Colombia is a country we have visited many times, as Cartagena is usually on the Panama Canal and Caribbean cruises. The capital is Bogata and the population is 47.2 million Spanish-speaking people. An Equatorial country, it is truly diverse from the sunny Caribbean, to the emerald, green mountains of coffee plantations and the towering Andes mountains. Bogata is the world’s third highest capital in the world.
What is their favorite food? Try ajiaco, an Andean chicken stew with corn, potatoes, avocados, and spicy herbs. Bandeja paisa is a “gut” busting mound of sausage, beans, rice, eggs, and corn flatbread. Empanadas are fried stuffed pastries which are served in many South American countries. They are really good too. A dessert favorite is helado de paila, an ice cream that is whipped in a copper tin. Fresh orange juice is plentiful here. And we are certain if there is sugar cane, there will be a variety of rums.
Among other things, the Pacific coast of Colombia is a good place to see the humpback whales as they arrive from Antarctica and have their calves in the warmer waters. The journey is 8000 kilometers, and these whales can be viewed from clifftop restaurants along the shoreline we read.
Shoulder season is right now with possible hard rains that begin in May. If we do not see rain today, we consider ourselves lucky. As it turned out, the predicted showers never happened. Yep….lucky.
When the Volendam arrived to the port of Cartagena around 6:30am, the temperature was already 81 degrees with 89% humidity. The haze was heavy in the air even though the wind was 14 mph. It was going to be a short stay with the all aboard time at 12:30pm. Hot and steamy like we remember it.
We went to breakfast as always and found some folks were missing and more than likely on tours. The rest of us that stayed locally here came around 8am. At 9:30am, there was a crew drill where we saw some of the tenders that had been dropped halfway to the water on our side. Today the ship nosed-in starboard side for a change. It was a good time to leave, and there was a shuttle available, but the walk was less than ¼ of a mile which we could easily handle. By the time they filled the shuttle, we could be there at the terminal. There was more of a description about getting to Cartagena’s Old Town printed in the map. It stated that it was not advised for anyone to walk from the port to town. Once in town by other means such as taxis, buses, or tours, the town would be pedestrian friendly and somewhat safe. Since we have done the tours on past trips, we chose to stay right here.
It was wicked hot outside today, feeling it immediately when we began the walk to the terminal. It’s not really a terminal, but a pleasant area called Port Oasis with a mini zoo and one large shop that is very nice. There are also small stands selling beverages and some food and a couple of duty-free liquor and cigarette stores. Naturally, we were most interested in the animals and birds we always see here. Entering this little jungle oasis, the first thing we noticed was that feeding trays had been added to the railings of the fences of the bird enclosure. With the trays recently filled, like around 8am, the parrots were busy gorging on the deep orange fruit, which was more than likely very ripe papaya. Too big for mangoes, the sweet fruit must be a real treat for these birds. The several varieties of parrots and macaws were so intent on eating, they barely paid any attention to all of us taking close-up photos of them. In fact, we had to be careful not to step on them. Some folks who did not know any better, put their fingers close to those sharp beaks and risked losing those fingers. Why….we don’t know. People do strange things sometimes.
There used to be flaming orange flamingoes here in this enclosure, but we did not see them right away. There were peacocks, however, flying anywhere and everywhere they wished. Their calls reminded us of what we are missing at home, as we do have about one dozen of these birds for pets. This time of year, they are very vocal and will remain that way until the summer heats up and the breeding season is over.
We continued around the side of the store, saving that for later. We know from experience that the shop is kept very air-conditioned, which really helps to keep the customers inside spending money. Smart local people. Since the last time we were here, we noticed some improvements in the grounds and cages. It was cleaner and possibly larger. Some of the garden and cage area was closed off to the public, but there was still enough to see. Walking around the backside of the entrance enclosure, we saw where the flamingoes were hiding. They were in the shade under a large canopy of trees with another pond just for them. Actually, they were sharing this pond with a couple of very large active iguanas that were claiming a fallen log as their sunspot. Unlike the birds, the lizards need that sun to get their blood going. There were a few black swans and Muscovy ducks in this area as well, but the feisty flamingoes stayed clear of them. Sometime a bit later, the flamingoes were let into the grassy area near the entrance to cavort in the sprinkler and eat some of that sweet fruit. In the wild, we never would have been able to get that close to a flock.
