Addendum to Cartagena

Walking around San Diego and El Centro within the walled city is magical right after sunset. The streets come alive with light, people and music. The four of us went to a restaurant called El Burlador just off the Plaza de Santa Domingo. All the staff were quite welcoming, and the food was good, but the very best thing was that we were seated right by the small stage where three musicians performed flamenco music. The guitarist's fingers flew over the strings. The percussionist played four different instruments. The singer, who had an amazing voice and a wonderful stage presence, also played castinets for some of the numbers, and the mike stand was set aside at times for her to dance the flamenco. Even though we had just paid the bill, we sat through the last set of three numbers because it was just so amazing.

Flaminco performers

What a wonderful end to this time in Cartagena!

California Dreamin' - On Such a Sweltering Day

Peter and I spent the last day and a half taking down the sails and doing other jobs in preparation for leaving Mantra in Cartagena. It is hard and sweaty work. Peter wondered whether we are getting too old for this!

We are still waiting to clear customs in order to move the boat to a boatyard. Peter flies back to the States on Friday, so something has to happen before then.

I am all packed and ready to return to a less humid climate. Paula, Andrew and I fly out of Cartagena tomorrow morning. We have dinner reservations for this evening, but otherwise we are just chilling (literally) in their Airbnb apartment right now.

Today, while we were taking down the mainsail, we saw again two local fishermen working around the marina. They come at some time every day, it seems. The one in the stern paddles and manages an anchor while the man in the bow coils the net, casts it in a wide, graceful arc and then slowly pulls it in. There is usually at least one fish. It is relaxing to watch the rhythmic work, and the true dugout canoe is a lovely piece of traditional craft.

Fisherman casting a traditional net 

Pulling in the catch

We haven't done all the tourist things available to us (as have Paula and Andrew), but we are returning in August, and Peter's brother Rob and his sister-in-law Susan will be joining us then. We plan to see and do more things with them.

I have been fascinated with Cartagena's history, from the pre-Colombian era through independence and beyond. Stories abound about maritime trade, slavery, the Spanish Inquisition, piracy, sieges and the fight for independence in which Simon Bolivar played an important part.

Because it was such a strategic port for exporting to Spain the riches the conquerors took or mined (with slaves), it was often attacked by armadas from other countries, including England. Sir Francis Drake captured and briefly controlled the city in 1586. In 1741, there was a naval engagement between the English and the Spanish in Cartagena, with Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon leading the large British fleet and Admiral Blas de Lezo in charge of the Spanish forces. Ultimately, the British lost. The man who fascinates me is the Spanish admiral. Blas de Lezo was the hero of the day--but he had been the hero of the day many times in the past in service to the Spanish crown. Like the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, he suffered many grievous injuries in battle. In 1704, as a lowly crew member, he loss the lower part of his left leg. ("Tis but a scratch.") Undaunted, he continued his naval service, rising to the rank of ship lieutenant by 1707, when he lost his left eye. ("I've had worse.") By 1714, he was a captain when he permanently loss the use of his right arm during the Siege of Barcelona. ("It's just a flesh wound.") A lesser (or more prudent) man would have started collecting veteran's benefits long before.

And, so, the blog takes a hiatus for three months. Matthew graduates in a little over a week, and Katya, Peter and I will all be in Arizona, feeling proud. Dad and Beth Ann are coming to California in June, and there is the beach vacation in July.

Too hot to be alive outside!

Right now the temperature outside is 29 degrees C (85 F) and the humidity must be at least 90%. This afternoon, the eastern skies have darkened and thunder is grumbling, but it's not going to rain here--although that might bring some relief. Peter and I were out all morning and until about 3 this afternoon, and now we are escaping the oppressive heat and humidity in the restaurant at the marina.

Yesterday at 8 a.m., we picked up a rental car in the Bocagrande neighborhood and then picked up Paula and Andrew in the walled city. Our primary destination was the National Aviary about an hour's drive south of here along the coast, but first we stopped at Ferroaquimar, where we will be leaving Mantra on the hard for three months. We were both impressed with the facility. Returning our hard hats to the manager, Jesus, we got back in the car with our friends and left the city.

