Biding Time

                                Amekaya at anchor in the early morning sun in Bocas del Toro. 

I've sort of fallen behind in my posts because we haven't done much in the past year. I've highlighted some travels we've taken but fell out of the frequent updates because we have been in a holding pattern. So, I want to cover that period in this piece and talk about issues and concerns as well as thoughts about where we are in our cruising life. We have been in Panama nearly 4 years. We love it here but want to move on to see other places.

 

A full moon rising behind some clouds at the Marina.

 

We returned from the San Blas Islands to Bocas del Toro, Panama in May of 2022. It's now late 2023 and we've been consumed with some boat issues that still are not resolved. As a result we did not leave Bocas this year as we had planned and spent way too much time in the marina. We've been in Bocas since January of 2020 before Covid changed the world. We have come to really like Bocas for many reasons because for a cruising liveaboard it offers many benefits. In some respects the Rio Dulce in Guatemala is better. There are skilled trades and craftsmen that are sorely lacking in Panama. Cruising to Belize and the Bay Islands offer great sailing and diving opportunities that are lacking in Panama. And, the northwest Caribbean is generally so much cheaper than Panama. 

                                            A Moonlit night at anchor facing toward town.
 

But, Panama on the Caribbean side has the San Blas which are a fantastic cruising grounds and in Bocas it's easy to find a secluded anchorage in an hour cruise from town. You won't find that in the Northwest Caribbean. But, we love the access to a myriad of fresh produce that isn't available in Guatemala and the ready access to pretty much everything we need. If it isn't available in Bocas, we can get it overnight from Panama City or in a few days from the US. Also in Bocas are many entertainment and dining venues that are lacking in the Northwest Caribbean and security is not a big concern. 

 

We enjoy many evenings with and without dinner at the Cantina in the marina. This was a full moon rising.

On a larger scale the western Caribbean in general offers a more reasonable environment than other places in the Caribe. It's more affordable, less touristy, less crowded and the Countries are real countries with real culture to delve into. They all have their own ag production so meats, fruits and vegetables are readily available at usually a very reasonable price. That said, we hope to make our way around the Caribbean to experience the other sides. I know I hope to visit many of the historic rum makers although we missed them in Jamaica.

 

A beautiful sunset at anchor.

We are executing on the plan we conceived in 2016 although we are 5 years behind because other things happened. But, that's OK. We haven't regretted anything we've done. If anything, we would have liked to spend more time in some places doing more things. Unlike many of our younger cruising friends our clock is ticking much faster but we enjoy taking things slowly after 50+ years of rushing. It would have been nice to start earlier.

One of our trips was to the Panamanian town of Boquete. This garden was from the Flower Fair that had been the week before we were there. The picture doesn't do the flowers justice.I did a blog post about our trip to Boquete.

So, in the time we've been in Bocas over the past year we've dealt with several boat issues. Of course the worst is the engine issue that we still haven't solved. In attempting to remedy it: I've had the fuel pump rebuilt; replaced the turbo; checked and cleaned the mixing elbow; replaced the hose from the mixing elbow to the muffler; cleaned the muffler; checked the manifolds; checked compression; checked the injectors; cleaned the breather and air intake; checked the back pressure; the bottom is clean; reset the prop pitch; the shaft spins freely; and the engine will get to full RPM out of gear, There just isn't anything else to check. I do however plan to replace the exhaust hose as the only other source of back pressure although that didn't seem to be a culprit.

 

A view of our engine with the newly installed turbo.I wrote a separate blog post about that.

Our plan to deal with it if the new hose doesn't resolve it is to try another mechanic in the Fall and if it doesn't improve we'll continue on to Colombia and while the boat is on the hard getting other work done we'll have someone pull apart the engine.

 

Doing a small repair ensconced in one of our lockers. Getting into tight places is a recurring requirement.   

Other issues we've addressed besides routine maintenance are: we had to replace the wind speed transducer as that failed; we replaced the windlass motor that burned out; had the bottom repainted; replaced the manual bilge pump; and stripped and refinished the teak. Next year in Cartagena will be 10 years that we've been on Amekaya. It will then be time to tear things apart to survey, clean and rehabilitate many items. We're working on our list now.

We also visited Quito and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. I have separate blog posts for those.