A new sandy pen had been created for many small tortoises, who were also moving around. We continued on to the backyard portion of the “zoo” where some of the oldest banyas trees are located. Looking up into the tops of the branches, we did spot a furry animal, thinking it was a monkey. It was motionless, but so far up in the tree, we were not sure what it was. Of course, we never miss an opportunity to take pictures, hoping that might reveal the identity of the creature. Or possibly, it would turn out to be a beehive. Time will tell…..
The macaw and parrot structure was still in this area, so even more pretty birds were there chewing on small chunks of fresh corn. More photos were taken, then we moved towards the taxi area where another trail was chained off. One of the workers had let a couple of people into this section so we followed. Most of this part of the zoo has a veterinary clinic for recently injured or abandoned creatures. But there was also a very white peacock there, fanning it’s heart out for the few people who got to see him. We used to have a pair of these birds, but they are not as common as the blue/green ones. They are interesting.
The largest of the banyan trees were here, so we took a lot of time searching the canopy for either howler or squirrel monkeys. There is a resident tamarin monkey or macaque that is a master at hiding. We never did see him or her. The sloths in this area are brown-throated and there are some red squirrels as well. Never saw them, or perhaps we did……There was some more movement high in the branches and we did spot some howler monkeys.
Between touring the gardens and taking plenty of pictures, we did visit with some ship friends that were doing the same thing as us. Hard to do much more in such a short time. It was time to pay a visit to the store, which was just as cool as we remembered it. Many Colombian souvenirs were for sale as well as jewelry with emeralds. One type of jewelry one of us prefers is made from a gourd grown here in Colombia. There were several necklace and earring sets, all of which were one-of-a-kind. I found just the right set along with another set with peacock feathers as the design. We have found that the hard coffee candy they sell here is really good, so we purchased a bag of those. The staff had at least four or more registers and were doing a brisk job. Of course, it was our final port, and people were having fun making the best of it. We did too.
Time to head back out into the heat. There was a shuttle waiting, but we soon discovered that it would not leave until it was full. By the time we walked back, taking our sweet time, we beat the shuttle back to the gangway. We had spent two hours at the terminal without ever leaving the port. Even some of the crew made there from engineering and like services. Back onboard, we ordered a room service lunch with salads and some watermelon.
Captain Frank came on the speakers by 12:45pm hoping everyone had a beautiful, but hot day in Cartagena. The pilot had just boarded and he was going to allow one of the junior officers to take the ship out of the port. We had some scenic views as we left the long and narrow bay and back to the Caribbean Sea. There was a icer breeze blowing once we got put to sea. But it was getting rough, which we did not expect.
We kept busy all afternoon processing photos. And guess what? We discovered the mystery animal in the top of the canopy was indeed a sloth. Glad we took that picture.
For some unknown reason, this evening was chosen to be a formal night with the Grand Finale Ball. It usually is held on a sea day, but things have been different on this particular trip. We almost thought about not going since it had been a hot and draining day. However, due to the fact we are currently heading in a northerly direction, the sun was shining in our room making it quite hot. So we dressed up and went to the dining room for the last formal night.
We ordered one Caesar salad and another bowl of chicken noodle soup even though it was not on the menu. Mains were one vegetarian mushroom raviolis and one surf and turf of a tenderloin steak and lobster. Dessert was light with pineapple slices and Jello. All good.
The Ball had begun at 8:30pm in the World Stage with a farewell dance with Volendam’s Officers and Crew. The prelude was by Vivace strings starting at 8pm. We found it strange that on most formal evenings there had not been any live music in the dining room. At times, it was provided for the dressy evenings. Go figure……
Looking forward to two days at sea, or maybe not because the serious packing has still to be done.
Bill & Mary Ann
