After five years working in London, I decided it was time to move back to Los Angeles, but not before taking a year off to see the world. I gave up my great job with Lehman Brothers in Administration and a fantastic flat (and roommate) I’d lived in for over three years, packed up all my belongings into some 60 cubic feet of boxes and said farewell to the wonderful friends I made in London. Before setting off for Asia, I spent seven weeks in the States including a weekend getaway in Chicago with my best friends from high school, corrective eye surgery in Philadelphia, Aud and Rob’s wedding in Bermuda, 13 days in Israel on Birthright (with a side trip to Petra) and time in quiet Oak Park with my parents and sister. Then, on July 18, 2010 at 1am, with only 13 kilograms in my 50L backpack and a small shoulder bag, I boarded a flight to Singapore. The goal of my adventure is not one of self-discovery or mending a broken heart but a journey of true desire to explore the world, experience new cultures, taste various cuisines, explore beautiful wildernesses, meet local people, and maybe learn some Spanish along the way. What lies below are my stories (or more of a daily recount of events) from the road.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Charming Colonial Cartagena on the Caribbean

Wednesday, February 16, 2011 – Thursday, February 17, 2011

The last couple days have been a combination of sightseeing and relaxing.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011
  • Breakfast at 9:30
  • Spent the morning on the streets of Cartagena on my own since Brie wasn’t feeling good.  Beautiful city.  Houses with balconies.  Old stone doorways.  Couple churches and plazas.  Botero statue.  Walk outside city walls.  Colorfully dressed women selling fruit (want you to pay for pictures).  Amazing artwork outside the modern art museum.
  • Found a spa to get my legs waxed (wasn’t the best, but it will do)
  • Lunch at a sushi place, excellent, they gave me a sample roll and I ordered the eel roll with plantain chips and avocado (very unique)
  • Back at hostel at 2pm.  Brie and I wanted to go to the mud volcano but it turns out we needed to book in advance and there weren’t any spots left
  • Spent the afternoon reading the second book of the Hunger Games, Catching Fire
  • Hang out at the hostel and meet a group of girls
  • Seven of us end up going for dinner at 8pm, Brie, Erika (Frankfurt), Gladys (NY), sisters from Canada (Sylvie and Kate), and Anna (Germany) – sit outside and order the meal of the day
  • Back to hostel






Thursday, February 17, 2011
  • Day at Playa Blanca
  • Breakfast
  • Walk to port with Erika, Gladys and Anna to get the 9am boat, lots of people lining the streets trying to sell their boat company
  • Run into the Australian girls from my flight
  • Find a company but our boat is the last to leave at 9:30am, make a stop at some small village
  • Ride is relatively smooth; arrive at Playa Blanca an hour later
  • Walk along beach and find some chairs to sit in, bargain for 10,000 pesos for three
  • Spent the morning reading the third book of the Hunger Games, Mockingbird; dip my legs the water a couple times
  • Coconut seller passes by; buy a couple coconuts for lunch
  • Another guy selling shrimp ceviche and lunch meals with fish, plantains, salad and rice
  • Lunch at 1:15 at a table that belongs to the guy with the chairs
  • Back to the chairs to relax
  • Take a quick swimming break
  • At 2:30pm we pack up to head back to the boats
  • Boat leaves at 3:15pm
  • Ride back to Cartagena is much more bumpy and wet, water spraying into the boat
  • Back in town at 4:30pm, try get my laundry but it isn’t ready yet
  • Go to hostel, then supermarket and juice shop for a strawberry pineapple smoothie
  • Laundry place just before 6pm, laundry still isn’t back, end up sitting outside the laundry shop for an hour, reading (since I brought my kindle), waiting for my stuff, watch the sunset from the city walls
  • Pizza place on the square at 8pm with Erika
  • Finish Mockingbird, little girl staying in my room with her mom, kinda awkward






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