April 13, 2023
Our balcony had a great view of the port area. Not much to look at, but easy to navigate. The motor coaches lined up and waited. Excursion times are staggered in the morning, and the coaches drive closer to the ship when it is time for their group to be picked up. People who want to explore on their own or who book a third-party excursion, walk or take a complimentary shuttle bus to the entrance of the Port Oasis, walk through that area, and catch a taxi or meet up with their private tour from there.
We were booked on a Princess Excursion: “Aromas and Flavors of Cartagena.” Our instructions said to “meet on the pier,” so we looked for a shore excursions rep holding a sign for E308. Once our group was accounted for, the tour guide led us to one of the waiting excursion boats.
The guides explained the process of growing and producing coffee, and we tasted two types of Colombian Coffee. Of course, they said Colombian coffee was the best coffee.
After the coffee demo, we climbed to the upper level of the boat for a local food preparation demonstration. They discussed some of the local fresh fruits and how to prepare some Colombian favorites. Then we sampled all the goodies.
The boat dropped us at Old Town for a walking tour of old city.
We stopped in front of the Church of St. Peter Claver. Metal sculptures stand in the courtyard in front of the church as well as a monument commemorating his work to help African slaves.
An artist discusses how he paints on tile. His technique is similar to what I learned on my earlier excursion in Puerto Vallarta.
Our guide, Aura, told us about the Spanish Inquisition and pointed out the office used during that time. Then she gave us free time to shop or go to a restaurant. We chose to sit in this courtyard on one of the benches with the homeless people and constantly say, “No,” to street vendors who wanted to sell us something. Two ladies kept trying to convince my friend to get a leg massage while we waited.
After about an hour of free time, we returned to our boat and then to our awaiting ship.
I headed back to the “Port Oasis.” to see what was there. We were here a few years ago and everything was as I remembered it, but looking at the animals never gets old.
Cartagena was our last port stop for the Panama Canal cruise. We will have a couple of sea days to enjoy the ship, rest a little and pack up before heading home. It has been an amazing voyage.