TUESDAY 07 March – Cartagena, Columbia
[ This post has some narrative along with 22 photos with captions. ]
After finishing our daytime transit of the Panama Canal on March 6th, we were at sea for the rest of the evening and overnight into March 7th, arriving at the cruise ship dock in the harbor at Cartagena, Columbia around 10 AM.
Our first full view of the harbor area of Cartagena, Columbia in the early morning haze. We are already past the entrance in the breakwater into the outer harbor but have some ways to go before enter the inner harbor and get to the port/dock.
Linda takes in the upscale water-front area of Cartagena as the NCL Joy prepares to enter the inner harbor.
The Holland America Zandam at the cruise ship dock. We are pulling on the other side of the dock. The Zandam is a big ship, but is dwarfed by the Joy.
Cartagena is a major shipping port. This container facility is just one of many that we passed on the way into the dock.
The Zandam, a Holland America cruise ship, was already there when we arrived. Cartagena is Columbia’s main Caribbean port. It is mostly commercial, but the Columbian Navy has a base here, and there are marinas for pleasure craft and sightseeing boats. We were amazed, however, at the number of containers stacked up in the shipyard and the number of gantry cranes that were in use moving them around. Outside of the commercial and cruise ship docks, however, the city around the harbor is very modern and (we were told) has become a safe, inviting place for tourists.
This photo provides another view of the container shipyard adjacent to the cruise dock/port area, very close to a lot of commercial and residential buildings. We counted at least 21 of the blue gantry cranes in this shipyard, and it seemed at times that most of them were busy moving containers around. There was also a constant flow of tractors coming in to drop off or pick up containers. (Photo by Linda.)
On our bus ride to the Old City, we saw lots of juxtapositions of old and new. The old stone work in the foreground is 16th century. The high-rise buildings in the background are late 20th to earl 21st century.
This photo was typical of the Cartagena streets that our excursion bus took to get to the Old City. While the look and feel of the place was different from what have experienced for most of our lives, it was also fascinating.
Like Antiqua, Guatemala the Spanish presence in Cartagena dates back to the very beginning of the 16th century. The Walled Old Town by the sea is still intact, and is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The four of us booked a shore excursion that involved a bus ride from the dock to the Old City, a walking tour of the Old City, and then a 1-hour boat ride around the harbor. As part of the harbor cruise, we got a close-up look at the Caribbean fleet of the Columbian Navy base, which includes two small submarines and a 3-masted sailing vessel named Gloria (presumably for training cadets). While on our cruise, we watched the Holland America Zandam back out from the dock, turn around and head for the ocean.
The entrance to the Old (walled) City. This photo only provides a glimpse into the tourist crowd that awaited us inside the walls.
Many of the streets in the Old City were like the one pictured here, running straight for short distances before turning in a different direction.
Linda and Nancy enjoying a funny moment. (They do this a lot.) Paul is focused on something else.
The inside of the Cathedral in the Old City with its massive, carved altar.
A closer view of the altar with someone praying in the foreground.
There was a lot of variety in the architecture of the buildings in the Old City so it’s not really possible to say what was “typical.” This style, however, was in the mix.
Cartagena was the seat of the Spanish Inquisition in the Americas, and it was administered from this building, now a museum dedicated to this part of Columbia’s history.
The Caribbean fleet of the Columbian Navy is based Cartagena, and moored in plain sight.
The Holland America Zandam backing out of its berth at the cruise terminal. The NCL Joy is behind it, and difference in size is obvious.
A selfie on the little harbor cruise ship. It appears that we were satisfied with the experience. (Photo by Linda.)
It appears that Nancy and Paul also enjoyed the harbor cruise. (Photo by Linda.)
A pair of Macaws at the zoo/shops that make up the entrance the cruise terminal.
Another pair of Macaws at the zoo/shops terminal entrance area.
The same pair of Macaws as the previous photo. Such beautiful birds.
Following our harbor cruise, we were bused back to the cruise terminal, which we entered by walking through a small outdoor zoo and then past some gift shops. Although farther north than Panama City, the climate, even at this time of year, was more tropical – warm and humid – and the birds reflected that. We were always aware that we were getting a superficial “tourist eye’s view” of Cartagena, but nonetheless enjoyed our brief time in Cartagena, Columbia and felt like this was another port-of-call where an overnight stop might have allowed a closer, more relaxed acquaintance with the place and its people and culture.
The Norwegian Joy left Cartagena at 6 PM and headed for our next port, sailing all evening, all the following day, and overnight into March 9th.
WEDNESDAY 08 March – At Sea
We spent the entire day sailing NNW in the western Caribbean Sea, out of sight of land. The weather was pleasant with blue skies and water and white, puffy clouds. The only photo I’ve included shows the monitor in our suite. Our present location is approximately half way to our destination of Georgetown, Cayman Islands. The right end of the upper information banner shows that we have sailed 3,767.1 NM (nautical miles) from our starting point at the Port of Los Angeles. We sailed overnight before finally sighting land around sunrise.
The monitor in our suite showing our current location, heading, and speed, along with other information, including our total distance sailed since departing the dock at the Port of Los Angeles.
While we enjoy seeing land from the ship, and getting off the ship at ports to explore, we also enjoyed our days at sea. Far from being boring, sea days provided a chance to relax and explore/enjoy the many amenities the ship had to offer. While cruise ships can take you to amazing places there is no doubt that the ships themselves (and especially the staff) are part of the experience.
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