It all began with the following WhatsApp message I received completely out of blue. I hadn't spoken with Antonio in 6 months and we hadn't seen each other in over 5 years.
We had met 5 years prior while living in West Hollywood as the only straight guys in an all gay building. We only got to hang out for a few months before I moved to Colombia but it was one of those friendships you just know will last. Needless to say when I got the above message about him visiting Colombia for the first time to I knew I had to get to Cartagena.
2 days later I'm sitting at the rooftop bar of our hotel, making a couple Crypto purchases, waiting for my friend to arrive. I didn't wait for him to begin...
After a proper kick-off to the trip I ventured into the old city for a walkabout. The city of Cartagena has so much history it's incredible. It was founded back in 1533 and the "old city" or "ciudad antigua" is located inside a fortress surrounded by impenetrable walls topped with cannons to help thwart the countless pirate attacks it endured in its early days.
I found this old girl moseying around the streets and decided she could use some TLC. She was obviously very pregnant and I wanted to do what I could, so we shared a pizza and I made sure she had plenty to drink before I went on my way. It was heartbreaking that I had to leave but she enjoyed the 30 minutes we spent together and had probably never felt more loved.
As my date with old girl wound up it began to get dark and I meandered back towards my hotel. I love the old colonial architecture in Cartagena, it makes for such a stunning city.
Once I got back to our spot I met up with Antonio in the lobby and we headed up to our room to get ready for the night and begin a proper pre-party. :) Below is the view from our balcony.
Over the next hour or so we mashed the bottle of Patron I had acquired on the rooftop earlier and had a proper catch up prior to meeting the driver to head over to the spot. I've always found it interesting going out with him because to me he's just my friend but once he plays it's like he's a fucking rock star and all of the fanboys and girls come out of the woodworks.
As usual he rocked the fucking Kasba and had the place jumping. It couldn't been a better night and I was super stoked to be able to host him in my adopted country. Needless to say, like most who visit Colombia, he'll be back and much sooner than later.
Hopefully you enjoyed this quick glimpse into 24 hours in Cartagena. ;) Come to Colombia, it's rad, ask Antonio...
