February 21, 2025 - Checking Out Neighborhoods

 JC and I headed out at 8 a.m. today, to run a few errands and check out a neighborhood along the way.  One of the reasons I came to Cartagena was to consider living here, either full or part time.  I'm still  contemplating, so today we checked out the Marbella neighborhood.  Here's my take...

The Old City/Getsemani - beautiful, unique and safe.  Also, expensive, no parking and FULL of tourists.

Bocagrande - Affordable, walkable with great views.  Also, lots of restaurants and grocery stores.

El Laguito - I like the area near the Hilton but not a fan of the rest of this small neighborhood.

Castillogrande - Great views, safe and very walkable.  But, expensive and restaurants are further than I care to walk.

Marbella - I love the area near the house where Rafael Nunez was born and died.  Great views, easily walkable to the Old City.  But, a few blocks further away are less safe and while they are close to the beach, you have to cross a freeway to get to them.  And the small fresh water lake is lovely, I hear it can smell at some times.

La Boquilla - Great views, quiet beaches and more affordable since it's a bit further from the Old City.  You'd need a car to live here.

Manga - Great views, older neighborhood, close to the Old City.  

I don't know that I'll ever move here but I'll be back, for sure.

Here are some photos.

Deditos de queso are made with yuca flour, flaky, savory and delicious.

Mr. Bono (called Senor Bono here) is kinda like Dunkin', if they did savory instead of donuts.  Tasty, fast and cheap.

Goodies at Mr. Bono.  They do have a few sweet options.

If I had a kid I'd take them to this place just so they could get a ride in this car/chair.

The barber shop.

Dang, I was hoping for a mango slushie but they were closed.

Who knew Payless was a thing in Colombia?

Driving past 400+ year old buildings hasn't gotten old.

I liked this building, just a block from the Rafael Nunez house and two blocks from the Old City.  

The small church across the street from the Nunez house.

The airport is named for Rafael Nunez, who was born and died in this house.

You can see La Serrezuela from the Nunez house.  It was originally a bull fighting ring and is now an upscale mall in the Old City.

Marbella has some lovely high rise buildings with great views of the sea.

And a couple hotels I wouldn't choose to stay in.

The main street in Marbella isn't very walkable.

This woman was juggling while riding a unicycle.  In traffic.  While stuck in traffic, it's not unusual to have food/coffee/drinks vendors along with guys who want to wash your windshield offering their services.  Years ago, while sitting in snow on Telegraph in rush hour traffic, I figured I could make a killing in a golf cart, selling coffee in the morning and beer at night.  Damn American laws.

Just driving through the Old City, early in the morning, is a treat.  By 10 a.m., the streets are generally packed, especially on days when there are 4 cruise ships docked.

I love giant wooden doors.

The door knockers are a bonus.

Words to live by at the Gabriel Garcia Marquez museum coffee shop.

February 15, 2025 - Another Quiet Day

 Today was another relaxing day.  It started with a walk on the beach.  I'm more conscious now of time passing, which is bittersweet.  I'm treasuring the time here but am also looking forward to home.  I'm mostly feeling so lucky to be living a life I used to dream of.

I ran into my beach buddy Enrique and his perrito - who was off leash today and having the best time.  We talked about things I've done here as well as things I shouldn't miss before I leave.  I asked about the Botanical gardens and he highly recommended them.  He also suggested visiting a village not far away called San Jacinto, known for weaving the traditional hammocks.  Plus, I definitely want to go back to La Boquilla for seafood.  Plus, a bit of shopping in the Old City.

After my walk, I studied some Spanish, chatted with a couple of friends and enjoyed some balcony time.  Then, binged some Love is Blind.  Maggie and Skyler, I'm blaming you two for that!

I'm cooking tonight - shrimp, bok choy, mango and avocado salsa.  As much as I'm going to miss the great food delivery here, I am looking forward to getting back in the kitchen at home.  Please remind me of that in a few weeks when I'm whining about having to cook all the time.

Here are some photos.

Is there a better view from a couch?

There are a lot of things I'll miss but mostly, the view of the sea and the horizon.

So many shades of blue.

Before the tourists arrive.

In other news, they're working on repairing the pool deck on the roof of this hotel.  

But seem to be ignoring these huge broken windows.  I still have no clue how it happened.  That's about two stories worth of broken glass hanging there.

Always beautiful, always changing.

Lunch was leftovers - roasted beets, chicken, pomelo and blue cheese.  Yum!

Dinner with a beautiful sunset.

