Where is home?

We are in Miami ready to return the rental car that we got in Tampa. I'm ready to go home. I'm not sure anymore where home is. It was always Cali, but I haven't lived there in 11 years. Now I have a husband who is not Colombian which means I will probably never live there again. Is my home finally in Tampa? We are actually homeless as we returned our apartment and left everything in a storage. We left the important things at my parent's house but we wont have a new place until we return from Hawaii. If home is where your heart it, then it is definetely in Colombia. I'm not sure that I could live there again but I love going all the time. As we leave for our wedding, we also returned the keys to the apartment where we lived for a whole year. It got me thinking that it was a big coincidence that we picked our wedding date when the lease expired. I believe that when something ends, something else begins. That was our apartment while we were engaged and when we come back from our honeymoon we will start over somewhere else. We never planned to leave that apartment, we loved it, but we found a place that we like for less money.

Next post will be from my first home! I will take lots of pictures :)

Time's up...

I haven't been writing a lot in the blog because I am as busy as I can be. We are leaving in 5 days to Cali, moving out of our apartment on Sunday, and I still have to work a few more days and leave everything ready for the 3 weeks that I will be off. 

Bags almost ready for Cali and Hawaii

Lots of boxes all over

Last Friday, we got legally married. We went to City Hall in downtown and took a number. We waited for about 1 hour before we got our 2 minute ceremony. We went wearing jeans and alone. I have to admit that we were both getting nervous while we waited. After we signed and payed I went shopping and my husband went to work. It sounds sooo weird to say husband. I want to say boyfriend and I have to make an effort to say husband. My sister insisted in doing something later that day. Here are some pictures from that night.

My sisters

Salud

Our cake - we wont have cake in Cali just cupcakes.

As far as the real planning my mom has already found music for the ceremony, a car to drive me and my dad there, a restaurant for the night before, and a few vendors for cupcakes. She is the best wedding planned that I could ever have. We decided for night before, meet at a restaurant but only to welcome to the travelers.

This past week, several people that were supposed to come told us that they will not be traveling. Sadly, most of them were traveling from Ecuador and we expected them to attend since it was the cheapest and easiest flight to Cali. I don't get mad when people can't come but, I hate that they wait until the last minute to say NO. We could have invited other people that we didn't invite because we could not afford a big wedding. On the bright side, we will be able to spend more time with the ones that will be there. After all this experience planning the wedding I have confirmed 2 things: family will always be there and friends will be there ONLY if it is convenient. My feelings are not hurt because I have learned in the past (the hard way) that friends are not unconditional but, my poor husband thought his friends were part of his family. I LOVE my friends but I know that they only people that will do EVERYTHING for me are my parents and my 2 sisters.

My dad testing our ride

This is where we will meet the day before. Photo Credit: www.casaallegrashop.com

Photo Credit: www.casaallegrashop.com

I can't wait to be in my hometown and then go to Hawaii!!! I will try to upload pictures while I'm away. Since I have to carry my dress while traveling, I decided not to take my laptop. Since I don't want to pay roaming I don't carry my phone with me at all times. Wish me luck! :)

Last Details

Today we are getting married! We decided to go alone to the Court house in downtown and sign the "Contract" as I want to call it. After one year of talking wedding details I refuse to call this my wedding. We wanted to go alone and not tell anyone. My oldest sister would never forgive me if I didn't at least let her have a toast. She lives in California and she is now in Tampa, so I can see why she would be mad at me. We agreed to meet tonight with a few people to have a toast. My sister insisted in having a cake!!! After many attempts to convince me, I agreed to a cake but just a supermarket cake. I don't want anything fancy since I do not want to make July 15th my anniversary. I'm trying to believe my own lie: that I will be married August 6th not July 15th. I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt trying to make my point. After signing, I will go to Nordstrom for the big sale and my HUSBAND will go back to work. I hate to say this but I am nervous!!!

Back to wedding details, I still have a lot to figure out. Only small things that I keep forgetting. I completely forgot about the ceremony music. Thankfully my mom is on top of everything and she found a trio for US $100. The ceremony is only supposed to last 20 minutes so I guess they will 2 a couple of songs and that's it. The best part of all is that getting married in Colombia is so much cheaper than in the US. Even with the dollar hitting record low rates and paying for our plane tickets. We decided to do it there to invite more for the same amount of money that we would spend here. A lot of our friends will not travel, they still say that MAYBE they will come. It was hard to say that we can't wait anymore but we had to do it. We are having less people than we were expecting but we are very excited for the ones that will make it.

