Good Riddance Miami

Sean — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:48:37 +0000

I booked a room at a hostel in Miami for Saturday night because my plane was scheduled to leave at 6:30am on Sunday. I never made it to the hostel, though. I asked Adam what he thought of going out in Miami on Saturday night and he said he was down. He asked Allison and so was she. We pre-partied at Honey and Dan’s place (friends of Allison). More of her friends arrived and we taxied it to Mansion in South Beach. Adam, my friend Owen and I had actually been there once before when we were last together in Florida. It was more crowded than I remembered it being last time, which was a couple Decembers ago. Things were going good until it was getting a little late and I went to the bar to get a water. After ordering, I reached for my wallet and it wasn’t in my back pocket. I knew immediately that I’d been pick-pocketed. I showed my ID to gain entrance, so I had it then. I also tipped the bathroom guy, so I had it in the bathroom too. The dance floor was packed and there were always people brushing by. It was an easy task for a thief. I met up with our friends and they were tired and wanted to go home. Dan had already been kicked out—for what I don’t know.

Things could have been worse. There was only about $60 in the wallet. At least I was in the States and I was in the company of people who could trust me with a loan. I asked Adam to loan me $300 until I got my new cards. Afterwards, I called my bank and cancelled the cards. I had them send the new ones to my Mom’s house and I’ll have her FedEx them to Ecuador. I considered staying in Florida, at the cost of a $150 flight, to wait for the cards to come. This wouldn’t have been a bad option either. Because of this, I’m now paranoid about my stuff. I also hate Miami. And I continue to hate clubs. I don’t know why I went. I can’t wait to get back to the dive bars and karaoke bars of San Francisco.

We went back to Dan’s place and ate some frozen pizza. By this time it was 4am and nearing the 2 hour mark of my departure. Adam and Allison drove me to the airport (which was very close) and we said our farewells and I returned to Adam the nice shoes he loaned me.

I waited in the airport like a zombie until I could check in for my flight. Luckily my seat was situated on a perpidicular row of the airplane so I had plenty of leg room. I fell asleep before take-off and woke up as we were landing. From the airport I took a taxi to Platapus Hostel and slept a few hours in my room. The rest of the day I meandered around the neighborhood, getting my bearings on the area.

Today I took a cable car to the top of Cerro de Montserrat. It’s a steep peak that towers over the metropolis of Bogotá. I’m realizing that I have a penchant for lookout points now. They let you see a city from a whole new perspective. Afterwards, I went to a couple of musuems, some of which were closed because it was a Monday. The Botero musuem was amusing (and free). His fat subjucts always make me chuckle. The women remind me of Robert Crumb’s drawings. There were also couple of Picassos too.

I sense the clock is ticking and I have to be in Ecuador in 14 days. It wouldn’t be bad to get there a little earlier too. So, tomorrow, I’m getting on a bus to Cali. Spend a day or two then get into Ecuador.

Sailust » Colombia

Good Riddance Miami