January 12, 2025 - Spa, Massage and Drama

 I have to be out of my apartment every Wednesday so Noemi can clean.  I know, it is a burden, lol.  This morning my plan was to spend a few minutes in the lobby before heading to get my spa on.  

But...drama in the lobby.  I won't bore you with the details but I spent 90 minutes watching events unfold as two women tried to get to a boat for a day trip.  A bus was waiting at the curb, the husband didn't show as planned, the bus wouldn't wait more than 20 minutes and the women wouldn't leave without the husband.  Eventually the women left and the husband never came down.  Did I mention the wife and husband don't speak the same language and were using a translating service to talk?  I feel sorriest for the tour guide, who the ladies somehow decided was completely at fault for not making a bus load of other tourists wait until the husband decided to arrive.  I hope they all ended up having a good day.

After 1 1/2 months here, I feel like part of the neighborhood.  JC hangs out at a taxi stand near my apartment so I chatted with him for a few minutes on my way to the spa.  Then, I talked with a hat vendor, who likes to practice his English with me.  It is a daily thing.  Then the "bird man" and I greeted each other.  He likes to feed the pigeons each morning.  Yesterday I showed him a video from my "bird cam" at home. 

Once at the spa, the receptionist said "The usual?"  Yes, please.  I love change and new experiences but am also a fan of the comfort of routine.

After a shampoo, blow dry, mani/pedi (with tips, less than $40) I strolled home just in time to get a massage from Juanita.  

I'm so exhausted from all the effort, I think I'll just spend the afternoon reading and order Rappi for dinner.  Tacos?  Sushi?  Pizza?  Chinese?  So many choices.

Tomorrow will be another quiet day taking care of some paperwork and stuff.  Friday I'm planning to visit an historic village, settled by the freed slaves.  

A few photos...

That's the moon, at about 6:30 this morning.

There were more clouds this morning.

The quiet lobby.

More drama.  That's a new arepa vendor across from my apartment.  Normally, there's a different vendor.  That guy was pushing his cart up the street, looking very annoyed.  I'll have to get the scoop from JC on Friday.

This is the cat who lives at Crepes and Waffles, near my apartment.  Good food, HUGE menu, gluten free options and a nice patio.

January 8, 2025 - Sloths and Monkeys in the Park

 Today started with a walk around Getsemani, including a stop at Parque de Centenario.  That's where Roland and I watched kids roller blading.  This time, we saw sloths and monkeys.  The local guys who were wild-life spotting for a small tip, were also very excited to show us a squirrel.  Which was funny, since I have a dozen in my yard at any given moment.

After our walk, we visited the museum for Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Nobel price winning author.  While I chatted with passengers from the Rotterdam who were on a shore excursion, they did a bit of shopping in the gift shop.  I plan to go back to buy a few souvenirs - different than much of the stuff you find on the streets.

Next, we headed to the Portal de las Dulces so Maggie and Skyler could buy some treats. Then on to the

 Museum of Modern Art.  I opted to wait at a nearby outdoor cafe, which provided some excellent people watching as several shore excursions strolled by.  That was the only time I've found the vendors annoying.  They were friendly and polite but it was non-stop.  Cuban cigars, clothes, jewelry, magnets, mimes and Palenque ladies.  All but one moved on after a "no thank you" but one guy was determined to sell me something and finally the restaurant security guard asked him to go.

We stopped at Olimpica for snacks then headed back to the apartment so Maggie could get a massage from Juanita.  Later, we watched the sunset from the 31st floor, ate rotisserie chicken and fruit and played cards.  It was a great day.

Some photos!

On our way to Getsemani , we stopped at the Fuerte de San Sebastian del Pastelillo. One tour option is a ride around town in an antique convertible.   

View thru the fortress wall toward Bocagrande.

That's Manga in the background.

Getsemani is lovely and colorful.

This is a mural of old boots.  There's also a statue of the boots near the base of Cerro de la Popa.

Monkey! In the wild, in town.

Can you find the sloth?  Called a perezoso, in Spanish.  My spirit animal.

Sloth!

Sloth

The Old City never disappoints.

Bamboo in the park.

Getsemani 

This little guy was dozing on the sidewalk until someone approached his house and he went into guard dog mode.  He reminds me of Buddy.

Evelia is the nice woman I've been buying so much candy from.

These ladies are Palenqueras.  Descendants of slaves brought to Cartagena .

After a busy morning, we had lunch at Crepe and Waffles.  It's a chain in South America with a big menu, good food and a lovely shady patio. It's a five minute walk from my apartment.

Sunset from the 31st floor was great.  Later, while we played cards, we heard fireworks and were treated to a great view.  I love the views from the higher floor but my fear of heights prefers the 7th floor.