I'm having a hard time finding the perfect earrings. I want something chandelier style but most of the earring that I see are full of "bling bling" fake diamonds. Who is going to believe that I'm wearing thousands of dollars worth of diamonds? I hate that from jewelry. I rather have a small and simple jewel that is made of real gold than a big fake one.



I bougth this pair of earrings in pink last month at Nordstrom's. I love the meaning of the stone. I have always have quartz and I believe that they can help us with energy. I love all new era things and I would love to practice more things that can help me find balance.

Cherry quartz earrings. Photo Credit http://www.nordstrom.com/

This is how they will look. Photo Credit http://www.norstrom.com/

I'm still not sure they will be the right pair of earrings to wear but I fell in love with them. I though they were pink quartz that I've always know is good to attract love. It is actually cherry quartz and according to the card that came with the earrings "Cherry quartz represents love, romance, and harmony. Cherry quartz releases, stores, and regulates energy. it attracts love in all its forms." I'm good with that for the wedding day. I was curious to see what the difference with rose (pink) quartz and I found a similar description  "Rose quartz: love, comfort, & peace wear as a daily reminder. Rose quartz soothes the heart, has a calming effect, and encourages healthy relationships". I like both descriptions. I love the style of the earring but I'm not sure they will go well with the delicate wedding dress. I am definitely keeping the earrings. Actually, I'm wearing them today to the court. A little extra luck wouldn't hurt. Looking for the perfect wedding earrings from the same manufacturer I found the website and I think that I might become obsessed with this brand. It is called Dogeared jewelery .
 
There is a store from Cali that I love, pequeñas indulgencias, where I'm hoping to find the perfect pair for me. I own many earrings from this place but the ones I have are not as delicate as I want for the wedding day. They always change their collections and they are willing to alter their designs. However, I will have only 1 week before the wedding to have a custom made piece. I need to get what is there or wear what I already have. Out of the earrings I have from there the ones in the picture below could also work. I will have my hair down and that is why I want earrings that hang below my ear.

earrings from pequenas indulgencias

Cali, Colombia - Where to Stay

I will be getting married in Cali next month. I did some research about the hotels in the area that I included in the wedding website. I wanted to share some of what I found just in case that in the future if anyone is looking for some hotel information in Cali I can send them this link. If you want to read about things to do in the City, I wrote a blog post a few months ago. Click here if you want to read it.

Hotel InterContinental Cali
Avenida Colombia No 2-72, Cali, Colombia

Cost: Approximately US $120 per night
This hotel is located close to many bars, restaurants, boutiques in the peñon area. This hotel is also close to the City Center. There is a great pizzeria in the hotel lobby, my favorite pizza in Cali, which is open to the public. Secured taxi services are available by the main entrance. This is probably one of the best places to stay in the City. I didn't choose this hotel for our weeding night because the decoration was very out of date.

Telephone: (57-2) 882-3225

Toll Free: (from U.S.) 1-888-424-6835

Website: www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/cali

Stars: 4

Hotel Dann / Hotel Dann Carlton
Carrera 2 #1-60, Cali, Colombia

Cost: Approximately US $120 per night
Located across the street from the Intercontinental Hotel. The Dann Carlton hotel is newer than the Hotel Dann. They are connected by a pedestrian bridge. There is a Tony Roma's restaurant located in the lobby of the Hotel Dann.
Telephone: (57-2) 893-3000 or (57-2) 886-2000
Website: http://www.hotelesdann.com/ (click on tab "Hoteles Dann", and then select the city)
Stars: 4


Hotel NOW
Avenida 9A Norte, No. 10-74, Cali, Colombia

Cost: Approximately US $200 per night. The weekend rate is $270,000 pesos per night. US$1 = $1,800 Colombian pesos. Their normal rates are higher on weekdays: $450,000 pesos, per night, including breakfast, and for weekends is about $270,000 pesos per night including breakfast.
Location: This is the only modern hotel in Cali. Hotel NOW is located in the Granada neighborhood. Granada is Cali's upscale bar, restaurant, and shopping district. It's perfect for young tourists and who don't mind the noise. I wanted to get this hotel for our wedding night but I didn't want to deal with the noise the night before.

