Traveling through the land of Valencia Oranges

After our time in Barcelona we left early to go to Valencia our next destination. Getting around Spain was fairly easy as there were Autovias going the way we were. The Autovias were one of the major projects started by the dictator Francisco Franco modeling after his ally Adolf Hitler who built the Autobahns in Germany. After Franco's death the autovias were in disrepair and the new government began improving them to the condition they are today. Many of them are toll roads but we found four-lane limited access highways all over the area we traveled making getting around fairly easy.

Columbus Plaza in Valencia

We used the phone app Waze to help us and amazingly had all the data for all the roads but it was confusing hearing the computer voice try to pronounce the names. It often took a minute to understand what was being said before actually seeing the road sign. We made several extra trips around the roundabouts waiting for clarification from the delayed response. We also found that in the roundabouts the count was not always accurate as there were access roads that weren't counted and some of the roads counted were grave lanes. But overall the app guided us to exactly where we were going.

Bullfight poster for the bullring in Valencia.

Plaza de toros (Plaza of the bulls by the bullring).

La Gran Via in Valencia


One of the other major achievements of the Franco regime was the emphasis on agriculture. Unlike other collectivist farm projects Franco's worked and Spain continues to be a major exporter of produce to Europe and the world including the world famous Valencia oranges. So named for the region where they were grown. But we saw citrus groves from just south of Barcelona until we left the coast near Malaga and the citrus groves were replaced by olive groves.

La Gran Via in Valencia.

The drive took only a little over 4 hours and Waze had us going onto a street that was blocked so we followed traffic and eventually it got us to our hotel but we didn't see it so we had to go around several blocks again until we were back at the same spot and saw the single door with our hotel sign above it. We stayed in the Marriott AC Hotel in Valencia which was right on Columbus Plaza but the entrance was one door. We parked in a sort of standing lane that we thought would give me enough time to check in and then go to parking. Upon checking in I learned it was a local holiday and streets were blocked for parades and later demonstrations and the parking garage entrance was just behind us.

The Columbus Market in Valencia.

The street had three lanes of heavy traffic, this little nether lane I was in and a bike lane along the curb. So to avoid the traffic I backed up the bike lane so I could turn into the garage. As I was just about to make my turn into the garage a Valencia City police car stopped and started yelling at us for blocking the bike lane. I tried to explain we were turning into the garage and he finally left and we went into the garage.

The sailboat fountain by the beach. The top fountain was turned off.

This garage was typical of most parking garages where we traveled. Spaces were for very small cars and the turns were the size of the parking spaces expecting the car to turn 90 degrees in its own length. It was as bad as driving our boat in a marina with narrow fairways so having had practice I mastered the art well and we turned in the car without a scratch.

Looking up at the crowd on the beach making deafening noise.

One of our objectives in coming to Valencia was to see the city that was home to the Spanish food Paella, visit the wonderful museums and possibly the beach. But, having been rerouted because of the holiday it took longer to get in than we expected and then finding a restaurant for lunch took really long as many were closed for the holiday and those that were open were booked. So we found one of the markets that was open and had a paella version of fast food and then went on with our exploration.

Beach volleyball with a sailboat sailing over the sea.

Stopping by La Fabrica de Hielo (Ice Facotry) for a beer, snack and rest by the beach in Valencia.













 
We no longer had time for the wonderful museums so we went to the beach because there was a renowned sailboat fountain there. To get there we learned the Valencia bus routes which of course were different because of the holiday but managed to get on the right bus and found the beach. We found our fountain but not all of it was working. The beach was also overrun with young people who had apparently been in the parade and the din of the talking of these thousands of young people was as loud as jetliner on takeoff but it went on for blocks. We finally had to leave and found a nice little brew pub where we could snack, rest and plan what was left of the day.

A Valencia Paella at dinner.

We took the bus back to town and went to our hotel to freshen up. Later that evening we walked about and found a restaurant that was reputed to have good Paella and ordered a traditional Valenciana paella. Traditional Valencian paella is a bean, veggie rice dish with chicken, rabbit and snails that is usually baked in a grill or barbecue. It is a distinctive dish and usually very good.

An excavated Roman wall in Cartagena.

When we left the hotel a demonstration that started earlier had grown to a massive size with loud chanting. There were police in riot gear cordoning them off from bystanders and the police had armored vehicles in support. I never found out exactly what the protest was about or the intentions but when we returned from dinner it was gone. After traveling around Central America and other

 Military Museum of Cartagena. 
 

parts of Europe we have experienced many demonstrations and fortunately this one was benign. The hotel staff said it was "friendly." But, shortly after we left Barcelona demonstrations there erupted into violence over the jailing of Catalonian separatist leaders by the Spanish Supreme Court. So when traveling in any foreign countries it is important to have situational awareness of the political climate. Normally tourists are not targeted. But, one can be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Square in Cartagena.

