January 17, 2025 - A Quiet Day at Home

 

I saw this online the other day.  It is so true. I think some people assume that since I'm on vacation in Cartagena, Colombia I must be taking mud baths at the volcano, or hiking through the jungle.  At least jet-skiing or surfing.  

In reality, my daily life is about as wild as my daily life in Florida.  I walk in the mornings.  I do regular video chats with friends in the USA, Canada, Jordan and other places.  I run errands.  I cook. I read a lot.  All stuff that I enjoy but makes for a boring blog post.

Here are some photos of my delightfully dull day.

My morning starts each day with a smile and wave from the pool guy.

The Christmas tree in the lobby is gone and these lovely flowers are in its place.

People here work hard, making sure us tourists have a good time.

The back of the lifeguard station.

Nice to have the prices posted.

And how to stay safe.

It was before 7 a.m. but I wasn't alone on the beach.

Another castle on the beach.

Another guy with a dog!  

The water seems to be very shallow, a long way out.  Which, I think explains why it gets brown when it's windy.

Massage ladies waiting for customers.  Thankfully, they've given up on me.  On my way back, they had a customer - a young man with long hair who was getting braids and a foot rub.  

These two guys seemed to be having a wonderful morning.

I'm betting that somewhere nearby, a woman is enjoying a few peaceful moments while these guys were on the beach.

Same guys, hanging out in the same spot as the last couple of days. 

 

  

The little brown guy was on a leash.  The little white guy was not.  They were having a great time.

And then there were three.

He's carrying six carafes of coffee along with cups, etc. to sell to vendors and tourists on the beach.   I couldn't figure out why a coffee vendor was yelling "Tinto".  Which means red.  Today, I learned that in Colombia, tinto also means black coffee.

I ran into my friend, walking this little guy.  He lets him off the leash when they walk back toward his apartment.

Here's the two guys again.  I watched for a bit and said goodbye.  The man told the boy to wave goodbye to me.  Instead, he blew me a kiss.  Twice.

Blowing kisses with babies on the beach is an awesome way to start a dull day.

The massage ladies with another happy customer.

It was 8 when I got home.  Traffic was picking up.  Time for me to hit the balcony with Mr. Kindle.

January 16, 2025 - Willie Wonka Would Love Cartagena

 My buddy and most excellent driver Juan Carlos picked me up this morning to go to the Portal de Los Dulces.  Right across the street from Clock Tower (Torre de Reloj), it is a sort of outdoor, covered hallway of candy vendors.  The Clock Tower is typically where most tours meet.  And where there is a statue of the man who founded Cartagena.  

Today, I was more interested in candy than history.  In particular, the very sweet coconut candy I remembered from previous visits.  Shockingly, I ended up buying more than I planned.  Or should.  Most of the vendors were still setting up or not open but JC has a friend who opens at 7 every day.  Which is smart since we saw a lot of cruise ship passengers already out and about when we arrived about 9:30 a.m.

After buying some candy, we cruised around the Old City for a bit.  The first time I stayed in Cartagena was 23 years ago and we drove past the hotel where I stayed - the Tres Banderas.  Still there and looks great.  I'm glad I stayed in the Old City on that trip but am happy to be in Bocagrande this time.  There are pros and cons of both but since I'm here for two months, I prefer the sea view and beach.  And, it is less than a ten minute drive to the Old City.

I hope you enjoy the photos!

The sea by the light of the moon at about 5:30 a.m.

Not as bright as when it was full but still beautiful.

I figured if I was going candy shopping, I had to take a walk first.  The vendors work hard.  Tying up each umbrella every night.

This guy was selling coffee on the beach.  Carrying all those carafes.

When I was a kid, we vacationed in Baja, Mexico every year.  One year my mom spotted rocks like the smooth one here.  She decided they would be an excellent addition to our raised flower beds in Tucson.  My brother and I were responsible for collecting them.  My dad, grumbling, had to haul the gunnysacks of rocks to the trunk of the car.  My mom was thrilled.  The rest of us, not so much.  But today, it felt like she was there with me.

Nope, still not worth risking a broken hip.

I found a shell.  

I love walking the beach in Daytona.  But it does not have this view.

Wait, what?  That's the guy I've been chatting with every morning, while I pet his perro.  Today, he was distracted by other ladies.  I did run into him again later and discovered he lives in the area and has for a long time.  And, speaks some English.  I enjoy saying hello to some of the same people every day.  It feels like home.

This couple beat me to the punch and offered to take the other couple's photo.  Like most beaches, people are friendly and most say hello.

I enjoy the birds.

This guy was looking a bit rough but was having great luck catching his breakfast.

He grabbed the fish each time and held it in his mouth until the water receded.  I realized why when he dropped one and had to grab it again.  Since it landed on sand, he didn't lose it.

Great camo.

The bomb room?  No, fire prevention.

The streets are clean and there are beautiful gardens.  This is next to a main intersection between Bocagrande and the Old City.

They had some old cars out today.  Beautifully restored.

I love going through the tunnels into the Old City.  When Roland comes, I want to "walk the wall" but only early in the morning before the sun is too strong.

Because this is a historic district there are strict rules about making any changes.  

Many of the old homes have been converted to hotels, restaurants and shops.  Restaurants in the area, BTW, are about $24 USD and up for an entree.  

