My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
I first came to Cartagena in 2017 before we went through the Panama Canal on the Pacific Princess (yep, we also stopped in Curacao) with my mom. We got off the ship and walked through the sanctuary with lots of colorful birds and found a bus tour that took us to all of the major sites– the fort, to the top of the highest hill, the old town and the new town. I remember it being unbearably hot. I sweat so much I could hardly keep the mixture of sweat, sunscreen and bug spray out of my eyes. We stopped in Cartagena a few times on the Panama runs both last contract and this contract, but we usually had to be back on the ship before noon. If I was doing activities that day, there wasn’t an option to get off the ship, and if I wasn’t, I usually took the opportunity to sleep in a little bit. But Ana had never been to Cartagena, so she convinced me to go out and explore with her on our last stop. It was a different experience to go with a Latina to negotiate with the locals. We hired Luis to take us around.
He was very eager to take our picture at every monument.
This atmosphere feeds my soul. I love the narrow streets and the balconies with the plants hanging off of them.
If it wasn’t a million degrees year round, this is the kind of place where I could live.
It always impresses me when I think there isn’t enough time to see a place, how much you can see in a short amount of time. And I’m continually impressed by how much an adventure renews my spirit.
😍