The aviary was a delight (despite the heat). There are 190 species of birds there, 170 native to Colombia, with over 2000 individuals, and the park is divided into three regions: coastal, desert, and tropical rainforest. There are enormous walk-through (or sit indefinitely and watch) enclosures, smaller enclosures for similar birds, mangroves and ponds. Some rarely seen birds include a harpy eagle, an Andean condor, unusual tanagers, emus, hornbills and macaws as well as storks, ibises, herons, kingfishers, parakeets, peacocks and woodpeckers. Here are just a few of the birds we saw.

Scarlet ibises eating our staff's hand during presentation 

Emu

Orinoco goose

Wild muscovy duck

Blue-and-yellow macaw (that's it's name, not a description)

White-eyed parakeet

Peahen with four babies

Humboldt's aracari

Great curassow, female rufus morph

Black-crowned night heron

Common gallinule

Brown pelican

Black-necked stilt

King vulture 

Great blue heron 

Maguari stork 

Roseate spoonbill

Scarlet ibis 

Maguari storks

Herons, ibises and storks

Black-crowned night heron and American white ibises

Fasciated tiger-heron and American white ibises

Double-striped thick-knee

White-throated toucan

In addition to the birds, there were also large iguanas and geckos. What made our visit really special, though, were the vibrantly colored trees with yellow flowers and no foliage. The beautiful flowers were drifting down to the ground and carpeting whole sections. The guayacan tree blooms from February to April, so we witnessed the end the season. How lucky for us!

Guayacan trees

Gold-dust day gecko

After hours at the aviary, we set out to find a beach, ending up at Playa Blanca. This long stretch of white sand is surely beautiful, but it is hard to tell because of the great number of people (and most of them had already departed for the day, so it must be nearly impossible to move during the peak part of the day) and the umbrellas, massage tables and lounge chairs which we were encouraged to rent. There are also an abundance of vendors of food, beverages and souvenirs, but we brushed them off to enjoy our own picnic, which Andrew and Paula had packed, sitting directly on the sand. The over-commercialization, Colombian-style, did not make the setting very attractive to us, so we left for the city, returning to Paula and Andrew's place to enjoy the pool and showers before dinner in the walled city.

We were lured into a small restaurant on a narrow street from which emanated lovely live music. The staff was very nice, and the music was good, but we would have preferred not to have TV screens on the wall spoiling the ambiance, and the duo did not really need amplification. Our wish for a more romantic setting was granted; the electricity went out just after Andrew's ceviche was delivered to the table. We ate by candlelight and enjoyed acoustic vocals and guitar. Our meals came from the kitchen, one by one. Peter was still waiting for his barbecued ribs when the staff came to say the meal could not be prepared without electricity, so he opted for the same ceviche Andrew had ordered. This was unfortunate, because he was later sick because of the meal. (He has some sensitivity to shellfish if it is not well-prepared.)

Peter and I were up early again this morning. He had to return the car at 8:30 a.m., and he dropped me off at the Torre del Reloj on the way to Bocagrande. The streets of El Centro were nearly empty, and I enjoyed exploring. Santa Domingo was open and mass was not taking place, so I was able to admire the interior. I walked around until 9:00, when the doors of the cathedral opened to visitors and worshippers.

Peter and I met up in the Plaza de Bolivar. He was still feeling not quite right, but I drug him to the two churches. I had to return because my phone totally died a few weeks ago, and I didn't bring my camera on this 3-month trip, so I have been having to use his phone for my camera. He sat and rested while I found good angles and lighting. Then we decided to shop for gifts. Neither of us are good at this. Shopping is not a recreational activity for us, and we are often indecisive. We merely became more exhausted and frustrated with each shop and vendor. Finally, I picked up a couple of items, and we decided we could take no more.

Basilica Santa Catalina de Alejandria

Church of the Convento de Santa Domingo

Our next stop was the small exhibit of artifacts from the coastal Zenu culture which is being presented in a large bank vault since the Museo del Oro is closed for renovation. The pieces we saw represent only a small part of the collection, but they were very interesting. In some cases, gold pieces were made with the lost wax method, and the filigree was intricate. Most pieces on display were for body ornamentation.

