If it wasn't for the work we're having done on the boat here, I think we'd be all set with Cartagena. Not that we haven't been enjoying all the wonderful Columbians we've met and having a nice time when visiting the old city, it's just that the noise and pollution are really getting to us. Not for the environmentalist or outdoor enthusiast, Cartagena is full of horns, water taxi's, dirty water and there's a relative lack of green spaces. The boat is filthy and I'm thinking that the way we used to be sandwiched between Logan airport, the Tobin bridge and the city of Boston sounds pretty good at this point in time! And don't forget the tropical sun!We're planning to move in to a fancy marina in a week or so since we have to in order for the welding of the stainless arch to be done. I can't wait to get there and have AC, unlimited water and prettier surroundings. The marina grounds are situated on part of the old wall that protected the city years ago. Power and water are included. That AC is not going to be shut off until we leave Cartagena!
The work we're having done on the deck to repair gelcoat cracks from stress and temperature fluctuations over the years is supposed to be finished tomorrow. The guys doing the work have been nice and I spend a fair amount of time trying to keep them hydrated. We took an anchor to a shoppe today to have it re-anodized. It appears we can get the radar fixed here so we have to take it down tomorrow and give it to the repair man. This requires some heroics on our part since there is no east way to get the radar down. Actually, some of the gelcoat repairs are from the first time we tried to take the radar down and it came down a little too fast! We've also done some engine maintenance in prep for our next passage and we still have to replace our steering cable since I noticed the wire has a couple of frays in it now.
After a few days in Cartagena, we had a particularly windy afternoon and the boat dragged anchor while Jon was sitting in the cockpit with the stainless crew taking measurements. When he went to pull up the anchor, the windlass died so he had to pull it by hand. We did find a part to fix it but really it's just a patch and we'll need a new windlass this summer- add that to the list. We're in to multi-thousands now.... but that's cruising.
This past weekend was Semana Santa which is Central & South America's Easter. There are no chocolate rabbits to be had anywhere. It lasts 4 days but Friday is the big day. We went out that night with a nice couple we talked with in the San Blas that are here in Cartagena with us- Bob & Debbie. We had a nice dinner in the Old Town in one of the typical colonial style courtyards situated inside a building. Then we walked around going in to the cathedral to listen to an orchestra that was playing, in to another church to see the moving display at the altar of tropical flowers and candles, out in the plazas to watch street performers and eventually we sat down again at an outdoor bar along the old wall of the city just to watch the activity. It was a great night.
On another day, Jon and I got up early in the morning and walked the perimeter of the old city on the wall, which is a common thing to do for exercise. More than half the time you walk on top of the wall and the path connects with little bridges or ramps. The other half, you're inside the wall on sidewalks. It only took us an hour so we decided to walk the length of Boca Grande too- the peninsula that the more modern downtown Cartagena is laid out on. We took the advice of others and went in to some of the fancy hotels to explore the grounds and see the old architecture. Some are old convent buildings, have tombs within them, or house interesting birds and animals within their courtyards. One had beautiful toucans which we've never gotten to see in the parks and Mayan ruins we've visited- but they roam free here at the hotel. They also had many sloths hanging out in the trees of the courtyard. What odd creatures- they crawl on their elbows and move slower than a tortoise. They look very out of place here.
As far as different things we observe in Cartagena so far, mainly it is just the combination of old ways and modern advances that strike us as incongruous. As we stood at a modern ice cream shoppe, there was a mule and cart across the street with a man shoveling gravel into the cart, with cars whizzing by on the paved road. Mules and carts carry trash, cardboard, building materials- we see them all over. Or the fruit vendors that walk the residential streets with their rickety carts, yelling out the fruits they have for sale. By day, the locals swim and play in the polluted harbor water and by night, they set extensive fishing nets amongst the cruising boats, only a few feet away from our ports. Also, we notice that the conservative attitude toward dress and sexuality that we saw in Central America isn't present here. It feels very Latino and the atmosphere is fun. I don't have to worry about my shorts being too short.
Well, tomorrow is going to be about getting an early start for the workers coming at 7am, shuffling cold drinks, a visit to the dentist to get our cleanings done and probably a lot of boat cleaning once the work crew leaves. Then we get a breather from men traipsing around the boat for a few days. If we get a few days in a row free, we may head out to the Rosario's islands which are about 25 miles away from here- Cartagena's playground for sand and sea. That would be a welcome break from the city and a chance to heal up our lungs and get in the water. We'll see how that works.