With very few plans, Cartagena 2.0 was shaping up nicely! I visited the lovely Casa Abba and interviewed its owner, Monica Gil Barcelo. I met a brother from Palenque who is good friends with a brother I met during my last visit in 2018, and I even got a chance to visit Palenque -- the stars seemed to be aligned.
The coolest, coolest (in my Lupe Fiasco voice) person I met for sure was Al. We connected and almost seemed like fast friends. And just as I was checking out of my second Airbnb and considering leaving Cartagena, Al reached out, and we decided to connect before I left town.
Long story short, Al is a major adventure junkie, and his hotel was very close to the beach. It didn’t take long for us to decide on jet skiing.
Jet skiing is apparently the sort of activity you can’t do only once. Who knew?!
After my first jet skiing adventure (about two weeks prior!), I was both excited and feeling ready. Thank God Al took the lead as the driver because this experience was very different from my first. The waves were extremely high, and I’m pretty sure my eyes were closed at least 60% of the time, but I still had a blast.
Hide ya fake lashes, wigs and contact lenses! The Atlantic Ocean was playing no games. I’m sure my eyeballs alone drank a gallon of salt water! But Al was a great and experienced jet ski driver who handled the waves like a pro. And when my eyes were open, the views from the water were absolutely stunning. Nature, oh nature!
The one consistent factor is that jet skiing is super fun and thrilling. I would suggest bringing a pair of goggles, just in case . . . and I might start traveling with a pair -- now that I’m a “jet ski junkie!” 😃
What I seek continues to seek me . . . ✨
Price 200 COP (approximately $50 USD) total (for two) for 1 hour. Shoutout to Al for negotiating the beach vendor down from 400 COP (approximately $100 USD)! This reduced the price to less than half of what I spent to jet ski in Long Beach, CA.
See Yaa, Cartagena 2.0!