I have always found it useful in planning a trip to make a list of what to take, what to leave at home and what to buy upon arrival. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of useful information found that would provide a comprehensive summary of what I might need. Past experience was going to have to suffice;

Sun Block: No matter where you are from, bring a very high SPF number of sun block with you or plan to buy locally (although you will find it much more expensive in CTG. than a local Wal-Mart or Wall-Greens). Cartagena is very hot during the day and is close to the equator so the sun is very strong. I live in Florida and normally use number 4 or 8 for tanning purposes. I took a 30 and 50 (for nose, ears and face) and am very glad I did.

Medications: Other than any normal prescription medicine you might be taking, I recommend having your Dr. prescribe (or you can buy without prescription when you arrive) a broad spectrum antibiotic such as Amoxicillin, Amoxal or other similar antibiotic. The water is generally safe to drink (although I always drink bottled water) the food handling and preservation methods may lend themselves to exposure to some stomach problems. I normally take 4 capsules the day before departure just to build up my immunities and usually take one or two per day while I am there. On this trip, I forgot to take my pills on the second and third day and sure enough, I got a case. You should also carry some Lomotil or prescription Doxycycline in case you do get a case and it will usually get you past the worst of it in no time.

No use losing a day or two of precious vacation or mongering opportunities because you are not feeling well. Of course, you should take aspirin, some throat lozenges (you are in and out of heat and A/C all day; the girls love them; and, it helps with bad breath all in one). I also recommend you take some antihistamine capsules to avoid the sniffles or colds. This is as much from kissing the women as it is flying in what I like to refer to as virus tubes. You can count on being exposed to every virus, bug and sickness in the world when you fly. Since they literally re-circulate the air in planes, anyone sneezing, coughing, blowing their nose or having any other infirmity is going to expose you to it. Another good reason to take the antibiotics before you leave. Lastly some Pepcid AC, Prevacid or other similar antacid. You will probably not be used to the amount of grease they cook with and spicy foods they serve.

You should also take a tube of antibacterial ointment. You will get little scratches, cuts and abrasions. No use letting them get infected. Also, several packets of Tincture of Betadine (available in drug stores). Comes in real handy for cleaning a scratch or cut.

Lastly, depending on your age, bring some Viagra, or plan on buying some when you arrive (without prescription). You are going to need it!

Beverages: Beer, good Chilean wines and Rum is very inexpensive locally. If you are a Scotch, Bourbon, upscale Gin or Vodka drinker, make a stop at the duty free before you leave the US. These are somewhat expensive locally. One other note. Although most locals drink beer, rum or tequila, the national drink of Colombia is scotch and no one will ever turn down an offer for some. They drink it neat or on the rocks without water.

Changing money:

As previously reported, only change a small amount of money at the airport. They only give $1,900 CPs to the dollar and is by far the lowest rate I saw. The banks are by far the most preferable place to change money and the exchange rate varies from bank to bank and whether it is cash or traveler's checks (take your proofs of purchase and your passport) be prepared for a long wait in line, very close scrutiny of large bills and close inspection of your traveler's checks. There is also a monthly limit to how much you can change at a given bank and many banks have a daily limit on how many US dollars they will accept. Rule of thumb. Go early! More on this experience in the body of the story. ATM (or ATHs as they are called in CTG) are easy to find but also limit the amount of money you can take out daily. I did find the exchange rate higher at the ATH's. Note: My roommate Juan discovered you could change cash and TCs' at Banco Union for 2250CP and buy dollars back at the airport for 2150CP s. How to make money in CTG?

Credit Cards: Although widely accepted in many restaurants and stores, almost no one accepted AMEX except the airlines. Others places only honored Visa so if you plan to use credit cards, better get a Visa. Even MasterCard was refused in several places.

Safety:

Even though the US Govt. still has a travel advisory for Colombia, I am not sure it should really apply to CTG. CTG is a tourist resort area and the police do a lot to protect that very important source of revenue for the city. Plus, most people are on vacation and there to have a good time. Now, this shouldn't be misconstrued for not being alert. There is a lot of theft, crime, drugs, drinking, partying etc. Never carry large sums of money and don't flash it around. Keep small amounts in one pocket to pay for things and only move small amounts from your primary cache to your spending pocket as necessary. Belly packs work very well for valuables, keys etc. and; if you are carrying a camera (cameras are prime targets) make sure it has a good strap on it and keep your hand firmly on the strap (like women do with their purses) Along Calle 5 one night, I watched a guy on a motorcycle rip a girls purse off her shoulder as she was walking down the street. A very alert policeman at the end of the street, by La Escollera, cornered the bandit when he had to slow down. The policeman pulled him off the bike, put him in cuffs and returned the girls purse to her. It was quite a scene but one that makes you keep your guard up while in CTG.