The next morning we packed up again and headed farther south to Cartagena. We were excited because we would get to see an old friend and fellow IP 420 owner Wendy Kravit from Annapolis who is living on her boat in that vicinity. It was also not a long drive  and we got there in the late morning.

The excavated ruins seen through the glass floor in the discount store.

We didn't have an issue finding our hotel this time and pulled into a loading zone to unload. But, then we went into the garage and contrary to reviews had no issues getting into it. Wendy met us shortly after we arrived and she gave us a tour of the old town.

Mosaic on a cathedral in Cartagena; "Star of the Sea Help your children."

Cartagena is an impressive city on so many levels. It dates back to the Phoenicians going back to many centuries BC. The exact date of founding is not known although it is identified as being founded by the Carthaginians in 277 BC. It was later conquered by the Romans and then suffered through the Moorish conquest and then the Spanish reconquest and became part of modern Spain. It's harbor is excellent and home to the Spanish Navy. There is a huge maritime presence and business there as witnessed by the marinas and marine facilities.

Municipal Administration of Cartagena.

Wendy took us around the town and showed us a floor in a dollar store that had been replaced with glass to allow viewing of Roman ruins that had been discovered during a building renovation and were now permanently showcased for all to see. After a quick lunch we drove out to meet two of Wendy's closest friends.

Yacht Port Cartagena Marina.

She introduced us to the couple that crewed with her when she took her boat across the Atlantic and have helped her with many projects and she has an office in their home. We had a wonderful discussion over drinks and then dinner and then back to our hotel where we talked for a long while on the street.

Roman ruins with a windmill situated atop the partially excavated ruins.

We had a very wonderful visit with our old and new friends and learned much about life there. Nigel had lived there for many years but was getting ready to move on because of continuing vandalism and theft along with a general unwillingness of local authorities to protect ex-pats. But, it seems that is not exclusive to Spain.

The view across Mar Menor at sunset. 

Life there has a lot to offer and we enjoyed our visit to the citrus growing region of Europe but time to move on for us as the clock was ticking. We had now spent a week in Spain and we had a lot more Spain to go.

After our wonderful day in Cartagena and dinner in Los Nietos with Wendy and her friends Nigel and Jennifer at their marina.

Getting back to the Cruising Life in Providencia

Amekaya at anchor in Providencia.

After our 60 hour passage to Providencia from Guanaja we were ready from some rest. But, it wasn't so much the actual passage we needed to recover from but the 6 months before when we were rushing to get things done before we actually did the passage so we could be ready to travel when our group came together and we got our needed weather window to make the passage. So with all that rushed preparation behind us and the actual passage completed we could now relax and get back to our cruising lifestyle.

Our original sailing group at lunch on the day before two of the boats left.

Many cruisers actually have schedules.We know many people this year that are in a hurry to get to the Panama Canal before the price increase. Others have their six month cruises. In the past we have had a few deadlines we needed to make and this year hitting the right departure conditions to get here to Providencia was one of those key dates. But, that's all behind us and when we get up in the morning there is no agenda for the day.

A community fete on the dock. The band is using local instruments.

For the first week on anchor in Providencia we did very little except tasks around the boat and walk about town to provision and inquire about things we needed. As strange as it seems it actually took us almost a week after arriving to realize that we were now relieved of the stress of hitting the deadline

Relics of old Fort Warwick. A British establishment fromt he 18th Century overlooking the entrance to Santa Catalina harbor.

and we now had no schedule. For several days we slept late, didn't do extreme adventures and generally just hung out on the boat and chilled. We got together with the others from our group often for happy hours or lunches and just enjoyed being in a new place very different from the Rio and the very familiar islands.

Out for dinner on the night the new arrivals made it. 

Providencia has had an interesting history. Originally settled by English Puritans with African slaves who were chased from the island by the Spanish. Eventually after their conquest they neglected the


islands and then it became home to  pirates including the famous Henry Morgan. A large rock edifice

Morgan's Crack

on the channel side of Santa Catalina is known as Morgan's Head and a split peak above the settlement is know as Morgan's Crack. After the fall of the Spanish Empire the islands migrated back to English control and then went to Colombia. There is currently a dispute in the World Court that has decided the islands should go to Nicaragua for no reason other than they're closer to that country. Colombia and the people refuse to accept the judgement.

Providencia from our dive boat in the swells.

