Barranquilla-Medellín

Fri 1106 At gate 9. I see from departure boards there are flights to Medellin at 1110 and 1808; those were probably sold out (or so expensive I didn't see them) when I looked, it's not as if there are loads of flights as there are to Bogota.

Everything OK, apparently got an emergency exit row seat (I was doing check in in Spanish and guy asked me if I was happy with emergency exit row, I said yes, should be OK) - don't know if this is on both flights but still good luck even if only one.

No massive problems this morning, woke up earlyish (bright light again), got up maybe 830. First EasyTaxi asked me to cancel after about 10 mins of him visibly driving away from me, saying something about being delayed at llanteria, but I got another one fairly quickly and while he seemed to be a slightly scary driver (we nearly hit a motorcycle) and there was no rear seatbelt (well there was, but it seemed to be tucked behind the seat and I didn't go fishing for it - a bit of authentic Latin American danger :-) ) and the traffic was bad (roadworks on road to airport) and it took ages (think approx 930-1020 in taxi) got here OK and it cost 30k which was about what app had lead to me to expect.

Been having loose shits last couple of days, touch wood not too bad today, think not helped by those pizzas and then larding out on crap in hotel room the day after carnival.

Got through security no fuss having remembered to put everything in bag/coat first, though they did ask me to take my cap off after I went through scanner but they didn't examine it or anything.

Glugged a litre bottle of water before security, don't really need piss yet but may go jic.

Queue in (apparently temporary) check in area was short but moved very slowly, but didn't get too stressed out and it's all worked out OK. I have two (very flimsy) boarding passes.

Noticed last night the cleaner had apparently thrown out a lot of my empty plastic bottles, including one I though had a bit of water left in. This is always annoying but I just need to remember to hide them inside a bag if they're not blatantly non-empty.

1211 On plane (A320-200), many announcements in Spanish which I understood and feel mildly smug about. In middle seat but it is emergency exit so not bad. Also managed to get my bag in the locker over seat; given I have a connection to make I really didn't want to be stuck unable to get back against the stream of passengers to get my bag out and be forced to be last off. I think we may be slightly delayed but that's not super clear; departure board never showed than but some apologies about delays at El Dorado. Still, while I really hope it doesn't come to it a) I have a fairly generous connection and b) it should fall to LATAM to sort me out if I do miss the connection.

1255 Still here on ground with door open, tho aircon on. Can't take fleece off as don't think allowed it loose on knee in emerg exit row but with aircon it's not too bad. Connection in Bogota is starting to feel a bit iffy, but what can I do? No real announcements about this delay.

1321 Still here. Been given glass of water. Leaflet in seat back pocket (I read English version) about rights for passengers is extremely vague but suggests allowing four hours (!) when you have to make a connection and that the airline is not responsible if the delay is outside their control; it isn't clear if this means they can just tell you to fuck off or you don't get *compensation* but they still have to get you there. Fuck knows. Just have to see what happens. We're over an hour late now, the connection would be iffy (since I'm sure there's going to be a security screening in Bogota) anyway but if we don't take off soon it's going to be out of the question.

Absolutely no announcements, not that I can't understand them, there simply aren't any.

1327 Crew announcement over tannoy, sounds like we might be leaving soon. Of course, if we leave now the connection is going to be extremely stressful but there is a chance.

1406 Announcement, we're landing in about 50 minutes. Took off not too long after 1327 entry. This is going to be extremely tight verging on impossible.

1501 Maybe I'm an idiot or maybe someone else is. Fought my way off the plane, a woman was there calling for people with connections to Cali or Medellin and I hurried over and showed her my boarding pass and *the boarding pass* shows a departure time of 1920 and now I've had a chance to look so do the departure boards here in Bogota; flight is delayed. So I didn't need to be getting workedqll up during the previous flight. Yes this four plus hour delay bites - connection woman said something about subway and being entitled to food, but there *is* no Subway and I can't find anyone else to ask but no immediate rush - but at least I will get there eventually.

I *don't* recall any flurry of unintelligble Spanish from the guy at check in who gave me my boarding passes, maybe he just slipped it in so casually I failed to notice. Fuck knows. I might in hindsight guess the announcements about El Dorado back at Barranquilla were about delays at the airport here in Bogota, though I suppose I *did* kind of understand those. Really fuck knows. Perhaps I have failed to understand something I was told, but it does feel like communication on this has not been great.

Miraculously internal connections here at Bogota do not appear to require passing security.

