo. Built by Dominican priests in the XVI century, it is today one of the most frequented areas of the city due to its picturesque restaurants and nightlife. Gerturdis, the sculpture donated by Maestro Fernando Botero in 2006, is the focal point. It seems that everyone loves to have their picture taken with the “fat woman”—perhaps because she makes all of us feel thin in comparison! 😉 The legend is that you must touch her and make a wish and then your wish will come true. Both Barb and I did this, so we shall see…….;-)

We then went to the beautiful Bolivar Plaza. It contains a lovely fountain and a statue erected in 1896 as a tribute to Simon Bolivar, the Liberator of South America. It shows Bolivar mounted in triumph on his horse, Palomo, placed on a pedestal of Finnish granite, one face of which has the following text, “If Caracas gave me life, you gave me glory, save Cartagena the redeemer.” Colombia gained its freedom from Spain in 1811.

On our tour of the old city, we saw the Santa Clara Hotel which is now a Sofitel and was built within the walls of a convent. We also saw the home of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the world famous author from Cartagena. We were touched by a lovely statue of San Pedro Claver, who was called the “slave of the slaves” because he had such a heart to help all the Indians who were bound to slavery. He became the first person canonized in the New World in 1888. We also saw the house of Sir Francis Drake, an evil man who stole all the gold that was buried with the Indians.

Later in the afternoon, our guide, Ronald, dropped us off for an hour at Las Bovedas or “the Vaults.” This formerly was a military, anti-bomb structure barracks for military equipment, supplies and refuge for troops, a final stronghold for the city. With 24 bastions (small rooms) and 47 gates (oval openings) restored between 1969-1972, today it is a site for artisan sales and souvenirs. Of course, Barb and I had a WONDERFUL time here and even came back for part of the day on Thursday. I bought a small emerald ring and earrings as a Christmas present for myself, and we found many other treasures for friends and family both days. (We have a tradition of putting everything we buy on the beds the last night and taking a picture. You can see that we helped the economy of Colombia! 😉

All the things we bought in Cartagena!

After a great deal of walking down small, narrow lovely streets filled with flowers and balconies, our guide drove us through Bocagrande and back to the hotel. That evening we had dinner at El Santissimo in the old city. Although it was recommended, we enjoyed the fish but were very disappointed in the appetizers and the service. It was the only meal that was not fantastic on the trip; however, we did enjoy the “all you could drink” aspect of the menu! 😉 In all the restaurants, we both enjoyed the fresh seafood and the Colombian beer the most!

The most disillusioning thing about this tour, however, was that we both really liked Ronald, our tour guide. On our way back to the hotel, we asked him what other tours he did. He told us he would take us to the volcano on Friday for the “special” price of $110 each. We were excited until we got back to the hotel, talked to the concierge, and found out that we could take the very same tour for $30. We were really disappointed in this man whom we had trusted!

October 30

We slept in, had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, and went back into the Old City for the afternoon. We first went into the Palace of the Inquisition. Located in front of Bolivar Park, this is where the Holy Office of the Inquisition took place. Here sentences were pronounced against the crimes of heresy, blasphemy, bigamy, witchcraft, and adultery among others.

This was known as the “finger smasher!”

Of course we had to try out the finger crusher and the gallows! It was quite an eery place, and unfortunately, no one spoke English so we were not able to get a full tour.

It was a hot day, so we decided to stop at Hotel Sofitel Santa Clara for a great Colombian beer. This old hotel used to be a church, so it was fascinating to walk around in it. We did NOT stop at the confessional, though! We spent the afternoon shopping and found a couple of lovely stores with handmade items that we purchased for gifts.

Later we had a light lunch in town – loved the ceviche wherever we went!
That evening we had a wonderful seafood stew at La Vitrola which we thoroughly enjoyed.

October 31

This day was the beginning of the three day retailers conference called “Gondola.” I was the closing keynote speaker for the 1200 attendee on the first day, the only woman on the three day agenda.

The National Retail Federation of Colombia (FENALCO) is a private organization which protects and promotes free enterprise development has existed since 1945. They have more than 18,000 companies as members which represents nearly 50,000 stores throughout 32 cities in the country, and they also unite 60,000 small corner grocery stores without a monthly fee which is a part of their social work. I was especially tickled that the little boy on all the conference materials and signs looks exactly like my grandson, Owen!

The “Owen look alike!”

We often hear about the time issue in Latin cultures, and that certainly proved true this day. My presentation began almost an hour late; however, it was received warmly even with most of the audience using the interpreter (I got spontaneous applause three times during the talk which rarely happens in an American audience).

The conference planner had heard the story of “Johnny the Bagger®” on the internet, so I was asked to speak on “The Simple Truths of Service Inspired by Johnny the Bagger®.” Most of the other presentations were quite technical, so I think that since I speak both to the head and to the heart and since they are such warm, caring, passionate people, they were particularly touched by my message. I was thrilled with all the handshakes, hugs and affirmation I received. I hope this means I will get even more business in South America!

While I was checking equipment that morning, Barb explored the beach and spent some time at the pool. She commented that it certainly was not like MY beach on Siesta Key – the sand was almost like mud. It was, however, a beautiful sight with the Caribbean Sea surrounding it.