Next we visited the Museum of the Inquisition. The buildings in themselves are worth visiting, and the historical displays and signage were well done and informative. The second floor provides exhibits on the history of Cartagena, including the Spanish conquest and the independence movement. Most of the signs are only in Spanish, but I was able to read and understand them, only be stumped by a few words.

Courtyard in the Palace of the Inquisition

Lacking energy and stamina to do more, we stopped for lunch at a small cafe near the Plaza de Bolivar. We considered continuing on our quest for gifts, but we simply could not do it. We walked to the portal of the Torre del Reloj, stopping briefly at every open doorway from which cool air was spilling, enjoying the momentary respite from the humidity.

Cartagena in the morning heat

In the afternoons and evenings, there is a wonderful breeze which mitigates the heat and humidity of the city, but in the mornings, it is dead calm and usually overcast, creating a fairly oppressive atmosphere. They say you acclimatize; I am waiting.

Yesterday morning I caught up on blogging while Peter slaved away on the boat. Few people I know are so industrious. At 1 p.m., we wiped off the sweat, got a taxi to the Torre del Reloj, and met Paula and Andrew at the shop of Mr. Emerald. Mr. Emerald is an American who has lived most of his life in Colombia; he is also a sailor, so our visit had two purposes: to get information from him about local boatyards and people to hire for various jobs on the boat and to shop for emeralds. After a brief chat, we opted to go out for lunch and then return for a long chat. Paula and Andrew had been interested in the meals we had a couple of days ago at Cebiches and Seviches at the Plaza de Los Coches (where slaves used to be auctioned), and Peter and I didn't mind eating there again. I had the same delicious vegetarian ceviche, and everyone was quite pleased with their delightfully flavorful food.

Peter and Andrew in the Plaza de Los Coches

Before returning to Mr. Emerald's, we walked through the portals of the Torre del Reloj to visit the Parque del Centenario, constructed over a hundred years ago to commemorate the centennial of Colombia's independence from Spain in 1811. In the center, there is a monument with the names of the men who signed the declaration of independence on the 11th of November.

Monument to the signers of the declaration of independence from Spain

But that was not the focus of our visit; we went for the animals, which Andrew and Paula had discovered the previous day. Giant iguanas hid high in the trees. A large brown-throated three toed sloth slumbered, nestled in the fork of two large branches. An enormous black vulture was unperturbed by passersby as it rested on the ground in the shade. Long-tailed grackles, known as Maria Mulatas in Colombia, vocalized loudly from the trees and the ground. (The males are glossy black and the females have matte brown feathers.) Red squirrels jumped along branches and skittered over the bare ground, their coppery, fluffy coats bright against the dun color of the dust. Nearly hidden in the foliage of a tropical tree were three cottontop tamarins, small New World monkeys. As we were getting ready to exit, a local man offered to point out a baby sloth near its mother. We had seen the mother but missed the baby, who was hanging upside down from a nearby branch and grooming itself. As we sat, mesmerized, it moved as with great effort, one foot at a time, slowly up to a higher level.

Moving on, we returned to the elegant, air-conditioned interior of Mr. Emerald's shop. He graciously provided us with lots of information and offered to introduce Peter to a person who could possibly manage some of the work. Maybe 45 minutes later, we got around to looking at the emeralds. With Paula and Andrew's input, we selected a silver pendant set with six small gemstones.

Then we went our separate ways. Paula and Andrew returned to their apartment and the pool there. Peter walked back to the boat to work some more. I was free (at last!) to explore the churches, shops, plazas and streets of El Centro. My first stop was the Church of San Pedro Claver and its convent. Constructed between 1580 and 1654.

Front of the church of San Pedro Claver with the convent tothe left

The convent was where the Jesuit priest Pedro Claver lived for most of his life. As a young man, he sailed to Colombia in 1610 and was ordained at the cathedral in Cartagena in 1616. Following the path of Father Sandoval, the first missionary to the slaves, he devoted the rest of his life to helping the African slaves who were brought to Cartagena to be sold.