1508 Annoyingly the 1541 LATAM flight to Medellin seems *not* to be delayed, but I am guessing they're not putting me on it, maybe they have put other people on it.

1511 Kudos. I spoke to staff at 1541 flight desk and a) I do have to go to Subway, which means passing out through security then clearing it again, which sucks but really I have plenty of time b) I did *ask* if I could switch onto the 1541 flight and they said it was full, not too surprising, but at least I *did* ask rather than being too timid.

I will wait til the 1541 flight goes - just in case some bizarre fluke causes a seat to turn up - and then go out through security and see if I can get some free food at Subway. I'll e-mail the hotel in an hour or so.

This is pretty shitty but not the end of the world. I'd rather not be having to arrive in Medellin after dark but as I was taking a taxi anyway and it should be a fixed fee door to door it's not that big a deal. You can apparently drink the tap water in Medellin so if there isn't a handy shop right by the hotel to buy any I can always fill my bottle from the tap and shove a chlorine tablet in it as a belt and braces precaution.

I do at least have my powerbank so I can top up phone and thus can read during the wait. I can even surf the web within limits I guess, thanks to having a reasonably decent data allowance.

1727 Embarked on epic quest to find Subway, which was hiding on ground floor near arrivals, nowhere near any of the other food outlets. But got a small ham and turkey sub with packet of crisps and a drink for free (just had to sign my name on a passenger list) and do feel better for it. Of course that just whetted my appetite so after a hassle-free security re-transit to get back into gate area I splurged 3900 on a small but nice enough warm flauta (chicken, mushroom, bacon according to sign, though TBH contents seemed slender enough to hardly notice). I asked and beer there is 6.xk, I was tempted to go back later but the cans looked big in the fridge but noticed they are actually those tiny half-pint cans so unlikely to splurge on a beer.

1903 On plane. As could see from boarding pass am in middle of a row (right at back too, so won't be off in a hurry but not in a desperate hurry) but it's fine, it's a short flight and I just want to get to fucking Medellin and check in. Need to keep reminding myself - not that I'm actually flapping or angry - that this is all very routine stuff, fixed fare taxi, not arriving super late at hotel, all sweet.

Contrary to ticket, safety card says this is another A320-200. Not that it matters, but jotting that down passes the time...

2308 Can't help feeling I've fallen on my feet here. But let's back up.

Flight to Medellin seemed almost insanely short, think we landed about 2000. No fuss at all walking out of airside to landside, no checks. Bit edgy re taxi but I got a white taxi for the advertised 80k with only a bit of incomprehensible futzing around (eg chap by side of road telling me a price and gesturing at some cabs in an unclear way). I did sort of get offered a colectivo at one point but given the late hour and the fact I'd never been intending to do it (tho it's probably a good option for a tight git like me; I could almost certainly have EasyTaxied it from the central drop off point and saved money, but as I say it was late) I didn't.

Driver didn't talk to me. He had radio on, I mostly followed it once I put a bit of effort into it, some chap talking about record collecting. Intrigued, amused and vaguely flattered to hear him say a) he tended to be into 80s English language music, they played Depeche Mode "Enjoy the silence" in background b) when asked which his favourity city would be to but records/listen to music/drink beer, he answered "London" every time - for all the fact I'm a bit jaded on the place it's still quite cool to be here seeking "exoticness" and hear some guy saying he likes where I'm "fleeing" from.

Also one small positive of being here later than planned is I got to see Medellin by night on the drive in, very cool really.

While going through the new tunnel (which is pretty impressively long) I couldn't help randomly thinking of the tunnel through the Great Glossourantus (sp) from The Cyberiad.

Got dropped off outside hotel, some woman seemed to start talking to driver and also said hello to me which seemed a bit odd but handed him 80k in cash and although he seemed a bit distracted all fine.

Street hotel is on seems very lively; I immediately liked the vibe, there was a bar opposite hotel and I formed almost immediate plans to pop out for a few beers after check in having had this dropped in my lap.

Check in relatively smooth, I haven't paid yet and although my Spanish semi-failed me (I *did* ask for a repeat instead of pretending I understood, so kudos, but it didn't help much) it appears I can pay by credit card at no additional charge and in any case I can pay when I check out.

