Organizing

Still editing photos, but have made a wee bit of progress by organizing the "lightning round" entries into separate posts by date. Photos are always the fun part, which is why it takes so long to choose what to post, but the sooner we can share them, the sooner we can relive it and take you on a bit of the trip too. Soon, soon! :)

Photo peek

A first look at Isla de Providencia.

Home!

We arrived home around 130am this morning. Happy (if a bit tired) people surrounded by happy (if a bit overexcited) animals. We uploaded ~1200 photos tonight and will soon be ready to post our top picks and to fill in stories and memorable moments.

Colombia is truly a wonderful place, with some of the friendliest, most welcoming people we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. So much so, we've added the country to our imaginary list of possible places to retire to.

Many thanks for all the good vibes. We had a great time. :)

Ah, Colombia!

How did this time go so fast? I never imagined we'd enjoy Colombia so much, and feel so very much at home there. Wonderful people, wonderful places. And to think I almost didn't go!

Last full day

Our last full day here has arrived. Casa La Fe has been a truly welcome oasis, in many ways, in the midst of the walled city. Today it is 84°F at 10am; temps will surely move into the 90s this afternoon. Which means Gary is at the rooftop, where the breeze and the small piscina offer respite. Later we´ll head out in search of a shady plaza or park. Looking forward to it.

La Mulata = happy

- locally handmade pants
- delicious almuerzo at La Mulata -> A+++ (cherry juice? have I died and gone to heaven?)
- lovely watercolors by local artists
- walking atop the big wall in the sea breeze
- relaxing poolside and time for a nap
- sun has set, city is cooling off a bit
- ready for dinner and minor adventure (but nothing truly worth blogging about, please)
- also ready to head home, which is next-to-next on the agenda

Our silly photographer can't count. =)

Sunny and 90°F

Another sunny, hot day in Cartagena... far different from the 37°F at home today. Will spend every sweltering moment being happy!

Last night, enjoyed an excellent dinner at Plaza San Diego, courtesy of a chef clad in a denim jacket, Inca Kola t-shirt, camoflage shorts and sandals, with his hair tied back in a ponytail. Watched lively Colombiana dancing. Made friends (sort of) with a man selling macrame belts. Were serenaded by drunken tourists on a bus. And on the way home, met a playful butterscotch tabby boy cat and then a handsome black dog. Perfect evening. :)

Hope all are staying warm! Wish you were here. :)

Never never

[I was going to try to explain why I had written this rather crabby post, but I gave up. Posting a photo would likely make things much more apparent. But, it would drive 99% of you away for good. If you really want to see the picture, post a comment or email me.]

Never, never, never, never ever go to the Conde de la Cruz restaurant in Cartagena's walled city. Never. Fantastically overpriced, petite lunch portions even by my standards, and very possibly el pescado mas feo en todo del mundo. I am not kidding. I was very nearly sick, and though I took a photo to scare family members, I literally cannot even look at the photo without running a real risk of losing what little lunch I was served. Poor Gary. Gah!!! I ended up shading my eyes so I could finish my own meal without accidentally glancing over at his. Seriously. Not even the smallest exaggeration here. Gah.

Added to this, our lovely little hotel in the walled city has now been overrun by a newly made set of friends who are more than ready to yak yak yak yak yak at breakfast and by the pool. Pot, meet Kettle. Kettle, this is Pot. Welcome to the other side of the stove. :-D

Okay. SO. Focusing on the positive: gloriously sunny and warm (quite hot, actually, maybe in the 90s? we´ll miss this badly when we leave), lots of atmosphere, and more pockets of good solid comida tipica than bad. Wonderfully, sincerely friendly people. The odd parrot flying by. Bats too - a family favorite.

OOH - and the very best part!! Today while lost, we saw a very tiny momma kitty carrying a super tiny baby kitty through an intersection. She had finally gotten it over and up some steps to a small store, when a boy scooped up the kitten and started off down the street with it, trailing of course a very anxious and meowing momma cat. Having seen some not-good animal interventions in other places, I abandoned Gary on the sidewalk and went after the boy. Ecstatic to report that he was fetching the baby back to its home with the rest of the litter a few doors down. Not sure why momma kitty was moving a baby, maybe something to do with the sweet 4-month old pup who was also resident there. But it felt good to know someone was looking out for kitty(ies), and keeping her out of the busy, crowded, big-foot-trafficked store.

Okay, my rant is complete. Much more light-hearted fare later, if the community laptop is free.

Walled city

We moved to the walled city at midday, and immediately fell in love with everything about it - the atmosphere, the people, and of course the food.

- la piscina on the rooftop
- small, very brave dog
- la cucaracha
- shiny silver michael jackson
- 3 hour dinner at San Pedro
- safe streets at 230am
- homeless man snoring in a doorway
- very big moon
- rousing the night guard to let us in