Over 10,000 slaves arrived in Cartagena every year, in the holds of ships as human cargo, despite the fact that the slave trade was condemned by the Catholic Church. Pedro Claver went to the wharves when the ships arrived and began his ministry within the holds and at the pens on the docks, where he provided the medicine, bread and citrus fruits, brandy and tobacco. It is estimated that he catechized and baptized over 30,000 slaves. In addition, he tirelessly worked for human rights for them as well as slaves he visited on plantations until his death after four years of illness, during which he never left his room, in 1654. The remains of his body are encased in marble and glass with lavish gold embellishments behind the altar of the church. (The church was, previous to his canonization in 1888, known as San Juan de Dios.)

Between the sanctuary and the convent is a large courtyard with sunlight shining through bright green foliage. The first section previously had the cistern for the compound and the back part was for meditation. The sections of the convent which serve as a museum portray the life of San Pedro Claver in paintings along the cloisters and in the sparsely furnished room where he died. In a long room behind one cloister is an array of religious artifacts, paintings and statues. On the walls of another part of the cloister is a small exhibition of small, modern paintings from Haiti. Another section has locally carved wooden female figures. A small room has pottery from various colombian cultures as well as a collection of ammunition from the colonial era.

The courtyard of San Pedro Claver

Bells in an arch in the courtyard 

Pedro Claver's room

Room with religious art and artifacts

The sanctuary is large and open, with mostly unadorned white plastered walls and thick, semi-circular arches. The altar in the apse is ornately carved of Italian marble and decorated with gold. When I was there, the altar was being prepared for 5:00 mass. The large table was covered with a stiffly starched white cloth with intricate lace at the edges and pillar candles on hefty bronze bases were lit.

Sanctuary of San Pedro Claver

Altar and the remains of San Pedro Claver

I climbed up two levels on the enclosed, white-washed spiral staircase at the other end of the nave to get a better view of the peaceful sanctuary before returning to the streets of El Centro. I walked toward El Centro, hoping to get inside the cathedral across from it, but no doors were open.

The outside of the cathedral

Yet another beautiful street in El Centro

I stopped in a couple of shops and wandered through narrow streets, arriving unexpectedly at the Plaza de Santa Domingo filled with tables serving customers of the surrounding bars and restaurants. The Convent and Church of Santa Domingo was constructed over a period of 150 years, beginning in 1522, replacing a structure, the first established church in Cartagena, in the Plaza de Los Coches which had burned.

Exterior of Santa Domingo

Stained glass window in Santa Domingo

5:00 Mass in Santa Domingo

A fairly well-attended daily mass was taking place, so I just took a couple of quick photos from the back of the nave and exited. I zigzagged along and found myself at the Museum of Chocolate. On the second floor there is a small but quite informative exhibit about the process of turning cocoa beans into cocoa butter and cocoa powder and cocoa liquor and, of course, delicious chocolate. The ground level of the building is a store with lots of free samples! I like my chocolate straight, so I only tasted the crunchy chocolate and the bars of differing percentages of cocoa.

Museo de Cacao

I was hoping the limeaid vendor would be in the Plaza de Los Coches, but he was not, and I wasn't interesting in a bottled beverage. As I crossed the street on the outside of the Torre del Reloj, I heard lively music from the Parque del Centenario. When we were there earlier in the day, the stage was being set up for a performance and someone was conducting a sound check before playing recorded music. Now the music was live. Sponsored by the University of Rafael Nunez, the Concurso de la Cancion Nunista (contest for unpublished songs) featured young people singing and playing instruments before judges and a small but appreciative crowd (probably mostly family and friends, I presume). 

I arrived back at the boat at sunset, finding Peter ready to wrap up his work for the day. I dutifully prepared a warm meal in the toasty galley before taking a refreshing shower in our bathroom and then spending the rest of the evening reading.

The afternoon breeze has arrived but I need to shower to rinse off the patina of sweat so my skin can enjoy it. 

Cartagena is waiting for us to explore!

On Sunday morning (April 21), Peter had to do a few things on the boat (Nothing new here!), so I found some chores also. Before noon, we left the marina to walk to and explore the old walled city. As we walked along the waterfront in that direction, we first encountered the Fuerte de San Sebastion el Pastelillo, one of many that were constructed on the waterfront and on hills to protect the city. (It now is the site of the private marina, Club de Pesca, and its restaurant.)