In the late summers of 2022 and 2023 we made our routine trip back to the States to visit family, friends, Doctors and to shop for many of the things that we need, can't find in Bocas and are hard to shop for online. Each year we go back it seems like we have so much to do but yet we would like to figure a way to shorten the time away from our home. Traveling back to the US comes with many unique considerations although we love spending time with family and friends. 

Another visit was to Cartagena and Bogota, Colombia. Bogota is a selfie from Montserrat overlooking one of the largest cities in South America. I have separate blog posts for those.

 

The first concern is that the cost of everything in the States is now extremely high compared to what we're used to. The sticker shock eventually wears off but renting a car and paying for gasoline and hotels isn't in our budget any other time. It gets very expensive.

A view of Miami  from the hotel we usually stay at by the airport with some rain in the distance. It's convenient to everything we need to do there. It's convenient getting to and from the airport with their shuttle. Our freight forwarder is close along with many stores and restaurants.

 

Each time we return to the US it is a confusion of feelings for us. When we go places that used to be routine for us there's a familiarity to them but being there is surreal. It's like we belong, but we don't. People we meet, talk to or engage have no idea how different our life is to theirs even though we look almost like we fit in. Unlike most people we engage we are detached and relaxed. When we disclose to people that we live on a sailboat in the Caribbean they often are in disbelief but, then they realize that we are people they only fantasize about. We also have a tendency to want to respond to people in Spanish because that's our typical response. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two restaurants we enjoy close to our hotel in Miami is the Little Latin Corner (El Rinconcito Latino Doral) and Grill 42.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One thing that happens is we tend to get off our normal diet and eat lots of wrong foods. This often happens because we eat out too much and make bad choices at the restaurants. To try and offset that we try to use hotel fitness centers when we can or walk. But, when we stay in Annapolis we can use the fitness center at the Naval Academy.

 

Spent one afternoon in suburban Philadelphia with a group of my college classmates (Mike Campbell, Ed Rogers and Cliff Trumbo) and their wives enjoying a lunch and later a wonderful desert.

Then comes the challenge of getting everything we bought back to the boat. We can check 4-50 lb bags on the airline for free and have 2 carry-on bags.  I'm usually pretty good about guessing the weights. This year we bought a postal scale to weigh our bags and boxes before shipping. We usually ship several boxes back as well. Typically, we have about 300 lbs of nutritional supplements, boat parts, household goods, liquor we can't get there, really good olive oil and balsamics plus many other things that are too hard to order online. Some of the places we've been it was almost impossible to ship packages to directly so packing the most into our bags was necessary. At least in Bocas we have options for quick shipping.

Ironically the same day I met my college classmates we got together for dinner with some high school classmates ( Ed Fasnacht and Ken Keener) and their wives in Lancaster, Pa.

 

Managing this is a logistical challenge. The first is identifying what we need. Many cases it's easy knowing what broke and needs replacement parts or we need to replace the spare we used. More difficult is anticipating things that could go wrong and having parts on hand for when they do. Next is the challenge of identifying the source for procuring the items. In that, lots of things are considered including cost, speed of delivery and where to ship it to. Is it something we want to ship directly? Do we want to get 

Last year some of our boxes showed up severely damaged. One didn't show up at all adding to an already complex task. The loss required filing a claim and then replacing the items lost. Unfortunately, it's more difficult getting replacements when you can't go to the source and get it adding additional time and expense that isn't covered by the replacement because now there's additional shipping involved. That's why this year we delivered the boxes directly to our freight forwarder.

 

it to check it out before getting it back to the boat? When will we be where to receive it? Then we need to get it, pack it and decide if we carry it back or ship it back. Somethings can't go in our baggage. Somethings are temperature sensitive. Then there is suitably and safely packing them. Everything we pack in our bags and for shipping is inventoried so we know where everything is. Of course, the real fun is when it gets back to the boat unloading, stowing it and adding it to our boat inventory. Since we don't take cardboard boxes on the boat we unload into bags to take inside and throw away the boxes. In the tropics corrugated cardboard holds roach eggs.

A Labor Day Weekend hike with Linda's son Seth who we stay with in Annapolis.

