We had this past Monday off for All Saints' Day. Yes, it fell on Sunday this year, but that doesn't stop the Colombian government from giving everyone another day to relax. You have got to love the Catholic holy days!
One of my biggest issues in Cartagena is my lack of a dryer; everything stretches and nothing retains the shape it once had. (Yes, I do realize my problems are miniscule.) Anyway, I have mostly been wearing dresses and skirts because all my shorts literally fall off of me from too much wear. This is obviously a problem. With windy season approaching, I made it my mission on Monday to go shopping to get some jeans and maybe a pair of shorts.
The place with the most options is Caribe Plaza, the mall located in the inner area of Cartagena. I took a taxi but ended up getting a driver who had just moved to Cartagena three days prior and had no idea where Caribe Plaza was. Oh boy. I told him my guess and figured he would just ask someone eventually. Well, he never got that chance. After about fifteen minutes, the car started stalling.....over and over again. Now, the streets of Cartagena are not wide, and they are definitely not organized. We were in the left lane with motos, buses, cars, and pedestrians all trying to get by. The driver was able to pull the cab to the curb (thank goodness the other vehicles were paying attention) and wouldn't accept the five mil I was trying to give him since he hadn't dropped me off at my destination. Saves me money, but I felt badly for the guy.
I was in one of the busiest areas of Cartagena. There were shops, street vendors and people everywhere with barely enough room to walk on the sidewalk. And, to top it all off, I didn't see another gringo anywhere. Just my kind of place. Having no idea where to go, a couple ladies told me it was back where cabbie and I had come from, about a fifteen minute walk. Perfect. Just enough time to work off my lunch before trying on clothes.
Although I went into several shops, most of the jeans were the stretchy, skinny jeans....not quite what I had in mind. I have no idea how to say "boot cut" in Spanish, but the salespeople did their best to understand my miming and limited vocabulary. At the last store, ELA, I had some luck. Clothes are big-time overpriced here, but I figured the ability to wear bottoms without flashing people was worth it and handed over my debit card. Of course, this was after waiting in line to try on clothes and then waiting in another line to purchase my finds. As I exited the store, I realized that I am becoming slightly Latina: I had just bought five bottoms that were way too tight. In fact, if I gain even an ounce, I'm afraid the buttons may fly off, but at least it will be awhile before they stretch out to where I cannot even wear them anymore.
Needing some groceries, I stopped by the Jumbo in the mall and spent more time waiting in line than actually walking around the store. Finally having everything I needed for the moment, I went to get a taxi and had to wait another ten minutes for it to be my turn. It's amazing, but the waiting rarely bothers me and just seems like a normal part of life now. There is no speeding things up and definitely no going into a store for a just a few minutes to pick up a couple items. It's the pace of life here, and I mostly enjoy the opportunities it gives me to live the life of the locals.
No comments:
Post a Comment