CARTAGENA-WHIRLWIND TOUR

Sometime through the night the wild, rough seas calmed, as did the stomachs of many passengers and crew alike. I can’t help but wonder what it must have been like for countless immigrants sailing to North America on small, unseaworthy vessels centuries ago. Even in the lap of luxury complete with modern stabilizers, the ocean cannot tamed.

 

The pilot tug for our vessel

Cartagena is a busy port

We arrived at the entrance to Cartagena's harbour sailing on gentle waves not quite prepared for another of Mother Nature's onslaughts - high humidity at 87 and high temperatures at 96. So much for nicely coiffed hair and forget the eye makeup. Cool clothes, comfortable shoes, hats, sunscreen and water were the rig of the day. No Mosquitoes!

The entrance to the harbour has been well fortified for centuries

We were off to view the Highlights of Cartagena in an air conditioned bus, guided by Jairo, pronounced Hero, and he was. Efficient, humourous, well informed and cautionary - qualities that made our excursion safe and interesting.

Clock tower entrance to the old walled city

Cartagena was established in the 1500s by early Spanish explorers. It soon became a valued port for trade and shipping. The Spaniards quickly discovered the riches of the area and began the process of extracting gold, silver and emeralds using slave labour to mine and load the treasure fleets bound for Spain.The Conquistadors conquered the indigenous people and converted the masses according to the instructions of  the Catholic Church. 

Jairo took us first to Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas built 1639-1657. This became the main defense for the harbour and the treasure fleets. It was never penetrated. The engineering envisioned centuries ago was remarkable, designed so that the soldiers could hear footsteps of approaching enemies.

Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas

Near the top of the fort - quite a hike!

Canon with a panoramic view

Another wide ranging view point used to protect the city from invaders

Our humourous guide suggested the
Spaniards installed early anti-aircraft weapons

The hike to the top in the sweltering heat was well worth it for at the pinnacle was a stunning vista of Cartagena with its old walled city and  towering modern skyscrapers both with the Caribbean Sea as a tropical backdrop. Prior to this trip, we had no concept of the size and scope of this city of one million people.

Cartagena, Colombia

A short bus ride took us from the fort to the old walled city, now a UNESCO world heritage sire.. We had a sense of India as we toured the busy streets - ramshackle huts juxtaposed with modern low rise buildings, offset by skyscrapers and low level twists of electrical wire; busy traffic generated by scooters, motorcycles, cars, overflowing buses, police at intersections directing the chaos and, of course, the horns. All that was missing were missing camels, donkeys and elephants.

Colourful, vibrant balconies



Narrow streets

Doorways captivating in their unique beauty

A majestic cathedral

Jairo warned us before leaving the bus that the unemployment rate in Cartagena is 8%; some struggle to make a living. Yes, street vendors as in India, EVERYWHERE! Mostly we ignored the pestering , and followed Jairo through the Inquistion Palace, where torture of heretics took place for two ventures - brutality in the extreme.

The Guillotine was the least of the torture tools used during the Inquisition

We also visited the tranquil cathedral  dedicated  to Saint San Pedro, a humble priest, who cared for the plight of the African slaves captured to mine the precious ores and gems. A humble man, he took it upon himself to meet the galleons loaded with wretched souls, provided them that which they had been denied such as food, water and medicine and kindly offered a compassionate ear and empathetic understanding. There were many statues of the Saints in this area; to photograph seemed disrespectful as there was a solemn, peaceful atmosphere.

The brief tour ended with a half hour to barter with the vendors or go into a shop to buy emeralds. You guessed it - hats and tee shirts for the guys won out over fancy baubles for the gals. RP and LS drove hard bargains - a Cartagena hat and tee combined for $13 for each gentleman.

Bicycle vendors were on every street

Colourful wares for sale beside San Pedro's Cathedral

LS bargained with the cheerful vendor - $1US for this cheerful photo

Back to ship all too soon. The All Aboard call prevented a stop at the charming terminal oasis meant to entice the passengers. It had been highly recommended by those who had shopped on other trips. The gals had saved their pesos for this part of the trip and got shut out. Very disappointing indeed but the happy smiles of the Cartagena residents cheered us up.. Early departure time was related to tides and our early morning appointment with the Panama Canal. The Captain’s orders must be followed!

Three of the Travel Time Pals

PS - the further we travelled through Central America to worse the WIFI service - intermittent to non-existent. Maybe the blog will get finished when I return to Victoria. Stay tuned.

BTW - while wandering through a courtyard in the old city of Cartagena we spied a kitty who looked similar to my grandchildren's pet, FIZZY.

Cartagena twin to Fizzy of Victoria