(Rafael Núñez International Airport - Cartagena) -- A few random observations from my four days in this Colombian city:
Oddly, the worst time of day, weather-wise, seems to be 8-10 am. The sun is intense, and the humidity matches. Bad combination. The situation improves in the afternoons, when you get some cloud cover and/or rain. That said, we saw showers in the morning yesterday ...
For a country with some of the unfortunate history it's had in recent decades, I was pleasantly surprised at the friendliness experienced among police, military, immigration and customs officials I've encountered. Oh, and if you ask nicely, the military guys will even pose for pictures with you ...
Still, in an interesting contrast with Mexico, I see relatively little security as you go about your everyday business. Every Mexican business has security guards that treat you like you're a criminal, and search any type of bag you're carrying. Here, it's a much more relaxed atmosphere ...
Cartagena is crawling with tourists. Unfortunately, that leads to an insane number of street vendors, hawking all kinds of merchandise. They often start speaking to you in English, assuming you're a tourist. Don't encourage them! They're like those awful time-share resort salesmen -- they won't leave you alone.
On a similar note, you won't be able to enjoy the beach here in peace. The vendors will harass you too much. A popular thing to do is to take a day trip to Playa Blanca, but beware -- the vendors flock there along with you, and will bother you until you leave. And when the boats leave in the late afternoon, so do they ...
Finding free Wi-Fi is a bit harder here. If your hotel doesn't have it, then you've got your work cut our for you. That said, the Juan Valdez Cafe offers 30 minutes off free Wi-Fi per purchase, and the McDonalds in Boca Grande also offers free service (albeit very slow ....). The Hard Rock Cafe has it too, but the prices are sky high just to dine or drink there. A number of other restaurants do offer service.
And yes, there's free Wi-Fi where I am right now -- at the airport.
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