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The bus arrived in Cali far earlier (4:15) than I anticipated, and I was forced to get a room for the night (rest of the morning). Luckily, Pelican Larry’s Hostel was open, and had room available.

I was happy to get a few extra hours of sleep in a real bed. When I got up around midmorning, I decided to take a walk around the town. Cali, like the other towns I’ve seen in Colombia is a nice mix of old and new. Walking over one of the Rio Cali crossings, I saw a bunch of wacky Christmas decorations going up. No Santa Claus, no reindeer, not even a nativity. In Cali, they go with cartoony clouds and airplanes and people hanging around.

Cali is often noted as having the most beautiful women in the world. While I found many beautiful women around, I didn’t see many that weren’t surgically augmented. I was told later that Cali is not only the salsa capital, but also the plastic surgery capital of the world.

I walked around, ostensibly to find some dinner, but found myself people-watching around Avenida Sexta, one of the fancy nightlife areas. Tons of people dressed to the 9s, ready to drink aguardiente (the local anise flavored alcohol) and salsa the night away.

No partying for me on this particular evening, however. I was expecting to meet up with a few cohorts the next day, so I thought I’d save my energy (and cash) for the next night.