One other wrinkle in the process is getting the bags that we brought with us from the States back to Bocas. Air Panama only allows one bag each and we have 6. Our shipping company in Bocas is affiliated with a domestic shipping company who will pick up our bags in our hotel and deliver them to Bocas for about $15 a bag with overnight delivery to Bocas. Tracking all the moving pieces is a logistical headache and ensuring that they are packed well enough not to break.  

We were able to catch up with one of my son's and his whole family this year in Tennessee where they moved after he retired from the USMC. My son Jeremy, his wonderful wife Regina, beautiful daughter Abby and really smart grandson Jared. Taken in Knoxville.

Living on a boat is about living. That living involves boat maintenance, getting to know local cultures, sightseeing and then the everyday subsistence things. It's amazing how much time mundane chores take living on a boat. We eat little in the way of prepared foods (which we prefer anyway) so we prepare it ourselves which takes a great deal of time. In Bocas there is a bountiful supply of fresh fruits produce and vegetables although not in the diversity of good American markets. But, it is good quality and fresh. To take those goods and prepare them for storage, prepare them for meals and actually making the meals consumes a lot of time each day for both of us. Linda has the things she does and I have the things I do. Then we also have to be cognizant of the weather and what work can be done based on weather. 

This year we got to go into Center City Philadelphia and have dinner at a renown restaurant Vedge where our granddaughter Rebecca works. We had a wonderful evening.

One of the major tasks we accomplish when we return to the States is to visit our Doctors and get all of our wellness exams. This includes an annual physical exam; dental exam and cleaning; eye exams; any 

 

My oldest grandson, Alexander out for a trail ride.

needed radiology; other specific exams; and then getting any prescriptions filled and follow-up screenings. We can usually get emergent care done where we are but we always follow-up with our regular doctors in the States. So far, everything has been fine so it is all routine. At some point our health will require more issues and time.

The Florida "Welcome Sign" is always a good feeling.

 

We also like to spend time with family and friends. Trying to work into everyone's schedule is also a challenge. We often don't get to see all the people that we would like to each visit. If we miss someone we try to see them the next year. Depending where people are we often end up making domestic flights to save time. Then driving when we can. Every year is different depending on where people are. Also, school and college reunions occur that we like to attend. I've kept in close contact with many school and college friends. Linda, not so much. Unfortunately, our visits often slip by too quickly and we forget to take pictures so there are many that aren't here.

During our visit this summer I had the opportunity to reconnect with one of the students that was on the debate team I coached back in the 80's. We had a wonderful dinner with our friend Erik Grant and his lovely wife, Karen. What a special treat.

 We have many cruising friends that spend very little time back in the States. Some spend a great deal. Our Canadian and Alaskan friends need to spend 6 months a year at home in order to qualify for benefits. 

 

One of our perennial stops is with my college classmate Jack Andreas and his lovely wife Dora. We always have fun and sometimes too much to drink. If that's possible.

Each year we begin making plans for our visit months in advance as we try to iron out appointments, travel schedules and availability. Then the time comes and we pass through the time we knew we had for each activity and it's almost surreal when we realize, "oh yea, that's tomorrow." Instead of something we've been talking about for months. When it's over we're glad we're heading home but sad we only got to spend so little time with the family and friends we care about. As much as we'd like to spend more time with them we want them to live their lives. 

The back of our rental car loaded with our bags and boxes to be shipped back. In the end we shipped back almost 600 pounds of stuff.

 

In a short time we will be back home on board Amekaya. Getting back into our routine and getting back to boat work with a new year of fun and excitement that hopefully will find us in another new country to explore. 

Getting our bags and a little more back home to Amekaya

It's Colombia not Columbia

Looking over Cartagena's harbor from Castillo de San Felipe
 

I haven't written a blog post in awhile and this one is kind of late. But, now that we're in the States and I'm not distracted by boat chores I can sit down and focus on writing. So, I plan to do a blog about our trip to Colombia and then one about our time since the last real post with some observations and concerns.

Street scenes in Cartagena outside our hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because our engine issue caused us to stay in Bocas to the point where leaving this year didn't make sense, we decided to postpone our Panama departure for another year. Instead, we stayed in Bocas, traveled to the States in the summer, prep the boat when we return, go to the San Blas as soon as possible and then in the Spring move on to Colombia. Otherwise, we would have gotten to the San Blas for a few weeks before we would have to leave to go to Colombia and Bocas isn't a bad place to be. So instead we decided to fly to Colombia and do some sightseeing and investigation of places we want to see.

