DAY 13: HOT TIME IN COLUMBIA -- Nothing like a good night’s sleep, a couple of decent meals, and a day in South America to perk up the spirits!

We traveled first to the top of the highest hill and visited an old convent, now a museum, with spectacular views of the city, both Old Town and new. From there we went to the old slave market (yes, they traded in African slaves), then climbed up the high fortress (picture above), loaded with a web of narrow tunnels that all looked alike! All this was surrounded by a well-preserved stone wall, sometimes 50 feet thick, that surrounds the Old Town.

On this very hot day we’ve wandered through forts and cathedrals and markets in Cartegna, Columbia, and have come to one conclusion: they make the best iced coffee in the world right here! Just about the time we were running out of steam and were ready to go back to the ship, we parked ourselves in a little shop and got a couple of iced coffees that were blessedly delicious. The coffee capital, for us, has been Guatemala, but this was a matter of the perfect caffeine solution at the right time.

South America, or at least this small part of it, does seem somehow different than
our experiences in Central America. While we certainly haven’t done anything more
than dip our toes in those worlds, it truly does feel less hectic and more manana-oriented here in Columbia. The traffic is manic everywhere, but here they actually stop to let pedestrians have the right of way. The street vendors, having spotted a
couple of gringos, actually leave us after one “no, gracias”. Shop owners are much
more gracious and patient as we try to make decisions. It just feels more comfortable.

Or have we changed and become more relaxed touristas?

A third possibility is that we’re ready to go home. Yesterday’s excursion through
the Canal was, in many ways, the highlight of the trip. We know, of course, that
we have two more stops to make, two places where we’ll explore Mayan ruins, and
that we also have another five days to cruise through the beautiful Caribbean Sea,
but even so all that seems almost anticlimactic to the Panama Canal transit. So
maybe we’re winding down.