This link is for a NOW hotel review from the New York Times: travel.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/travel/19checkin.html

Telephone: (57-2) 488-9797
Website: http://www.nowhotel.com.co/
Reservations: reservas@nowhotel.com.co (they don't have online reservations yet)
Stars: 4


Mercure Hotel Casa del Alferez
Avenida 9 Norte #9N-24 Cali, Colombia

Cost: Approximately US $110 per night includes breakfast.
This hotel is located in the Granada District, within walking distance to a large number of restaurants and bars. This is a small business hotel. This hotel is very well located and the decoration was simple but more modern than the intercontinental or the Dann. This is where we will be staying the day prior and the day of our wedding.
Telephone: (57-2) 661-8111
Website: http://www.mercure.com/
Reservations: online or at reservas@mercurecasadelalferez.com.co
Stars: 3.5


Four Points- Sheraton

Calle 18 North No. 4 N-08, Cali, Colombia

Cost: Average is around US $115 per night
This hotel is one of the newest in the City. I love Sheratons and all of Starwood hotels. This hotel looks nice and modern, but I don't like the area where is located. It is not bad, but it gets lonely at night. I wouldn't feel comfortable getting there late. It is located in a residential area close to two main avenues in the City. One of them used to be famous years ago. La avenida sexta (sixth avenue), and it's no longer what it used to be. There are songs that mention this avenue as the greatest place for night life. Probably it was good many years ago. I never got to see it during the golden years. It is now a street where I don't stop at night if there is a red light, and if you walk around or go to the bars there you will be looking for trouble. I think this hotel is targeted for the business traveler instead of tourists.
Telephone: (57) (2) 685 9999
Website: https://www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1554
Reservations: online or reservas.sheratoncali@ghlhoteles.com

Since we wanted to provide different price ranges for guests, I had my mom look for a few apartments as a low budget/ hostel type option. She personally checked the following places:

Cora ApartaSuites
Avenida 9 Norte 17 N - 31 - Edificio Nueva Granada

This is a lower budget option in a Granada. Granada is the neighborhood where some of the best bars and restaurants are located in the City. We called and the prices range from $140,000 pesos per night (approximately $80 dollars). This is an studio with a kitchen and it can accomodate 3-4 people.
Website: http://www.coraapartasuites.com/


Betel House
Avenida 9A No. 14N – 70

This is another low budget option in Granada. The prices start at $110.000 pesos (approximately $60 dollars) includes breakfast.
Website: http://www.hotelbetelhouse.com/
Reservations: reservaciones@hotelbetelhouse.com

Wedding Updates - less than 1 month to go!

In 3 weeks, I will be in Cali getting ready for the big day. We will have 4 days before people from out of town start getting there. We want to show them around as much as possible. The biggest challenge with this weeding and the days before the wedding will be transportation. I don't live there and my parents have a car but it could only fit 3 more and that's it. For the wedding we stayed close to the City so that wont be too hard. We have some recommended drivers that are willing to work any time. We will see how it goes. I'm used to the way it is in the US, when you plan things in advance and expect people to show up on time. In South America, every thing is last minute. You feel like begging vendors to give you an estimate. When you hire someone it could fall off without notice. It doesn't matter if you agreed on something. The words customer service do not exist. If you mess with their money that is something different but if there is no money involved don't expect much. I sound like I have never lived. I love it but the truth is that I moved to the US when I was 18 and my parents did EVERYTHING for me. This is the first time that I have tried to deal with vendors and contracts.

Having said that we are having a hard time finding someone to make the cupcakes and someone to take care of the night before. We don't do rehearsal dinners but there is a get together the night before called la entrega de regalos. This is when the guests bring the gifts and the groom serenades the bride. We can't get 80 people inside my parent's apartment so we decided to find a restaurant. Plus, you can't tell people to go home if it gets late. I need my beauty sleep the night before. We completely forgot to budget for this night and it is quickly adding up. We talked to the restaurant owner and explained this situation. She said not to worry about it. But again, this is the favorite quote in South America. I still don't know how it's going to work out. We decided to call this event a welcome for the travelers. This means all of my family and friends that live in Cali will not be invited. It is easier, less people, and less formal. Plus the ones that don't in in Cali will be looking for a place to go that night. We will be there for a couple of hours and leave early. The others can go anywhere they want. We will offer some appetizers and 2 glasses of sangria per person. The issue is how to manage the waiters after the food that we agreed to pay for is over. This is something else that is different in Colombia, they don't like separate checks. It is a big check and at the end the men split it. This means that my dad will be handed the check and he will be too ashamed to accept money from somebody else. I don't want him to have to pay for another big night of food and drinking.

The morning of the wedding, my boyfriend and I are planning to eat breakfast alone and have a relaxing massage. My hair and makeup appointment is at 11:00AM, the photographer will be at the hotel at 2:00PM, and the wedding is at 4:00PM. We have to be late since most people will be late.  

We are going to get married at the court probably next Friday. We want to go alone so we don't believe it is our wedding. Not after all this time and effort. We completed the marriage preparation class and paperwork here and already have a priest to marry us in Cali. This was a LONG process that we didn't expect to take that much energy out of us.

