Exploring the Colombian Sights
Day 14:
We finally made it to Santa Marta Columbia, adding another country to our list! We hired a cab and the driver took us to a small town about 25 kilometers from the port called Minca. This town was amazing and had the beautiful (and refreshing) Minca River which we had a chance to dip our feet in. There were coffee farms nearby so we had to take short coffee break.
We returned to Santa Marta and walked along the seaside and had the chance to see several monuments dedicated to Simon Bolivar, who liberated Columbia, Venezuela, Peru Ecuador and Bolivia. Bolivar died in Santa Marta in 1830. We also learned that Santa Marta is one of the oldest cities in the Americas, 1525, when it was founded by Spain.
Tomorrow we sail to Cartagena, Columbia!
Day 15:
Cartagena, Columbia is another very old Spanish colonial city in the Americans dating back to the 1530s. This place is a must see!
The city is in the northern part of Columbia on the Caribbean sea and it was wonderful to visit. We went to a neighborhood called Getsemanie which is a colorful area with umbrellas and kites hanging down between the streets. We also stopped at the fortress the Castle San Felipe de Barajas and the old part of the city. We ended the day near the Bocagrande neighborhood and bought a few souvenirs.
We then got onto the ship through which we had to transit the Cartagena Cruise Terminal. Easily, this is the nicest cruise terminal we have ever been to. It is essentially a zoo with additional places to get snacks, drinks, and souvenirs. Absolutely amazing!
Today was the hottest day so far on our cruise (87 degrees with 75% humidity) but we are hanging in! Tomorrow we will be in Colon, Panama and our transit through the Panama Canal comes next!