At sea on the way to Cartagena Columbia (day 6 and 7, Dec. 15 and 16)

Cartagena Columbia is an intriguing city with beautiful sights.  We arrived very early in the morning to a busy port with endless containers and in the background you can see the tall white buildings beckoning.  John and I disembarked; I with some trepidation about taking a local cab.   My lack of experience in this area of the world and bits and pieces of bad news that were rattling around in my memory made me a bit fearful.  But the port stores and cruise terminal were lovely with lush gardens, banyon trees and exotic birds.  It was hard not to love it.  Of course the weather was tropical.

Noriega managed to convince us and several others from the ship to take his tour.  He promised a 4 hour experience including visiting the fort, an emerald factory, a market and the old city.  On board ship we could have booked something similar but not at this rate.  Noriega immediately told us he had no connection with Noriega the notorious Panamanian criminal!  A sense of humour is appreciated right off the bat.  John was asked to sit in a "jump seat" which was really a heavy piece of styrofoam perched between 2 other seats and put on the shelf when we stopped anywhere.  We got a discount for this inconvenience which turned out to be a bonus since John had a great view out the front of the van.  

 "The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is a fortress in the city of Cartagena, Colombia. The castle is located on the Hill of San Lázaro in a strategic location, dominating approaches to the city by land or sea. It was built by the Spanish during the colonial era. Construction began in the year 1536, and it was originally known as the Castillo de San Lázaro, It was expanded in 1657."

You can check Wikipedia for more details on this gorgeous fort.  We did not go inside but we could tell from this vantage point that we were in a very old city.  It was such a contrast from the modern looking port and buildings we saw when we first arrived in Cartagena.  It is a beach resort city but also an important centre of economic activity in the Caribbean.


"Activity and development of the Cartagena region, and the area around Cartagena Bay, by various indigenous people dates to 4000 BC. The Spanish colonial city was founded on June 1, 1533, and named after Cartagena, Spain. Cartagena served a key role in the development of the region during the Spanish eras; it was a center of political and economic activity due to the presence of royalty and wealthy viceroys. In 1984 Cartagena's colonial walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site."





Seeing the fort and then walking around the walled city was a highlight of our cruise.  As you can see from the pictures this old section of the city had a very European style and atmosphere.  Flowers on the building mean you can pay lower taxes.  What a great incentive to beautify your property! It was early morning when we walked this section of the city and not many people were around.

This is one corner of the walled city over looking the ocean.  It was Sunday so mass was in progress and we could walk right into this cathedral.  

 We left the old city and drove to an emerald factory enjoying beautiful views along the way.  There are 3 main areas in Columbia where emeralds are mined currently but they have been mined there for centuries even before the Spanish arrived.    Once we toured the factory we could have bought some of course but we were not prepared for this. We didn't even have our wallets with us.  At least that's the excuse I heard.  It would have been difficult to choose or to know if we were getting a deal...should have done our homework!

After leaving the factory we drove to a beautiful market area with incredible shops such as the one below.  They were actually housed in vaults that are converted from parts of an old fortress...these looked like barracks or weapon storage areas that we have seen in other forts.  

Now we are back in the van and heading to another section of the walled city.  You can see John sitting happily in his special seat with a clear view out the front window.











Now the streets and shops in the old city have become more busy with people selling their wares and more tourists about.

I wish I had bought one of these colourful hats! 

We saw many people selling fruit, drinks and trinkets.  Some were dressed up in colourful traditional costumes, or were performing dances to get some money.  I saw a donkey all dressed up but the owner got quite angry if you took a picture without paying first.

Norieaga was constantly on his cell phone and in this lovely shaded square he took time to get his shoes shined.  He was well educated and also street wise about this city where he was born.  

John and Noriega waited in the shade while some were still inside this beautiful cathedral.

I couldn't get enough of the colourful buildings and balconies but we were soon back on the ship and leaving this surprising city.  Looking back we could see the different areas we had toured this morning.

Lots of smiling going on!  I loved this exotic destination.  It was very hot but John and I didn't mind too much.  I think we were climatized a bit from being in Florida which was quite hot in December before we left.  I even liked the humidity...it had an ocean flavour and I love that! We have since met people who vacationed in Cartagena years ago and loved it.  I know it is not as safe as it used to be since drug cartels have affected this whole area of the Caribbean.  But we are safely back on board and I am very glad we took a local tour.