The things left to do on my end are small hand made projects that I wanted to do. I did a thank you sign that I saw on Etsy for the thank you notes. I also did some lips and mustaches for fun pictures. My mom had her painter friend, Henry Tejada, do a Cali theme painting. She took it to a print and got a huge banner for the photobooth background. I am bringing the original painting home. I love it. I still don't know where to hang it but we will figure it out when I get there. I showed the pictures in an older post a few months ago.

We are also packing to move in the next few weeks. Packing for the most important trip and packing an apartment are probably the 2 most stressful tasks at this point. Also it has been hard to get an RSVP from some of the guests that keep saying that maybe they will come. We need a final count and this week we have to call them and tell them that we need to know NOW.

I need help finding the best spanx or something similar that can make my stomach flat!!!! any recommendations? what brand or style to get??



We got our wedding bands last weekend. We will engrave them in Cali

My mom did this for our rings

My red shoes :)

The flowers I picked for the reception

Photobooth background

Cartagena, Colombia - Last Part

Last week I started a series of things to do in Cartagena. If you missed Part 1 click here and for and Part 2 click here. I wanted to do a summary of the top tourist activities and in a simple way to make sure that you can do it all in a few days. When I tell people to visit Cartagena is because I think it is unique. Old San Juan in Puerto Rico has the same architecture, but it is not as big and well preserved as Cartagena. My favorite place in Cartagena is the old City and my least favorite part is the beach.

In the old town, do not miss snapping a picture of the Clock Tower Building. Also visit the Palacio de la Inquisición (Palace of Inquisition), they still have the original torture instruments. Ask to hire a tourist guide in English, I think they have some available. The stories about the witches burned alive and the cruelty of the tribunal are worth listening. The prettiest churches are the Iglesia de San Pedro Claver, La Catedral, and the Iglesia de Santo Domingo.  If you visit the San Pedro Claver also visit the museum and the monastery. The old town is best explored walking. Many of the colonial houses have been restored into boutique hotels, shops, and restaurants. Don't walk outside the walls at night, it gets lonely and it is better to be safe. A carriage is a popular and romantic way to get to see the old town. Ask in your hotel how much they cost and negotiate the price before getting in one. Please don't hire one where the horse is skinny or looks abused.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The best way to see the rest of the City is with a tour. They take you everywhere and the 2 main sites, San Felipe fort and La popa hill, are not so close from the Center. The best way to find a tour in English would be asking the hotel for a recommended travel agency. The last time I was there I walked into the travel agency around the corner from my hotel there are many travel agencies around. You usually have to meet at a pick up point in the morning. Make sure that the tour includes the fort and the hill. The entrance fees are not high and they are definitely worth a visit. The tour usually stops at Las Bovedas. Las bovedas were used as a prison but now they have shops with crafts. I remember buying lots of typical sweets as a kid. I particularly liked cocadas - sweet coconut balls.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Most places in Bocagrande are also within walking distance. There are many hotels, restaurants, and shops located on Avenida San Martin. A taxi to the old City doesn't take long and it should not cost a fortune.  Taxis are easy to find, although in the old town you may have to walk closer to the walls depending on the narrow streets. Taxis in Cartagena do not have a meter, you will have to negotiate the fare before getting in the taxi. I can't tell you what the rate should be because it has been a long time, 7 years ago I used to pay $5,000 pesos between bocagrande and the walled city. You have to pay with cash. Most places accept credit cards but always keep some cash. Just enough to buy water, and small things. I never carry more than $100,000 pesos with me. I try to pay most things with credit card. The best way to get Colombian pesos is to use the ATM machines. The exchange houses buy your dollars/euros for a lot less than the official rate from the bank.

A good day trip is to take a boat to Las Islas del Rosario. The best beaches are Playa Blanca and Baru. When booking this tour you will  be offered other options like visiting the aquarium and cocoliso "resort".  I have been to both and it is not as great as they tell you. Usually the trip will include a typical lunch and transportation. Make sure that they are round trip tickets. The beaches are crowded and there are a lot of vendors trying get your attention offering coconut oil, oysters, massages, or braids. They will always try to give you a "free sample", don't accept it because it will be harder to stop them from the non-free samples. I always like buying coco-loco at the beach. An open coconut with rum and other liquors. If you like beer, order Aguila or Aguila light.

At night, taking a Chiva Rumbera is a must do activity in Cartagena. The same open buses are used for the day City tour. At night they include a bottle of aguardiente and a band playing in the back.

I found a few links that can be usefull for the trip:
Walking map: http://www.cartagenainfo.net/mapas/caminando/flash/english.htm
Lonely Planet: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/colombia/caribbean-coast/cartagena