Some views of the defensive wall in front of our hotel. As you can see in the port below it was about 3 feet thick and even thicker at some points with a walk along the inside and often on top. There were ramps for rolling cannons up and down, small firing ports and large firing ports. There were a few narrow entry points where streets came in and out of the Walled City.

We decided that we definitely wanted to see Cartagena and either Bogota or Medellin and we decided on Bogota. We made arrangements to fly from Panama to Cartagena, Cartagena to Bogota and then Bogota back to Panama. Airfares were reasonable especially using our Jubillado discount on Copa Airlines going to and from Panama. We made hotel reservations through Booking.com as there were ample hospitality options available. 

A view of the outside of the wall. It formed many irregular angles which gave oblique firing positions to prevent blind spots in the defense. Across the street is a beach.
 

Like many places in Central and South America, one of the first questions people ask is: "Is it safe?" Having spent most of the past 7 years in Central America we've come to the conclusion that it's pretty much like anywhere else. There are places not to go but, otherwise it's OK. In our visit to Colombia we never felt insecure. The major tourist areas were heavily patrolled by police. Many with K-9 support. But, for the most part, people were friendly and everyone was having a good time. Cartagena is the major port for Colombia and those operations are far from the tourist area. But, those are the 2 major industries of Cartagena, tourism and shipping and the authorities insure that they operate smoothly. 

Making a Rum Rouge at the Arsenal Rum Box. Starts with an Anejo Rum (I think they used Diplomatico 12 yo) add red vermouth, cinnamon syrup and burning cinnamon.  See photos in the Extras of the rum tasting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived in Cartagena on 2 May early in the morning. We used an Uber from the Airport who took us to our hotel. When we got there they were expecting us but it was an unusual situation. The building we stayed in was right by the water inside the Walled City. But, it was more like an apartment building than a hotel. A security man had our key and helped us into our room and then instructed us of how to get to the hotel where we would check in. The hotel was several blocks from the building we were in. The room was modest but fully equipped for a very reasonable amount. After we checked in we began exploring.

Cartagena is a magical City. When you think about pirates, treasure and the Spanish Main, Cartagena is the place. It was the largest port exporting treasure to Spain during the imperial years. It was founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia who, along with most of his crew, was from Cartagena, Spain so he named it in honor of his home. Cartagena was built on the site of a native village that had been abandoned after previous Spanish visits. 

 

Street Scenes from inside the Walled City. More street scenes in the Extras.

The geography of the area made it an excellent site for a major port. In front of Cartagena is open ocean susceptible to rough winds and seas. But, there is a nice Bay that is accessible by a small channel that makes an excellent protected port. So, the Spanish built forts on both sides of the entrance channel. They built forts around the City and walled it in. They later built a commanding fort on a high point above the City Many battles occurred with pirates and forces from France and England around Cartagena making it a truly interesting place to visit with lots of history. In 1741 Cartagena survived a major attack by the British defeating them and protecting the wealth of the Spanish empire.

Castillo de San Felipe (more pics in the Extras)

 

 

We found modern Cartagena to be wonderful. There were many restaurants of every variety that were relatively inexpensive when compared to other places and the food was excellent.  We found a wonderful French bakery where we enjoyed fresh croissants every morning. There are several rum bars featuring rum tastings. We did one that was informative, interesting and had some very wonderful rums paired with interesting foods. We never knew that great rum goes so well with dark chocolate.

 

Museo del Oro Zenu, Cartagena. This museum dealt specifically with the gold of the indigenous people in the Zenu region and is much smaller than the Gold Museum in Bogota.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many friends that have been to Cartagena told us it was really hot but we didn't find it much hotter than what we've become used to in Panama. Like many coastal areas the wind comes from the land in the morning and in the afternoon from the sea. We always had a refreshing sea breeze in the afternoon. Partly because of the Colombian Low off the northeast coast of Colombia that will present a challenge when we continue moving eastward from Colombia.

