• Panama and Columbia
    A sandcastle by a professional builder. There's a tip jar out front.
    Finally had the national brew. Not bad.Grilled fish with criollo sauce & coconut rice.He's everywhere!If you look closely, you can see the white cruise ship. There's room for three at the pier.The monastery' cloister. The monks live upstairs.The. Monastery from the air.Actually a fort, the builders called it a castle so the king would pay for itYour happy wanderers.2They were setting up for a soiree for 120 on the upper battery. Hope they're in good shape!What the cannoneer sees. The old city is off to the right.Old time taxis for tourists.1Fireworks while we had a drink. I suggested it was Washington' bday but turned out to be a wedding.

    Cartagena de Indias

    February 22 in Colombia ⋅ 🌬 27 °C

    A stark change in climate and attitude today. Medellin is high in the hills, an energetic city continually making room for more.
    Cartagena is on the Caribe, hot, humid, beachy and tourist to the max.
    The city was wrestled away from the natives and for centuries it fended off pirates of all stripes. Initially a series of islands (hello, Venice), the Spanish filled in or bridged the flats to create a city.
    We are staying in the old, walled city. Of you woke up and didn't know you were here, you might think you were in Old San Juan. There are many similarities.
    After arrival, we had a windshield tour of the Old City, had lunch, a tour up to the most prominent landmarks (the Augustinian Monastery & the Castillo San Felipe).
    This evening we simply had a glass of wine on the hotel's rooftop bar & called it a day.    Read more