EPTDisclaimer: None of the female names used in this blog are the actual names.
So for over a year, I had an online Colombian friend, Alexa, (who I have been very attracted to), who told me great things about her country. Spring break, with no plans set, and cheap air ticket ($370 roundtrip), I decided to pack my bags and go. With little to no Spanish skills, I was a bit worried. I decided to stay 8 days there, in Bogota (capital city) and Medellin. In addition, I had a potential job offer from a law firm in Bogota, so it gave me a greater incentive to go check it out.
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Day 1 Character List:
Maya = Blond bombshell in the airline
Stephanie = Innocent, childish kid
Day 1. Friday, the Departure.
It was the Friday of the departure and I decided to pack my clothes, camera, phone, and the bare necessities to go (I am a light traveler, but + Show Spoiler +
Spirit Airlines, in exchange for a cheap ticket, will charge you for everything, including personal carry on bag
The morning I arrived *just in time* to the Atlanta airport, and was told my bag was too big for a personal carry on (small travel luggage that's barely bigger than a regular bookbag) and was told to dish out $50. This was upsetting, but what really irked me was that the loud black staff lady (welcome to ATL) would not let me wait in line to see the check-in counter for the boarding tickets, but rather, she forced me to get out of the line after I waited a dreadful 15 min (I was going to be late) and made me print out a boarding pass THEN go back to the ticketing counter. I argued with her but she was not having it. + Show Spoiler +
What a power-hungry bitch, I thought.
My 2nd plane, that went to Bogota was better. I got the middle seat (oh no). There were a lot more Colombian faces on the plane than the previous plane because this was the one going straight to the country. I found my seat next to an old man, while the seat on the other side was empty. I started to text my friend "I never get to sit next to any hot girls" when an attractive blond woman asked for passage to her seat, next to my seat. I secretly cried tears of joy. But respecting her privacy (and my excuse for being unconfident at the moment) I secluded myself to my tablet, reading e-magazines I downloaded the previous night.+ Show Spoiler +
E-magazines are a godsend on planes with no internet
Few hours later, I'm still in awe over the fact that I'm traveling to South America. It was going to be a whole new world, and it would be my Spring Break. The lady next to me said something about her seat not being able to go back, and we start talking for the last 2 hours of the flight. Maya, half-colombian, half-dominican blond bombshell, as it turns out, is flying there for a nose surgery. She was a really cool person to talk to, and we hit it off very well. Unfortunately, I find out she has a boyfriend, who has cheated on her before, and I silently question why she's even with him at this point when it's clear he's not going to be faithful. She told me she's into asian dudes, but she has a BF at the moment (letdown). She also told me she took a pic of me earlier in the flight, and shows me the secret selfie she took. We exchange contacts, and she invites me to her birthday dinner the next night with her friends. At this point, I'm thinking to myself that I already made some new friends and potential event day while in the plane.
The plane arrives, and the air is warm. It's not very hot because Bogota is elevated high up, but still way better than what Atlanta weather was. As we go through the airport, she suggests her brother gives me a ride to my hotel. I don't object, especially because my spanish sucks, and I follow her out of the airport. All the dudes who work there stare at her as we pass by, and it makes me entertained that I'm the one, with 0 spanish, to accompany her.
I ride in the car through the streets of Bogota. Maya and her brother tells me that today even number license plate cars cannot park in airport, which is really surprising. New culture, new rules I guess, I think in my head. Bogota, as I expected, is run-down but has its own beauty; everything seems exotic to me. Buildings are short, kind of like how Yokohama was (when I lived in Japan), and there is a calming air that I experience. I arrive to my hotel, and I thank them. We exchange goodbyes, and I land in my room around 3 PM.
One of the girls who I talked to online before coming her, Stephanie is willing to meet up with me on the first day. She likes video games, and asked that I buy some US games for her which she couldn't find in her country, and she will give me the money when I meet her. She's very innocent and kind of like a kid, so she tells me her dad has to meet me first (yeah, wtf is this, high school prom?) An hour after I land in my hotel, I meet Stephanie and her dad in front of my hotel. Stephanie was fatter than I thought. The online pictures are always false ads, I think in my head. Her dad splits after 5 min of checking whether I'm a dangerous dude or no, and me and Steph head towards the semi-downtown area by taxi.
The place is fascinating, and I try out the street food. For less than a $1, I try these bread snacks (which are really good). We end up going up a large building, where the top has spectator areas to take pictures of the city. She seems to really want to hold my hand, so I let her (I'm not very excited about it). After spending an hour, we take a taxi and go back to her family place first.The family greets me and offers me real Colombian food (Meat, Avacado, fried banana) which isn't exactly my favorite, but I eat it all up just to be a good guest.
Afterwards, we go to this nearby pub called BBC (Bogota Beer Company + Show Spoiler +
yea, sounds like a porn acconym, I know
I like that part of the culture, heh
I go back to my hotel, dead tired, and pass out. I don't set my alarm to wake up early (as my dad would've done if he was in charge of a trip in a new country) to go see everything planned, and I just take things slow and drift into a deep sleep.
End of Day 1.
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