 

Cartagena was the seat of the Spanish Inquisition in New Grenada. More photos in Extras

The Naval Museum of the Caribbean in Cartagena featured relics of the past and models of the many fortifications around Cartagena. More photos in Extras

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to the great restaurants, Cartagena has many wonderful museums that we visited. The Castillo de San Felipe that was the massive fort erected to protect the City was very impressive. While we were there we visited some marinas and boatyards to get an idea of what to expect when we get there. We were impressed with the quality of what we saw and the people we met. When we get there it will be 10 years that we have been living aboard and time for some major work so we are very interested in the opportunities and marine trades available there. It seems like we can get done the things we want. The unresolved question is getting products shipped in. Shipping into Panama has been extremely easy for items bought online. We still haven't determined the plan for Colombia.

As we took this picture of Montserrat in Bogota a dove flew through it.
 

We spent about 10 days in Cartagena. Then we flew on to Bogota which is the Capital of Colombia. Bogota is a huge city of over 8 million people, making it one of the largest in the world and compared to Cartagena that is less than a million. Bogota was established as the Capital of the Spanish Colony of New Grenada in 1538 because it is in the center of the country and on a high plateau known as the Bogota Savanna making travel less difficult than in other regions. 

View from our hotel room in Bogota. The streets of Barrio Candalaria.

View inside the hotel.

Welcome to Bogota with Montserrat in the distance.

Bogota is also a very high city at over 9,000 ft of elevation and actually cooler than Quito. It is the third highest Capital City in the world after La Paz and Quito. Like any large city Bogota had its neighborhoods and we stayed in the Candaleria neighborhood which is the old section of the city. In Candaleria are several universities so most of the people on the streets were students or people associated with the universities.  As it was the old part of the city it included many of the tourist attractions and nice little cafes and restaurants of every sort. Many of them had music.  

The Gold Museum in Bogota was fascinating. 5 floors of antiquarian craftsmanship going back thousands of years. 

Displays of how these artifacts were  worn by ancient peoples.

 

Just a small display of nose rings from Pre-Colombian times. 

Also near Candalaria was Montserrat. Named for a similar mountain in Spain, Montserrat was a major attraction and had a chapel on top. We chose to take the tram to top rather than walking because we weren't used to the high altitude. The views from the top were incredible the chapel was beautiful.

 

The Church on Montserrat.

This mound represents the spirit of the Jacobean Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostelia (Spain). Donated to the Town of Galicia, Spain to the Sanctuary of Montserrate and to the Town of Bogota, Colombia. 16 of March 2022.

 

 

 

Another day we went to the Gold Museum which was orders of magnitude better than the one in Cartagena. The number of pieces on display was truly awesome with many of the pieces dating back to the pre-Colombian era. I can't even begin to guess how much the artifacts were worth. I have many pictures with descriptions attached in the Extras.

The Courtyard of the Botero Musuem

                                                   The Studio by Fernando Botero

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Included in the Botero Museum were works by Dali, Picasso, Calder and many others including this one by Max Ernst, The Most Beautiful.

 

On the Sunday of our visit we got a driver and went to the "Salt Cathedral." Located about an hour from our hotel in the town of Zipaquira. The Cathedral was carved out of the remains of an old salt mine. On the path down were small areas that represent the 14 stages of the cross. The main body of the Cathedral had 3 large chambers or Naves that represent the 3 phases of Christ's life. The symbolism was achieved by carvings in the rock and appropriate lighting. There were also many corridors and in one room an active chapel where Mass was conducted each Sunday. I also have many pictures of this attached in the Extras. 

Looking back through the final Nave giving some scope to the size of the chambers.

The alter of the final nave, representing the death of Jesus.

                                        Carving by Miguel Sopo Duque interpreting the Pieta by Michelangelo.

The ceiling of the first nave with salt veins running through it.

The ante chamber outside the naves with the chapel in the background.

The chapel with Sunday Mass being conducted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bogota hotel we stayed in was named Hotel Deco. It was a renovated Art Deco building with each room being unique. The first morning we woke up to the sound of running water. It became obvious the water was running in our room. A pipe in the ceiling had burst and water was running down all over. The hotel staff quickly moved us to a different room where we spent the remainder of our nights. The first room was much bigger and nicer and overlooked the street corner. But, it was uninhabitable. 

We spent about 5 days in Bogota before flying back to Panama. We really enjoyed our travel to Colombia and look forward to spending more time there next year when we sail there.

There are more pics in the Extras.

Atop Montserrat about 1,000 ft above Bogota. One of the largest cities in South America. The third highest Capital City in the World.

