Day 6 - Cartagena, Colombia

Laying in bed and watching the ship's bridge cam as we approached Cartagena was a bit strange -- for all you could see was a wall of high rises. Some were complete, but more were in the in-between stages of construction.

Last night at dinner, we sat next to a nice older couple that mentioned they visited Cartagena on a previous cruise through the Panama Canal. And when they did, they saw the city by tagging along with a few other random passengers from the cruise on an independent tour.

And since we didn't arrange a Princess-sponsored excursion in Cartagena, we decided to do the same. Safety was, of course, our highest priority. So traveling in a group was a must.

After we docked, we were greeted by 1) very thick humidity, 2) a fully operational port, and 3) a swarm of Colombian men -- each in white polo shirts and each one (somehow) offering "the best way to see the city."

A tall man, Franklin, offered to take us around the city -- and -- with a group of travelers from our ship in a van. So for $20 a person, we took him up on it. ...only to realize 20 minutes into our almost 5-hour tour that I only had $13 in cash. Neat.

So that's correct Emma's family! As her husband, I took Emma into the country of Colombia, agreed to pay a stranger $40, and then, only after he took us a few miles into town in a blank white van, I decided to tell him I lied to him, and didn't actually have the money we were supposed to pay him.

Following a brief panic attach, he graciously allowed us to pay him with a credit card at a jewelry store he partnered with. Annndddd, crisis averted. I'm allowed to have one screw-up over 17 days...right?

Our first stop was the historic Spanish fort, Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas. Some background info:

Building was complete in 1789 (a 200-year process), creating the largest fort to guard Cartagena against pirates, who besieged the city five times between during the sixteeenth century.

The fortress is built of red brick and concrete, and designed so even if one part of the fortress fell to invaders (which never happened), the defenders could fire from another part.

An extensive system of tunnels is connected underground and were all constructed in such a way as to make it possible to hear footsteps of an approaching enemy.

Our $20 tour didn't include entry into the fort, but it was quite the view from outside. Looking up at it, you couldn't help but think you were on a leg of the Amazing Race.

We didn't even get out of the van before a group of vendors started hawking souvenirs by pressing them up against the windows and screaming "Lady!" We got out and were a bit overwhelmed by the no-personal-space approach of the vendors. For one man, a vendor wanted $10 because he put a hat on a gentleman while he wasn't looking. The same went for beads, necklaces and other jewelry.

Cartagena has both an Old City and a New City. The Old City has an 11-mile wall (in some places, the wall itself is 15-meters thick) around its entirety. And at one point, the wall, which was built with military purposes, approaches a view of the Caribbean.

An interesting part of the trip -- when describing attractions or regions, Franklin made sure to tell us the social class of its residents. People weren't "poor," they were "down" class. It was strangely important that he made that distinction.

During our tour, we also visited the Cartagena Cathedral, Plaza de Santo Domingo and other attractions within the Old City walls. It's hugely vibrant -- such bright colors, amazing architecture and sweet peas flowing off balconies -- not bad for a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The night before our arrival, the City received a bit of rain. But between the 95% humidity and the lack of an irrigation system, many streets in both the Old and New Cities were completely flooded.

Evidently, Cartagena is also the (maybe self-proclaimed) emerald capital of the world. So part of our trip, we think because Franklin was part owner in the jewelry shops, included two stops at emerald shops in the New City. Very pretty. Very colorful. But very expensive. Especially considering they weren't imported out of the country. But maybe the price was because they were "authentic." In either case, we didn't claim any jewels on our customs form...you do the word math...

For dinner:

Emma

Appetizer: Mesquite chicken breast

Salad/Soup: Caesar salad

Main Course: Beef medallions

Ryan

Appetizer: Fruit cabob

Salad/Soup: French onion soup

Main Course: Fettuccine alfredo

Back on the ship that night, we went to a production show called "Piano Man" -- which was a tribute to Elton John, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Manilow and Liberace. It wasn't bad, but not out-of-my-seat entertaining.

After the production show, we went for a showing of "Have you Heard About the Morgans?" -- a film with Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. Once again, Em watched, I slept.

Looking back, we're both really glad we decided to venture into Cartagena -- it's a city full of life and color. Even more happy we saw it with a guide. If we hadn't, it wouldn't have been one of our favorite ports on the trip.

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: Traversing the Panama Canal