We met Dianna, my contact person, that evening in the cocktail lounge of the hotel for a lovely crème and lemon drink that I am sure had about 1000 calories! We were still getting used to the exchange rate with pesos, about 1.7 to the American dollar. We did feel that prices were fairly reasonable throughout the city. That night we had dinner in the hotel.

November 1, 2012

Again, we loved sleeping in. Our breakfast was included in the hotel price, so we took our time and finally left the hotel in the early afternoon. We took a taxi back to the artisan shops and had fun browsing and buying souvenirs for the family. We laughed that they even had Homer Simpson t-shirts with Spanish sayings in Colombia!

Because it was hot, we stopped for Colombian beers on one of the little side streets and then later we took a taxi to the infamous Hotel Caribe for lunch– just to see what it was like. We were the only ones in the restaurant! We spent most of the rest of the afternoon trying to find a shop we had discovered earlier. When we FINALLY found it after miles of walking through all kinds of curved sidestreets, it was closed!

We had dinner that night at our favorite restaurant of all, Cande’. It featured “100% Cartagenan food” and even included some native dancers. One of the side dishes we most enjoyed was created with eggplant and plantain although the white yams they served were pretty tasteless. The fresh fish was delicious.

Afterwards we came back to the hotel and took a cab to a nightclub called Mister Babilla.

Barb and I at the nightclub

The convention was having a party there, and it was the most fun night we had all week! They had music, long narrow balloons for everyone, free rum and beer, and whistles. EVERYBODY danced the Merengue for the entire night, including US! What I loved about this culture is that it is so inclusive – no one had to have a partner. You simply danced in the aisles or wherever you could find a space. The next day, though, I had to admit that my knees hurt…..;-)

November 2, 2012

Today was our day for adventure! (I only have two or three friends who would ever do anything this crazy with me, so I was glad I had Barb along to share it! 😉

The start of our volcano adventure!

We took a VERY rickety shuttle bus (in fact, it had a flat tire about 10 minutes from our destination, so we had to get another bus!) with several other people about an hour out of Cartagena into the city to the Volcan de Lodo El Totumo. The countryside was beautiful, very green and covered with fruit trees and small shacks selling produce. However, the poverty was sickening. The only saving thought we could dwell on was that food was plentiful.

The volcano

There are only three volcanos like this in the world – one in Kenya, one in Russia and this one. It is 15 meters deep and filled with lukewarm mud the consistency of thick cream. The legend says that the volcano used to be filled with fire, but the priest, feeling that this was the work of the Devil, sprinkled it with holy water which extinguished the fire, turning the insides to mud to drown the Devil.

Getting into the mud

After we arrived, we climbed about 100 steps on a rickety and uneven staircase in our bathing suits to get into the volcano. At the time we were there, there were about 10 other people in the volcano. Almost everyone completely dipped themselves into the mud, hair, face and all. I was not going to do that but later decided, “Why not” I am here for probably the only time in my lifetime, so I am going to go “all the way!” Natives from the area also were in the mud and they proceeded to massage each of us as we floated in the mud. What was amazing is that the volcano is deep, but somehow you floated so did not have to worry about sinking into the bottom. We each gave our cameras to another native, and he took pictures of everyone as they “bathed!”

After about 20 – 30 minutes, we climbed out of the volcano, carefully walking down the steep, slippery steps to the bottom. Then we were led to what they called a lagoon, but what we would have called a swamp. I was not thrilled to get in, but we had to get the mud washed off. More natives met us there, made us take off our bathing suits (under the water, of course) and then poured the swamp water over our heads to clean us off. Afterwards, they took us back to a shack and gave us a Colombian beer and a piece of watermelon. It was quite an adventure! Each person who helped us expected a $3 tip. (I could only speculate on the men who did the massages in the volcano when the darling young girls came in in their bikinis. What a desirable job!!!! 😉

Afterwards we got back in the bus and traveled to a really poor village with garbage all around and shacks everywhere.

We weren’t so sure about this lunch…….

A tent had been set up on the beach called “Donna’s” and that was where we were supposed to have lunch. Barb and I were really skeptical about eating here, but we were served whole fresh fish that had just been caught (delicious!), rice and another beer, so we felt we would probably be OK to eat it. We met some lovely people here and especially a seven year old boy with whom we exchanged English words for Spanish ones.

When we finally got back to the hotel and changed, we decided to try the beef of Colombia so went to a restaurant called Quebracho. Unfortunately, the beef was a disappointment – not nearly the quality I have had in Argentina, but we had fun anyway.

November 3

We had to leave the hotel at 6:30 am for a 10:30 flight. Again, we found that things were not nearly so efficient as they are in the US. In fact, Barb could not find anyone who spoke English to help her, so we were grateful that another conference speaker who was bilingual reached out and helped her find her flight. We both headed different directions, but we each felt that this was one of our best trips ever. I would highly recommend Los Americas and Cartagena if you are looking for a wonderful and interesting vacation!

Had an absolutely WONDERFUL day yesterday! I was the opening keynote for the TMI and TACK International conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I spoke to over 200 participants from over 40 countries on “The Simple Truths of Service Inspired by Johnny the Bagger®” and had a most amazing response. I had my picture taken almost more than on my wedding day! I will post some of the pictures soon. What I keep learning over and over is that even though we don’t speak the same language or have the same culture, EVERYONE has a heart!

This is a photo after my presentation of Gus Gan and myself. Gus heads up the Learning & Development program for SGS in Shanghai, China.