So I finally have figured out my internet access which means I pack up my laptop and power cord and head to the internet cafe across from Father Augusto's house. It's super cheap for me to use the wifi but I haven't had much time to dedicate an hour or so in the cafe as Father has been keeping me so busy!
Here is the first blog post from the start of my journey to Santa Marta, Colombia:
December 22, 2010
Heading to Santa Marta
Departed LAX at 1am. My sister was kind enough to take me to the airport on 23rd December with three HUGE bags. I nixed the boxes in packing stage 3 as they were too cumbersome to pick up and carry (as well as heavy!)
I printed out Copa Air instructions last minute and it was on the way to the airport I read the small print about embargo of extra baggage at Christmas (even though I did ask when I booked my ticket if I could pay for extra baggage they told me yes). Hmmm was going to be an interesting check-in!
I knew LAX pre-Christmas was going to be pretty crazy so I opted to leave the house early and we arrived (after a pit stop at Peets Coffee) around 9:30 pm. There was no line yet for Copa Air - just a few travelers in front of me. So upon arrival at the desk the Copa Air check in guy asked how many bags and I said “three” to check in. He said no way as it’s an embargo during Christmas. I gave him puppy eyes and explained that I was told I could purchase an extra baggage fare when I purchased my ticket. I then explained that all the heavy bags are for some children in Santa Marta, Colombia who need a Santa this year. After some to-ing and fro-ing he spoke to his manager and said they would let it slide. I thanked him profusely and said we’ll say a prayer for him in Colombia!
It was a long check out process but after paying $150 for the extra baggage I was on my way with boarding pass in hand a couple of hours to kill at LAX. I said goodbye and gave him some of my mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies with walnuts to say thanks and god bless.
Oh he did write down his name on one of the Copa Air luggage tags and asked if I could please write a nice thing about him to customer service online. I obliged and said I would write a nice thing about him and hope to send him a picture from Christmas when I get back to LA as well.
December 23, 2010
LAX to Panama City
Flight to Panama City was uneventful. I was so sleepy no need for any sleeping aids as I conked out and missed all the bad food and drinks served on the plane. It was christmas so as expected the flight was full of people returning to their places of origin to spend time with loved ones. I awoke an hour or so away from Panama City.
Flying into Panama City was lovely as it was morning and the view was beautiful. I had never pictured Panama so picturesque! Maybe it was just good weather and a nice sunrise but it seemed like a place to check out on my future travels.
Panama City to Bogota
Awaiting at Panama airport was uneventful. My only amusement was seeing the “flying dogs” hot dog stands throughout the airport. Only an hour and half flight from Panama City to Bogota but the runaway was busy and it seemed like we were on waiting on the tarmac for almost an hour. Gulp. My connection in Bogota to Santa Marta was only an hour and although everyone kept assuring me that was plenty of time I was getting nervous that tI would miss my connection - in particular with three heavy bags to pick up and re-check in through customs.
We arrived in Bogota only about 10 minutes late and I was itching to get off the plane and figure out where to pick up all that luggage and get my connection. Thankfully I’m not shy on asking directions (even in my broken spanish) and people kept pointing. I had my boarding pass in hand and kept pointing to the 3:00pm time and then they would rush me through various lines. By the time I arrived in the customs area (wow and I thought Heathrow was a nightmare!) Bogota looked long and strange with various lines zig zagging about worse than a 1970’s cinema line for the original Star Wars. I ran up to a lady in customs and said “Santa Marta!” She looked at my boarding pass, looked at me and said “C’mon!!” in Spanish (ok, ¡vamos!) I felt like a VIP as she put me right up to the front window of customs were a guy that looked about 16 years old working the customs desk asked me to fill out this long form. I wrote as quickly as I could and gave it to the customs guy and as he rolled off questions I just said, “yo no habla espanol mucho.” he just shook his head and stamped it and gave it back to me and said “vamanos.” The nice lady then grabbed my hand and whisked me through to luggage and said get my bags (there is a lot you can understand when rushed through an airport in different languages trust me)
I was looking for a cart and there were NONE. I asked one of the luggage porters where I could get one as I pointed and he kindly grabbed a lady going through the exit gate and stole hers for me - my first example of Colombian people being so nice!