So came up to room, stashed passport etc and put a bit of charge into HTC then went out. I did a very short mini-circuit up one side of street and down the other. The area reminds me a little of Pio Nono, though it really isn't the same (in both a good and a bad way; bear in mind last few visits to PN have been a little disappointing), primarily because it's not *just* bars but there are many hotels and casinos and little shops interleaved, but it is quite noisy and lively. I can hear noise in my room right now, but compared to my Cartagena room this is nothing. Maybe I'm in a different mood and perhaps having a little less culture shock going on matters, but the rowdy env round Cartagena hotel felt tourist-exploiting and too young for me, whereas this feels more local-ish - for all that I saw some probably USish expats in their 50s on street - and a bit more "real" and while undeniably a lot of youngish people about I am far from oldest person on street.

It feels "a trifle low" (JKJ) but I like that; I was marginally intimidated by some teenagers eg skateboarding but I think it's not a bad/unsafe place and loads of people on street. It also feels nicely low budget, like PN, and that's brilliant for me.

I did sort of want to eat so was looking at food prices and ended up in a grill place approx opposite hotel which didn't seem to have a clear name but the sign had "ay que rico" prominently on it so will assume it's called that. Pollo a la plancha and the like 20k which isn't cheap but not terrible, I wasn't starving so compromised on the "chuzo de pollo y cerdo" (chicken and pork kebab, pretty much) at 12.5k which was actually very decent (I got the salad undressed but it seemed a bit coleslawy and I didn't eat much) with chips, salad and two small arepas. Also got a 330ml bottle of Pilsen (4%) at IIRC 3.5k (bar opposite, which had similar colour scheme and may be under similar ownership advertised Pilsen at 3k, but since I never got written bill can't be sure what I paid - actually it probably *was* 3k, since I had 4 in total and my bill was 24.5k and I then tipped an extra 4) which is cheapest beer out I've had yet, and perfectly decent. So I had four, but didn't go nuts and popped over to a "no entry, served through hatch at this time of night" drug store I'd seen during my brief circuit for a bottle of water (1.5l for 3.7k, bit pricey but not terrible and it is chilled) and came back to hotel.

Oh, I checked about breakfast when I went out and it's not included, so won't be bothering with that.

I don't know if I was out "early" by local standards. It was lively but then again a sort of disco bar next to where I went had at most one table occupied, but on third hand I passed some other bars which were rammed when going back to hotel with water.

Reason I say bar/grill opposite where I ate might be related is its sign said "barra libre de ensaladas" whereas the menu at mine said "barra libre de salsa" and I wonder if this was a kind of mutually referencing joke, and they had similar black-red-yellow colour scheme and font.

I wore the fleece out and it was borderline too warm, borderline comfortable.

So while it would certainly be good to eg find live music or try some web-based meet-up thing, I think there is some potential for moderately restrained solo nights out exploring this immediate area and no transport shit to worry about.

Plan for tomorrow is just to explore a bit, no pressure. GM might have some kind of hill a few blocks north and while I will do a bit of web research first it may well be you can walk up it (I don't think it's anything epic, but who knows?) and I might suspect *if* it's unsafe at times the weekend is the best time to go up.

I did feel a bit conspicuous sitting there a) on my own b) feeling foreign, but it started to pass after a few beers and I think it's fine - this is in large part psychological shit related to being somewhere new and therefore mildly scary. (Not saying I will ever totally blend in, but the idea that I stick out like a sore thumb is probably mostly a psychological thing in my own head.)

I am sober enough to have a shower, I think. Just realised there is no towel supplied; I have my own of course but this is still a little bit shit. But really given I'm cool with the noise level (as I say, it's way less than Cartagena *and* I've already derived some positive benefit from being in a noisy/lively area) this room does seem very good value.

Incidentally the loose bowel thing hasn't really been an issue today, fortunately. I will try to eat some fruit/veg (if only raw from a supermarket) tomorrow too.

2346 Just had shower. Very welcome, not been a super sweaty day really but worn fleece enough in warm-ish conditions it still felt good. After a false start it turns out the shower here actually has truly hot water (like the suite in Barranquilla, but unlike airbnb and hotel was in last two days which only had cold) - in the BQ climate cold water is tolerable and even here it is hardly chilly and cold water would be OK but this is still a very nice surprise.

Not being sarcastic: one advantage of being able to hear noise from bars etc in street is I have a chance of gauging (subject to being awake) when the nightlife hours are here from when I can hear noise.

I am feeling a little tired but will briefly YT it up before cleaning teeth and going to bed.

Sat 0041 Bed. Intermittent pseudo-cold (coronavirus :-) ) feelings in nose/throat during day but probably just my imagination. Feel fairly good generally, I think it's nice to be somewhere new and not have that "leaving in a day or two" feeling I've had the last few days.