#84 Cartegena, Colombia

365 Blog Challenge: Post #84

My favorite stop on the trip was our second port, Cartagena, Colombia.  Many people associate Colombia with danger and drugs, but Cartagena is a beautiful and relatively safe place according to our taxi driver, Oswaldo.  Cartagena is like a little Metropolis.  There is an Old City and a New City.  We paid Oswaldo $50 for a round trip to a shopping center about 20 minutes from the port.  He drove us through Old City and we got a broken English tour.  Good thing I still know a little Spanish. Also, Oswaldo stayed with us while we were shopping so he could tell us the cheaper and more expensive stores.  At the shopping center was a man who charged $2 for a picture with his pet sloth, Pachito.  Pachito was super cute.  When his owner picked him up off of someone, he stayed in hanging position, ready to latch on for the next picture.  And minus his claws being a bit pokey, he was really cuddly!  We did some shopping in Colombia, and I was lucky enough to buy a pair of emerald earrings from a museum/shop in town.  We bargained for a good price and also got a tour of the museum and workshop to see how the stones are found and treated.  We also got some Colombian coffee (duh) and Mopa Mopa artwork for our family back home.

Cartagena, Colombia

Love the Spanish road signs! (Except in Panama and Costa Rica, these signs said "Alto".  Interesting.)

Prettiness in Old City

The Clock Tower in Old City

This is a guy preparing emeralds for jewelry at the emerald museum we went to.

At the museum, you got to see what emerald looks like when discovered underground.

Scott, Me and Pachito! (How many times and places can I post this picture?  It never gets old!)

Military types in Cartagena.

Cartagena, Colombia

Scott, Me, Oswaldo.  We didn't realize the $50 cash didn't include tip and it's the only cash we had on us so we ran back to the ship to get Oswaldo a tip but had to leave it with his friend.  We hope he gets it!  We brought you $15 Oswaldo! Make sure Mario gives it to you!!

Scott and some parrots near the port.

Emerald earrings (in sterling silver)!  We got them for a bargain! Sorry the pic is a bit blurry.  We were having a hard time zooming.

Next up: Panama!