January 20, 2025 - Honoring Martin Luther King

 I woke up to a very hazy sky, just before sunrise.  Before my walk on the beach, I read this article about Martin Luther King.  It resonated.  https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-19-2025.  

When I was very young, I heard Mr. King speak.  Decades later, I sat next to John Lewis for several hours on a delayed flight from Washington to Atlanta.  They were both heroes.  I think this quote from Dr. King is particularly apropos today.  “We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice. Not in love with publicity but in love with humanity. Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the pressing urgencies of the great cause of freedom…..a time like this demands great leaders.”

My hope today is that we have heroes among our current leaders who follow Dr. King's example and put humanity and democracy above self.

On a much lighter note, Juanita came to give me a massage in my apartment this morning, which was wonderful.  She charges 120,000 pesos, which is about $27.  Plus, a tip.  What a luxury.  

Since she left, I've not done much. And have been enjoying it.  I booked a fishing trip with Juan Carlos for tomorrow afternoon.  We will be shore fishing, someplace not too far away.  That's about all I know so it should be an adventure.  I was hoping to go deep sea fishing but those trips are between $750 and $1,000 a day, which is beyond my budget.  I'd rather have 27 - 37 massages!  

Here are a few photos.  I hope you're not getting tired of the view/beach.  I'm not!

I'm getting my steps in but also enjoying this spot.

I took this last night, about 5:30 p.m.  Every night the hot tub is packed before sunset and stays that way until the pool closes at 8.

The put in some really tall things (buoys?) close to shore.  But not the length of the beach.  I have no idea why.

A friend asked about the color of the sand.  Kinda grey, kinda brown. Very similar to Central Florida beaches.  

The surfers were out this morning for the first time in a few days.

It never gets old.

This little guy was not enjoying the water as much as his master.

They walk everyday.  I usually just chat with the guy who walks his little white dog.  Today, we did introductions.  Enrique seems nice and speaks English well, although seems to prefer Spanish.

Another lucky feather?

Raking, collecting trash, washing chairs and setting everything up.  Every day.

I like to see what the waves wash up.

I wonder where this was  before it landed on the beach here.

Beagle on the beach!  

He's one of the vendors.  I like his hair.  Reminds of life back in the '60's.

These apartments have views toward the east and the bay and port of Cartagena.  With side views of the Caribbean and the Old City.  I'd love to see the inside.

Saw my first kayaker this morning.

See the dark streaks?  There's a close up in the next photo.  When we were kids, there was a dry arroyo behind our house with streaks like this.  We spent HOURS with magnets, collecting what we called iron filings.  I used to have jars of them.  I also had jars of sand rubies, which we found in the same place.  Now I know they were small garnets.

I tried to convince my 7 year old friend to take a magnet to the beach and try it.  I think she thought I was pulling her leg.  But there's something fun about waving a magnet over sand and having stuff stick.

The beach is hard sand.  Or was, until I stepped here.  For a second it felt like quicksand.  Thank goodness, all my training from childhood kicked in.  I escaped, no harm done.

This is looking away from the Old City, toward El Laguito.

People start hitting the beach by 7 a.m.

There's a hotel across the street from my apartment building.  The corner of Crra 1 and Calle 9.  Busy with tourists starting their day, early. 

On the other side of the street is an arepa/dedito vendor who was doing a brisk business.

The hot tub was empty at 5 p.m.  It has been packed all day, every day. It didn't stay empty for long.

That's the end of Bocagrande in the distance and the El Laguito beach beyond the seawall .