There are a lot of tourist police.  Mostly female and fluent in English.  Cartagena is considered one of the safest cities in Colombia.

Some of the candies for sale.  Coconut and caramel are both popular.

So many good options.

Lots of flavors of the popular coconut candies.  They are very sweet.  And delicious.

The containers of a variety of flavors are popular and about $3.25.

Some sort of meringue.

Pens for sale. 

Few vendors and customers this early but it will be packed in a couple of hours.  Most vendors here open at 11.

The Clock Tower.

Many of the Christmas decorations are still up.

The founder of Cartagena, Pedro de Heredia.

One of the many parks in the Old City.  This one was where I ate my first arepa, 23 years ago.

This guy was pushing a cart of bananas for sale.

The parks are great for tourists but also used by locals.  A great place to enjoy a cup of coffee in the shade.

Food and drink are readily available.

I'm obsessed with the heavy wooden doors and brass handles/knockers.  

Driving on narrow streets with lots of pedestrians takes nerves of steel.

This doesn't look too glamorous but the Santa Clara is one of the most expensive hotels in Cartagena.

I'm a big fan of the colors.  I wonder what my HOA would say if I painted my house yellow or orange or blue.  Or, all of them!

Roland - I found your people!  At the hotel where I stayed 23 years ago. 

When I stayed here, my room was lovely, with a huge balcony.  What impressed me most was that each wall in the room was painted a different color.  And was stunning.  

It is winter here.  The flowers are blooming.  Sea temps are in the 80's.

This used to be a bullfighting ring.  It's been modernized to be an upscale mall.  Or not.  Have I explained that JC and I only speak in Spanish?  And mine is limited?  Like, once, when I was studying Spanish in Guatemala, I told my teacher (in Spanish) that I was embarrassed.  She said "Really?  I just thought you were fat."  I beg your pardon?  Who knew, "embarasada" means pregnant, not embarrassed.  

This is the name of the upscale mall.  Here's the link.  https://laserrezuela.co/

This is one of the places you can climb to the top of the wall.  When JC told me that I looked at how steep it was and replied "No, this is the place that YOU can climb to walk the wall."  

Those are very expensive  private homes.

This is the area where most tours being walking the wall.  Not as steep and of course there's shopping available.  There were a lot of taxis and buses of tour groups.  

Did I mention the number of buses?  And tourists with their tour stickers?  There has been at least one ship in port each day.

Apparently each small store has a number.

Did I mention tourists?  This is a road, by the way, not a sidewalk.

El hombre de la basura - the trash man.  As we drove through the Old City, I asked JC if there were a lot of drugs in the city.  I'd read on Reddit that some guys were annoyed by being offered cocaine frequently.  As I asked, we were passing three guys who appeared to be exchanging cash for a small packet of white powder.  Not saying it was a drug deal but...JC looked over, laughed and said yeah, there are too many drugs.  The trash man in the photo had NOTHING to do with the drug deal but taking their photo didn't seem like a good idea at the time.

There are a number of entrances through the wall.

If I was rich I would have a huge, thick wooden door.  

The car was trying to pass the ambulance, which was not physically possible.  The ambulance eventually moved.  No one honked.  No impatience.  We just waited. It didn't take long.  

It is not the Tower of Pisa.  I just can't hold my phone straight.  There are many beautiful Cathedrals.

Did I mention the streets are narrow and busy?  Those cars are parked.

Another park, another place to sit and enjoy some of Juan Valdez' best.

The vendors offer food, drink and souvenirs.

Mass was happening while tourists toured.

The Old City offers many places to relax in the shade.

I took this photo of the statue and was very surprised when the statue walked over to ask for a donation.  Yup - two guys trying to make a buck.  Impressive!

These are two of the palenquera fruit sellers. In the early 1600's, groups of enslaved Africans, from whom many of the palenquera fruit sellers were descended, managed to escape their captors and flee into the jungle.  They formed fortified communities known as "Palenques" where they could live free from Spanish rule.  Now these colorfully dressed women make a living taking photos with tourists.

Have I mentioned how many cruisers were in town?

Another reason I shouldn't driver here - I think the police on Motos are cute and would not be inclined to pull over when they waved.

On our way home, JC took me to a smaller, less expensive grocery store to pick up some paper towels.  This is where the locals shop.  I'll be back.  It doesn't have the variety of items or many imported goods but the prices are better than Carulla.

Home again!

I was trying to figure out what was happening.  Why was everyone in the same spot?  Another group like the men I saw yesterday?  

One of the little mysteries of life.  

I wasn't going to buy these candies, made of yucca, until the vendor gave me a sample.  I'm now a big fan of yucca candy.  The texture is almost cracker-like with a sweet, different and appealing flavor.

JC said these are his favorites.  A sort of caramel with gel.  Tasty.

And the very sweet coconut varieties.  I doubt if either my dentist or doctor would approve but they will never know.

Roland - the coffee I picked up for you.  It is JC's favorite.

It was a big day in Bocagrande...I cooked!  Cabbage, zucchini, onions, garlic, tomatoes and a bit of hamburger a long with some pineapple salsa.  Tasty.  

I was on the balcony at sunset and noticed the police.  No drama, just taking sunset photos a long with the tourists.

Someone having a "Titanic" moment on the rocks at sunset.  The sky has been beautiful each evening and once the sun goes down it gets dark very quickly.