Fuerte de San Sebastian el Pastelillo

Fuerte de San Sebastian el Pastelillo

Cartagena is on the site of previous Native American communities dating back to 4000 B.C. As a colonial outpost, it was established by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Heredia on June 1, 1533, and became an official city in 1574 by declaration of the Spanish king Philip II. From its beginning as a Spanish colony, it was a major port for goods and slaves, where ships departed for Spain with silver and gold and other treasures from the northern part of South America. As such, it was a target for pirates and corsairs from France, England and Holland.

The first defensive fort, San Felipe de Boqueron, was constructed to protect the inner harbor in 1566. Attacks, raids and bombardments continued, spurred the development of plans for a walled city in 1594, and construction lasted for 200 years, until 1796. The wall, still almost entirely intact, is 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) long.

The Fuerte de San Felipe de Boqueron was destroyed in a seige by a British armada led by Admiral Edward Vernon in the spring of 1741. The English armada included 50 warships, 130 transport ships, and 25,600 men. Although initially successful, the British soon withdrew, perhaps compelled to do so by losses of men not so much due to warfare but to tropical diseases. The replacement for the demolished fort, the Fuerte de San Sebastion el Pastelillo, was completed by 1744. Its irregular base was built up from the land. From the ramparts, which held over 30 concealed canons, there are great views of the inner harbor and the area of city called Bocagrande.

Without a paper map or access to online maps, since we had not yet purchased a SIM card for Peter's phone, we had to guess our directions. As we came to a bridge, I thought that we needed to go straight, but Peter spotted fortifications to the right, so we went that direction. Had we gone directly ahead, we would have been within the walls of El Centro within five minutes. Our little detour took us to El Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, an enormous triangular fort on a hill. Construction began in 1536, and later improvements and expansions were added 1657 and and 1763. We considered buying tickets and exploring, but it was a steep climb up many, many steps, and we were already very hot and sweaty. Every day, the temperataure is in the mid-80's and the humidity is at least 70 percent. A breeze usually starts by midday, but the mornings are brutally still.

El Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas

Realizing we had not reached our intended destination and did not know how to get there, we asked for directions and headed off. On the way to the walled city, we came upon a large, modern shopping mall. The air-conditioning called to us, and we could look there for a SIM card. Upon entering, we considered buying ice cream from the first kiosk, but I sighted a vendor selling fruit smoothies and we went there. The tropical fruit concoctions were delicious, refreshing and cheap. Fortified, we sought out a store among the mix of international brands and local stores, finally finding SIM cards for sale in a major department store.

Finally, we had maps at our fingertips and a way to communicate with Paula and Andrew (who cleverly has already established a Google Fi account for seamless access to date and phone service internationally). And we found the walled city. First, we had to fend off a persistant man trying to sell me a hat, claiming that his hats were made by hand by his entire family, and he needed money for "the babies." I actually don't like to wear hats in hot weather and I silently questioned whether artisanal headware would have a mass-produced inventory tag inside it. (Other than this man, we were not bothered by touts. Some men approached us with goods, but they graciously accepted our "No, thank you's" and walked away. This is a welcome contrast from the men on the streets in Jamaica.)

Extracating ourselves, we went up the ramp to the wall and walked along the top for a while. At another point, we descended into the neighborhood of San Diego, where we were delighted with the architecture and the bright colors of the buildings and the wares spilling out of shops.

View of Plaza de Las Bóvedas from the wall

Peter on the broad wall

Shops along the Plaza de Las Bóvedas

First we walked through brightly colored arcade under the wall, on the outside of the Plaza de Las Bóvedas. Construction of this section was completed in 1798, and what are now shops served various purposes in the last two centuries, including being barracks, prison cells and munitions storage. Peter was on a quest for a small flag that we could use as a courtesy flag on Mantra. All the vendors were very friendly and helpful, but all the flags were too big or too small.

We communicated with our friends, who were at the Palacio de la Inquisicion, which is now a history and culture musuem, and arranged to meet them at the Plaza de Bolivar. On the way there, we passed many two and three story buildings with balconies overhanging the narror streets (closed to vehicles except taxis and residents). The finely turned wooden balusters lend a sense of grace, and bougainvillea and other flowering vines climb the walls and cascade from the railings, the red, coral, magenta, purple and white hues of the flowers contrasting strikingly with the colorful walls.

