Little Lolly's Small Adventures: Cartagena, Columbia. Excursion: Cartagena bay & walled city.

An old fort as we ahead into the bay and approach Cartagena

Another day, another tour and it was good to get off the ship for a while to explore.

The tour I was assigned to first went by a motorised catamaran to the old walled city of Cartagena and from there we had a walking tour.

The tour group was split into 2 to make it easier for the guides; and then the groups went their separate ways.

When we got off the boat Angie, our tour guide for the day, gave us an audio guide. Unfortunately this proved to be a bit problematic as we walked because the further away from the guide we were, the worse the sound was. Being at the back of the group I kept an eye on the stragglers as did another guide who was helping Angie. So, for me, it was difficult to hear the audio guide because the main audio guide system was with Angie and the transmission was poor the further I was away from her.

Town was very busy, heaving with visitors and locals alike.

Bolívar Park

We stopped at Plaza de la Aduana and then at ironwork statues in front of Iglesia de San Pedro Claver followed by a visit to Choco Museo (chocolate shop) with chocolate sampling and hot chocolate to sample. We were each given a nice cup of ice cold chocolate drink which was very refreshing on a hot day. The chocolate shop became very busy when other tour groups started to arrive so I managed to squeeze my way through the crowd and get outside until Angie had regrouped everyone that was with her.

Opposite Bolívar Park there were some street dancers so we stopped to watch them for a bit but it also gave some of the stragglers time to catch up as well. In Bolívar Park there was a statue with a horse and rider - Simón Bolívar. From what I can gather, Simón Bolívar was a South American soldier who was a leader in the independence wars of South America and strove to liberate colonies, such as Venezuela, Columbia, Panama, Ecuador and Peru from the Spanish Empire.

Bronze statue ('La Gordita') at Plaza San Domingo

After we left Bolívar Park and headed to Plaza Santo Domingo we stopped briefly to see a street artist painting on small mirrors, the size of wall tiles. The paintings very nicely done. Most of the paintings were mainly of nature - waterfalls, sunrise or sunset with a beach, and birds. I ended up getting two paintings and supporting the local economy at the same time.

At Plaza Santo Domingo we went inside a beautiful church and then, on the plaza, had the opportunity to take a photograph of a bronze statue of a (naked) woman lying on her side.

Our next stop was Yogyou Yoghurt shop where we were given a sample of frozen yoghurt to try. It was delicious. Needless to say, I bought cone with a normal sized dollop of frozen yoghurt - I was so hot and was desperate to cool down. Fans in each place we stopped did help to cool us down but I really started to struggle, so the frozen yoghurt shop was a blessing in disguise.

The Gold Museum was next. There we could see gold artefacts and jewellery, as well as items made of stone and bronze. The jewellery and coins were within a vault and well guarded. Other items were in ordinary rooms with a member of staff keeping a beady eye on things.

We were taken to El Contavo Menos which turned out to be a shop where guests could pick up some souvenirs. There were a few street sellers outside too but as the clouds gathered and rain was imminent, sellers started covering their stuff with sheets of plastic.

Outside the emerald shop

We were supposed to have gone to an emerald museum somewhere along the line but when we ended up at the Hard Rock Café I was a bit surprised and asked Angie about the Emerald Museum tour. She said that some people who wanted to come with her could come, others who didn’t – could stay at the Hard Rock Café for a complimentary soft drink, and we would meet back there. Angie took us to what we thought was the emerald museum and Angie advised she would be back in about 15 minutes to take us back to Hard Rock Café. We looked around the shop but there was no museum. We asked the staff of the shop where the emerald museum was and the woman said it wasn’t here – it was somewhere else in town. It turned out that we were at a jewellery shop. The handful of guests in the shop didn’t stay for very long but fortunately Angie came back sooner than expected. I told Angie that she had taken us to an emerald jewellery shop, not the emerald museum; and asked what was going on. She asked me “have you been told?” I asked “told what?” She said “told that the emerald museum is closed today”. I advised that the guests nor I had been told that the emerald museum was closed. She said she would speak to her office. It was a was disappointing that we hadn't been told about the emerald museum being closed, at the beginning of the tour, and the fact that there was no contingency plan to take us somewhere else instead.

After about 20 minutes at the Hard Rock Café it was time to walk back to the catamaran and head back to the ship.

As the catamaran sailed back towards the ship's pier I learnt that people who went with the other guide, Oscar, had had a fantastic time. They didn't have audio guides but he spoke clearly and gave a good 'running commentary' as they went from place to place (whereas Angie rarely spoke). It goes to show that a guide can make or break a tour!

Despite what happened, I still enjoyed the day out, seeing another place and learning a bit more about history.