Don't be flashy with gold chains, rings, designer clothes or your cash. Leave them at home! Play down the fact you are a wealthy American/European (as they all think we are). I even recommend you leave your good watch at home and go for one of those water resistant Casios with rubber or leather wrist bands. My metal Seiko caused a little trouble with security at the bank one day (more later).

Language:

LEARN SOME SPANISH!!! I can't emphasize this requirement enough. Very few Colombians speak any English, so learning some of the basics will be very beneficial. From telling a cab driver where you want to go, ordering in a restaurant, checking into a hotel, right down to negotiating with a Chica for the night or short time. Now, my Spanish is not bad. I continue to study the VHS tapes on TV and CD's while driving. I found the Hot Spanish book invaluable for more subtle arrangements with local chicas. Every chica I showed it to wanted it for their own use in communicating with Gringos. I also found an English/Spanish dictionary a very useful tool when you just had to get a message across to someone.

No matter how good your Spanish is expect misunderstandings. Even when I used a translator to assist on some of the photo shoots misunderstandings occurred. I had offered one model $50,000CP's for some photos on the beach and in my room. When we finished, I gave her the 50K. She got very angry and demanded $50K per picture. More on the outcome of this encounter later.

As complicated as this transaction became, even the smallest purchase can lead to miscommunication. Many times, the non-Spanish speaking gringo just gives up and pays whatever the price is. The Colombians almost expect it to happen. The Gringo with some Spanish skills will know how to argue, negotiate and challenge an incorrect bill or get to the right place the first time in a taxi (it's common for a taxi to take you to the wrong place and charge you a second time to get you where you wanted to go in the first place).

Hotels and Apartments:

Almost all the usual ones have been reviewed by others. I used Juan Ventura (iitscol@hotmail.com 655-1094 or 652-7053 (cell) to find an Apt. after I spent the first 4 days at the Hilton. Again, high season dictated premium prices as you will read about later in this report. BTW, Juan was absolutely fantastic and very helpful.

You can find just about any kind of place to fit your needs and budget in CTG. There are a number of $12-$25 per night places or you can spend up to $150-200 per night. Check out the previous reports in the archives and I may include phone numbers of many of the more popular hotels at the end of this report. Of course, Juan is always a good source. Although you may pay a slight premium for his services, I found him to be very honest, fair and helpful with local information. He is from Spain, not Colombia and so is his cultural basis. More on him later. By the way, he pronounces the J in his first name.

Clothing:

Cartagena is a tourist city and is very casual. Bathing suits shorts and T shirts along the beach during the day, jeans or Docker type pants with casual shirts or polo/golf type shirts at night are quite appropriate. There are a few restaurants I happened to visit, that had never been mentioned before, where the dress is a little more upscale so Dockers and a nice button down collar type of shirt would be appropriate. You will need a pair of beach shoes as it is very rocky and the sand is HOT! A good pair of sneakers or slip on leather shoes will suffice for other areas. Even though the cabs are very cheap (usually $1.50 US to most destinations) you will still find yourself walking to many of your destinations….most are that close.

Climate:

It is always hot and humid during the days in Cartagena but not any more so than any other Central American or Caribbean locale. Many days there is a cooling breeze off the water and always a breeze at night that makes it very comfortable.

Money Planning:

I believe that CTG is one of those places where almost any budget can be accommodated. I met one young medical student who was going to be there for over a month and had found an Apt. for $850 for the entire time. He was on a very tight budget, as most college students are, but he was finding it quite easy to stretch his limited funds for ample food, drink and mongering. I on the other hand, had a vacation fund that had been building for three years. I was ready to party and the budget be damned. I was going to have fun and just not worry about the costs.

I read many other reports from various web sites and get the general impression that one can do rather well on $100 per day after accommodations. Many of the hotels provide a free breakfast included in their rates (always ask when making reservations) and many restaurants serve quite good food, sandwiches and other selections for $3-5 US including drinks. One Chica and I had a very nice dinner (she had a T-bone and I had split chicken breasts, salad, fries, I had 2 waters and she had 2 cokes). The bill? $11.20 US! Your mileage may vary (YMMV for future reference). Again, taxis are cheap by US standards. Usually around $1.50 or $3,000 CP s (many drivers said 3K minimum but many rides were $2KCPs' whenever I had a local with me). I actually rented a taxi for about 2 hours to take pictures of the casas, the other old city, the street markets and other places of interest never mentioned in other reports. It cost me a whopping $25,000 CP's or around $12.50 US.

You are correct on the sunblock. There are a lot of ladies that what to give you a massage on the beach. I thought they were using sun block so i got a massage because i forgot my sunblock. it was regular lotion so might right leg and foot ended up getting sunburned. it hurt for the next four or five days. It could ruin a trip so i would bring sun screen and apply it several times.

You're lucky that was all. Many suns ago, I was out on a boat and thought I was applying suntan lotion, but it was what I call "frying oil." I was so burned I couldn't sleep for two nights, and the days weren't too pleasant either. And my skin is such that I don't have to use sublock after the third day on the beach in Rio.