Day 14 - 16, January 12 - 14 Cartegena, Columbia

We arrived in Cartegena, a city of a million people, in the early morning and docked at a large pier. Bob and I decided to take a tour of the city with a guide. Cartagena was founded in 1521 and the original walled city still remains. After driving by the old San Felipe Fort, the largest Spanish fort ever built, we entered the walled city. Along the way we saw several brightly colored “chicken buses” like we had seen in Guatemala.

Once we entered the walled city, we saw lots of brightly colored, old buildings. The streets were narrow and filled with small shops. Even though it was a Wednesday, thousands of people were wandering around shopping, stopping to eat, or just walking. The walled city is very large and contains many shops and restaurants, including some you wouldn't expect to see, like The Hard Rock Cafe.

Just like in Guatemala, we saw many women carrying things on top of their heads. Most of the women we saw today were carrying metal bowls filled with fruit and a sharp knife. That way, if someone wanted to buy their fruit, they would have a knife to cut it with! I just hoped the hole thing didn't come crashing down with the knife embedding itself in some poor tourist!

We went in one of the very old churches and the paintings on the walls were beautiful, but following that, we went in a museum about the inquisition. The torture devices there were awful.

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Day 15 –January 13 - Sea Day

Day 16 –January 14 - Sea Day