I thanked him profusely and went to my luggage belt and patiently (actually very impatiently) waited for three huge bags to come through with my name on them. I waited. And then I waited some more. Finally the customs lady came running up to me and asked where my luggage was and I pointed and shrugged. She looked at her watch then tucked under the belt wall and yelled something at the men on the truck unloading the bags onto the belt. Suddenly my bags started to appear and just as I was going to use what was left of my energy (a few hours sleep does that to you) she helped me throw those bad boys on my trolley grabbed the last one and started running yelling “follow me quickly!” (again all in spanish but I understood) I got to cut in front of another queue for going through customs with my stamped form then cut in another queue for putting my luggage through screening then a final queue cut-in at connection re-check-in where she looked at my boarding pass and threw my bags on another belt. She looked at her watch again and said “RUN for gate 6 as fast as you can!” (thankfully I knew the word six in spanish - seis)
I started my sprint out of a busy departure area and up an escalator, through security (oh, actually one more queue I cut in as I pointed to my boarding pass and said “por favor!” as I did the fastest security pass ever. I ran down the hallway towards gate 6 sweating with my belt and boarding pass in hand. I arrived at gate 6 just at the tail end of boarding - whew!
It was 2:50 pm and my flight departed at 3:00 pm. I sat down at my window seat, said a little prayer of thanks for getting me and my luggage on the flight to santa Marta and tried my best not to raise my arm to the guy next to me (I was sweating profusely by then).
Bogota to Santa Marta
I arrived in Santa Marta early by 20 minutes. I guess they had good winds. Santa Marta is a small airport nestled right on the Caribbean ocean. It was a bit overcast and stormy looking upon arrival. Departing the plane I could feel an immense change of temperature hitting me in the face - HOT and HUMID. I guess my bags were thrown on last as they were almost the first ones to come off the belt this time - hooray! They all made it.
There are no self service trolleys so you have to ask a porter to assist so someone kindly grabbed my bags and was in a hurry to get me out the door - which he did. I had my bags on the curb looking for a short priest with a boyish face named Father Augusto to come met me but alas no Farther Augusto. I then had this porter asking me for his tip (which I unfortunately didn’t have time to change any money in Bogota when I was making my 3 minute dash through the airport to catch my plane). I explained toe the guy to wait or come back for his tip as I’m waiting for my friend but he persisted on waiting with me and my bags. Sigh. I waited. And then I waited some more. Finally two guys came up to me and asked if I was ok. I said I was waiting for my ride and the porter didn’t want to go away as he would think I’m stiffing him. They spoke to him in spanish and he walked away while grunting. I said thanks and introduced myself. They offered to dial Father on his mobile for me (as my US SIM card doesn't work abroad). They rang Father and he said he was on his away as he didn’t realize my plane had arrived early. The brothers spoke very good english and they were waiting for another brother’s plane to arrive after mine.
One guy is an eye doctor and the other works in Bogota and the brother that had just arrived with his family is some famous singer/actor in Colombia. He walked of the plane and everyone was surrounding him to take pictures with his phone. The brothers were very nice and gave me their mobile in case I needed anything while i’m in santa Marta.
Father arrived 10-15 minutes alter and after packing my bags in his borrowed car I asked for some pesos to tip the porter. I ran back to the porter and gave him his tip and he had the biggest smile on his face (as if to say “hey! you didn’t stiff me after all!”) Sí.
On the drive to Santa Marta I asked father were I would be staying and he said they have arranged for me stay in his house since it’s the closest to the school and church. Ok, on my way to live with a priest. This will be a new experience for me ...
We arrived at Garago which is Father's barrio (neighborhood) which is one of the many barrios outside the city center of Santa Marta. It’s not on the beach but more inland towards the mountains. Father’s house is the corner house in the village and directly across the road from the school / church. His house had a zillion people buzzing around inside upon arrival. They made me a nice “wellcome” sign and showed me my room which they had been recently renovated especially for my stay. Father said after all the investigation he decided that he wanted to setup the room for guests to come and stay for future volunteers so I’m the first. It is a simple house - two bedrooms and one bathroom, one small kitchen area and a storage area that is more outside than inside because there is 1/2 a roof over it. It is very simple accommodation but there is electricity and running water (although only one temperature: cold and the shower is really a hose that comes out of the wall with no shower head). I have had a lot more to contend without so electricity and running water with a toilet inside the house is good!
I was ushered in and everyone was so helpful in getting me settled. I also learned int he first 30 minutes that Father’s house is the heart of the community where everyone comes and goes and helps him with various things from cooking to cleaning to getting the church or school ready for whatever he is doing. I gathered that Father Gus is rarely alone as someone is always knocking on his door for something. He is not just the spiritual leader around here but he is everyone’s good friend, family member, confidant, cake maker and joker. Yes, this was going to be an interesting volunteer experience!