Brightly colored edifices on a narrow street

Vines and balustrades in the walled city, with more modern buildings on the outside of the wall

Balcony

We walked through a couple of plazas on our route, including the large Plaza de Los Coches, spreading out from the portal of the Torre del Reloj. A large, temporary pavillon shaded the open air Festivel de Dulce, an annual event held every Easter Sunday as a way to keep folk traditions alive in the city. A wide variety of homemade sweets were available, but we were too hot for sweet food, so we only walked along the booths.

Traditional sweet concoctions

At the Plaza de Bolivar, we found Paula and Andrew relaxing on a park bench while nearby children fed pigeons, and pigeons were using various parts of the equestrian statue of Simon Bolivar for perches. They had already had lunch, but we needed nourishment, so we walked back to the Plaza de Los Coches, stopping at the statue of Pope John Paul II and pausing frequently to admire the outside of the buildings and sense the lively culture all around us.

Front of the Catedral de Santa Catalina de Alejandria 

Statue of Simon Bolivar with pigeons

Andrew, Paula and Peter

Statue of Pope John Paul II

More beautiful street scenes

Arcade along the Plaza de Los Coches

Thirsty in addition to being hungry, Peter and I responded to a man selling glasses of limeade for 2000 pesos each. (This is less than a $1.00 US.) How refreshing! Paula and Andrew bought a small cup of some overly sweet coconut concoction. We finally settled on a restaurant nestled under the arcade opposite the clock tower. Compared to other restaurants, the prices seemed a bit high, but after we tasted the food, we realized it was worth it.

Fortified, the four of us set out to explore some more. We walked through several plazas and found a ramp up to the wall. We walked along this side of the wall facing the sea, enjoying the breeze and the views.

View from the seaside wall, with the dome of San Pedro Claver

Another view from the wall

Sightseeing in heat and humidity can be exhausting, however, so by mid-afternoon, we had walked our way back to the place where Paula and Andrew are staying in the San Diego neighborhood of the walled city. First we gulped down ice water and relaxed in the comfort of air-conditioning before going to the rooftop swimming pool. The water was comfortably warm and refreshing, and the breeze made us shiver a bit when we got out.

Peter and I walked back to the marina. We passed through the Plaza de Los Coches again, and the Festival de Dulces was in full swing, with a large crowd and a live salsa band. Peter decided to sample something, which turned out to be a very sweet combination of coconut and molasses.

Peter selecting a sweet 

Festival de Dulces

Live music at the Festival de Dulces

Vendors under the portal of the Torre del Reloj 

Plaza on the outside of the Torre del Reloj

On Monday morning, I took our huge load of laundry, some of it still damp from the crossing from Jamaica, to the laundry room. The machines are large, and I was able to divide the clothes and towels into three machines. Meanwhile, Peter got started on cleaning out the forepeak. Over the course of the day, sometimes with my help, he managed to get all the lines, jerry cans, spare sails and anchor rodes, emergency bilge pump and miscellaneous items onto the deck. I cleaned the outside of the jerry cans and vinyl sail bags as he worked on getting the gunk off the bottom of the compartment.

Contents of the forepeak

In the morning, we talked briefly to our agent for immigration and customs, who said he was waiting for Customs to contact him. It is a strange system here in which there is no direct contact between the officials and the cruisers; using an agent is required. We had assumed, erroneously, it appears, that Customs officials would come to the boat and ask questions as in other countries, and so we waited for their appearance. We did not hear from Mike or officials all day.

This morning, I talked with John, the dockmaster, who told me that it could take days for documentation but we are free to leave the marina. Then David, Mike's boss, found me on the terrace and said he needed to take photos of our boat registration and Peter's passport again because the first photos were not good quality. This means that probably nothing happened yesterday. We plan to haul the boat out of the water later this week, but we are not allowed to do this until we have all the proper paperwork--and procuring that is out of our hands! Somewhat frustrating.

Peter has been working on the boat all morning while I have been writing and talking with Katya.  He  has anchor lines and chains snaked up and down the dock. He cleaned them and now they are drying.

Peter hard at work

Sails airing out

Now, we are going to the old city to meet up with Paula and Andrew and to shop.