Cartegena, Columbia

Today, Friday, we were in Cartegena, Columbia (we just sailed away).  It was our third time there.  The weather was hot and humid - about 90 degrees with a feel of 100.  We got off the ship at about 9:30 am.  The port has a very lovely garden area with many tropical birds.

Apparently these parrots had ordered some food and were waiting for it to be delivered!

Leaving the port, we took a taxi into the old town.  If the weather had been better and the city safer, we might have walked it but, as they say, better to be safe than sorry.  We walked through the old town observing  the sights, the sounds, and the people.

Eventually, we made a quick climb up on the old city walls and visited La Serrezuela, which is a former bull ring now turned into a four level shopping center.  It was interesting to see how they preserved the old bull ring.

After roaming the mall for a while (hey, it was air conditioned!), we stopped for some Colombian coffee before heading back to the point where our taxi driver was picking us up.  Oh, did I mention how bad the traffic was in Cartegena?

It was quite a relief to get back to the ship and take a refreshing shower.  Not a bad morning overall, though it was tempered by some bad news and some sad news.  First the bad news.  Our next 2 cruises were to be from Istanbul to Abu Dhabi including many stops in Israel, Egypt, and many Middle East countries that we have not been to.  A few days ago we were informed that Israel and Egypt were, not surprisingly, no longer on the itinerary.  Then today we were notified that we would not be stopping at any of the Arab countries.  After leaving the Med, we will go through the Suez Canal and go straight to Dubai, UAE with a total of 10 days at sea.  Such a disappointment.  And we haven't heard yet what changes will be made on the cruise from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.  Oh well.

Now for the sad news.  An old friend of ours, Jack Rowse, has passed away.  A few of you on the distribution will remember Jack.  That kind of news always puts things in perspective for us.

Tomorrow, we transit the Panama Canal so at least we will be able to say on December 10th that we will have transited both of the world's major canals in less than 2 months.

Peace and blessings and live every day to the fullest,

Linda and Larry