Colombia, Part 2: The Flood

Sunday night in Cartagena marked our first and only break from drinking during the 8-day trip. Rather than venture out to bars which could still not legally serve alcohol because of the election period prohibition, we saw Munich at the local theater. Wallets heavy with newfound Colombian wealth, we splurged on snacks, purchasing two large combos of soda and popcorn to split between the three of us.

The movie had already started by the time we made it in the theater, so we silently slid into seats nearer to the back but amongst the majority of the patrons, most of whom were Colombian teenagers on group dates. Josh sat on the far left; Dan in the middle, and I took the position closest to the aisle. Just seconds after sitting down, I heard a loud commotion from Josh’s area, followed by Dan’s riotous laughter and then the laughter of the rest of the audience. Somehow, Josh had managed to spill the majority of his 64-ounce soda on his lap. Between fits of laughter, Dan urged me to move over one seat so Josh would not have to spend the rest of the movie sitting in a puddle of Coke.

Once the laughter had died down and the collective attention of the audience focused once again on the movie, I asked Josh to pass me the remainder of the soda. As Josh handed the soda across Dan’s lap, I absent-mindedly reached over to grab it using the ordinary hand-over-the-top-of-the-lid maneuver. Without warning, the lid collapsed, and the soda, once again, emptied its contents on a gringo – me.

This time, the audience couldn’t contain themselves. Most of the teenagers sitting directly in front of us turned around to laugh and point; in addition, it was apparent that almost everyone behind me had also witnessed my stupidity and was now thoroughly entertained.

Thoughtful as always, Dan, at this juncture, chose to inform us that soda lids in Colombia are almost all defective and that we should handle the cups carefully. It was quickly becoming clear that our tour-guide was more interested in witnessing our downfall than averting disaster. This did not portend good things for the rest of our days in this strange land.