Extras 

 Cartagena at Night

Cartagena came alive at night. We were fortunate enough to be there for a full moon. One night we went out to one of the many rooftop bars and the view was spectacular. 

The full moon rising over the City from the rooftop bar.

The Clock Tower entrance to the Walled City.

Full moon rising over the Medical School next to our hotel.

The rooftop bar.

 

 

 City view from the bar.

One of the old churches in the Getsemene Barrio

Castilllo de San Felipe

 

Statue of the hero of the Battle of Cartagena, Adm Don Blas de Lezo.The model image of a pirate, he had a peg-leg, eye patch and carried a sword.

Looking at the Fort from the street.

The pathway into and up over the fortress walls were ramps used to move cannon, supplies and for walking. There was only one stairway and that was at the very top level.

Looking down along the walls between two different portions of the Fort.

Up the ramp towards the Flag.

One of the upper decks of the fort.

Looking across from one portion to the highest point.

An old cannon in position.

Inside one of the parapets.

View from the top looking down the coast.

Another view of the upper deck.

The top layer of the fort.

Looking across the oblique at another portion of the Fort.

Looking at the top layer of the Fort.

Entrance to an interior passageway.

An interior passageway that had storage and sleeping quarters and provided protection from bombardment. Although the placement  of the fort made it unlikely that the guns of that day could reach it.

Battery Hornabeque

The top deck.

The Flag Deck

Another view of the top from another side

More cannons

Castillo De San Felipe de Barajas. Constructed in the year 1567.

Shot on display in the gift shop.

 The obligatory selfie.

Our Fabulous Rum Tasting at the Arsenal

Our first tasting was aguadiente which is an unaged raw product that is the first distillate in the rum process. It is a popular drink because it's inexpensive. It has an anise flavor.

The next drink was Baluarte Anejo that was used to make the Rum Rouge cocktail and we got to have another one. I can now make it myself. Made of a good aged rum, sweet vermouth, cinnamon syrup and burnt cinnamon stick.

Next was a 15 yo Coloma Rum.

42 was next. I bought a bottle.

La Hechicera is made near Bogota and we wanted to get there when we were in Bogota. Next time.

Dictador Seductivo. We're really getting to soome great rums It's a 24 yo priced in the US at about $180 a bottle.

Finally, Dictado XO. A 25-30 yo rum. Priced in the US at about $105 a bottle.
 

The Salt Cathedral

Above is the Plaza outside the Salt Cathedral. To the left is the entry way waiting to enter as it rained outside.

The tunnel had alternating lights.

The next series of photos show the 14 stages of the Cross that comes from Catholic theology symbolizing Christ's final days before crucifixion and resurrection achieved through rock carvings, juxtaposition and lighting effects.

Looking down from one of the stops into the old Cathedral.

The resurrection symbolized by the hollow rock.

This was an acoustically perfect room symbolizing the universe.

The Archangel Gabriel perched above the naves.

Looking down into the Nave of Christ's life.

Looking into the Nave of his birth.

Chandelier in the Chapel.

View from the rear of the Chapel as they were preparing for Sunday Mass.

Carvings in the Nave of Christ's birth.

Scenes from the nave of his life.

A sepulcher off the sanctuary.

The sanctuary of the death Nave.

Artist rendering of the Ceiling of the Sistene Chapel.

The Ante room outside the Naves.

A display of old mining equipment.

Frescoes carved in the walls as we left the Cathedral. 

Our Visit to Montserrat`

 

The ground level entrance to the Tram

                                                                                   The Tram

                                                                         Views from the top

                               Inside the Chapel

                                               Panorama

                                                                     The Sculpture Garden

 

The Gold Museum in Bogota

Outside the Gold Museum

The following are artifacts on display. Unfortunately, many of the massive displays are on video and this application doesn't support uploading them. The amount of gold and other metal artifacts on display is overwhelming. More importantly, most of these were Pre-Colombian and done with primitive tools and methods. Even still, the skill and ingenuity of the craftsmen is truly awesome.

More Cartagena Street Scenes

 

The Harbor with our preferred marina and high rises of Boca Grande in the background.

Small remaining fortification guarding back channel access.

Dinner cruise ships

Customs House Plaza

Streets in the Walled City