Two boats from our group left for Panama the end of the week we arrived to stage for going through the canal. A week later two other boats left to go to San Andres and on to Panama. But, after they left three other boats that had planned to travel with us on our passage but were delayed, arrived although one didn't stop in Providencia and went on to Panama to make a canal passage. The other two stayed with us for about a week and then went on to Panama just before we left for San Andres.

The gap between Santa Catalina and Providencia islands.


Providencia is the perfect image of a tropical island. A mountainous ridge of rough peaks reaching hundreds of meters toward the sky. The lush rain forest canopy is made up of indigenous tropical hardwoods, fruit and palm trees. The island is ringed by a reef with small cays around it and the islanders live mostly on fish and imports from the mainland. The hillsides are very green and the water is very blue. Only about 6,000 people live on the island and in the high season several hundred tourists.  Providencia has an indigenous black crab that lives in the jungle most of the year and every spring migrates to the water to lay their eggs. There are thousands of them and the roads are closed as they make their way to the water.

Crab Cay just off the East side of Providencia.


The island of Providencia is beautiful anchoring spot. There are many peaks and the proximity to Santa Catalina makes for a wonderful anchorage. The islands are connected by a footbridge that breaks up most of the swell coming in from the north. Holding is good anchored off Santa Catalina and the islands block the prevailing easterly or northeasterly winds. The water was rich with nutrients from runoff caused by the frequent squalls.

Almond Bay Beach.


While we were in Providencia I was able to get in four dives. Conditions were not really favorable as the seas were rough with little protection offered by the small island. The time we were there we had frequent squalls wth lots of overcast and rain showers making visibility underwater less favorable. With the rain also came lots of runoff further reducing visibility. I dove with one of the local dive operators and each tank dive was less than $30/dive including them picking us up on our boats. Saw several black tip reef sharks on each dive and did the "Spiral" which is a vertical cave dive beginning at about 80 feet and going down to 120 ft. The first two dives I did with some of our other friends and we wanted to go out again after the other boats arrived but the weather wasn't conducive. As much as I like to dive as often as possible it's nice to have the luxury to only go out when it's pleasant.

 Southwest Bay















During our first week we went with several friends to a little place called the Lighthouse Cinema. It really wasn't a lighthouse or a cinema but they showed locally produced movies about the island and offered beverages and light snacks. I think we all had their hummus and veggies plate that came with a fantastic slice of toasted coconut bread with each serving. They didn't sell the bread but it would have been a great purchase.

Rolands Reggae Bar

One day we rented a golf cart with some friends from the later group to arrive and went around the island. We stopped by several beaches and had lunch at a fantastic Rastafarian place on the south end of the island. The food was great and the scenery very authentic.  We also chilled out at a beautiful resort called Deep Blue. Seems like it would be a really great low stress vacation spot.

Deep Blue Resort

Currently there is interest by Colombia and commercial interests to develop Providencia to resemble the island of San Andres.  The two islands are night and day different. Separated by only 50 miles of water, Providencia with its 6,000 residents has unspoiled natural beauty where local fish is the primary food available at most restaurants. San Andres on the other hand has 100,000+ residents, high rise hotels, duty free shopping, big beaches and caters to mainland South American tourists.  Providencia has mostly indigenous islanders more akin to Caymans, Jamaica and the eastern Carib who speak Creole and English with a little Spanish. On San Andres Spanish is pervasive.

One of the bus stops around the island. Each one was very creative reflecting island life.

The government is pushing to expand the government dock to allow cruise ships to enter. It's not clear what kind of cruise ships but presumably smaller ones. It's hard to imagine what cruise ship passengers would do on the island. There is no infrastructure or services capable of handling large numbers. Presumably the operators and promoters will handle that to the exclusion of the local people that will have their lives disrupted.

View off the southern shore if the island.


We were able get some bottled water from one of the markets in the town to partially fill our tank and one day I jugged fuel to top off our fuel after the passage from Guanaja. We have plenty of resources on board to continue to San Andres and then to Panama. The markets in Providencia were good but

Cattle heading down the road to pasture.

lacking in large quantities of good fruits and vegetables. The supply chain for the island begins in mainland Colombia and goes to San Andres. Then it is loaded on a smaller boat for the trip to Providencia. But, it's still better than in the Bahamas The local islanders collect rainwater to use for most things and there is no public water and limited sanitation. There were many trash cans around town where we could dump our trash and appears to be recycling for bottles, cans and paper.

One of the many iconic churches around the island.

Providencia is an easy island to enjoy and just chill. The people were friendly and most had a fairly good use of English although the food selection was limited we could make do. Very easily could have stayed longer but a weather window presented itself so we moved on to San Andres to enjoy Christmas and New Year's Colombian style.

Our final sunset in Providencia.