A Full-time Life

CARTAGENA COLOMBIA

  

The day after the Panama Canal transit (here) the cruise ship arrived at Cartagena and we were all rested and ready for a shore excursion.  While the actual Canal transit was an experience of a lifetime, we experienced it all  from the air-conditioned comfort of our home-away-from-home-at-sea.  So we knew it would be good  to set foot on land again and to do some walking.   We disembarked as soon as we could after the ship pulled into port at 8 a.m.  

 

 Our ship approached the dockyard using the same route as Sir Francis Drake traveled when he attacked this Spanish port in 1586.     After    repeated such attacks and looting by both English and French invaders, Spain decided to construct (at great expense)  gigantic fortresses which made Cartagena a stronghold that could not be broken.

 

 Castillo de San Felipe fortress 

 

I must confess that when we first learned  Colombia was included on our cruise itinerary, I was a little scared  -- I remember lots of old news articles.  But Bill reminded me  that a well-traveled grandson  (and granddaughter -in-law) had told us about how beautiful and safe Cartagena is nowadays.

 

 

Taking their word for it,  I was happy to agree Bill's suggestion to tour Cartagena on our own via the City's hop-on/hop-off bus.     The bus was super comfortable -- it came with a tour guide and speaker phones.  We always rode on the top deck -- I love double-decker buses.   All the stops were well-marked.  We were a little sad that a stop at McDonald's was given as an important destination   -- we did NOT stop at that one!    We did stop at the beach on the way back, but we spent most of our time walking in town. 

 

 

We hopped off at the Clock Tower  -- the main entrance to the Old City.   This walled historic center of Cartagena is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.    It was a perfect blue-sky day for a walking tour.    But most days in Columbia  are probably  just as perfect  -- the country  is situated so close to the equator that it doesn't really have seasons.  The average temperature is around 80 degrees F.  

 

 

 

Stone walls and Spanish Colonial architecture line the winding streets.    The middle picture in the bottom row is part of Las Bovedas, which were military dungeons.  They are now the homes of boutiques, bakeries, and touristy ‘shops’ ... not a great way to commemorate their sad history, but better than tearing them down.     The fortress-like Cathedral  (bottom left picture) was partially demolished when the city was first raided.  It was rebuilt and stands today as it was when completed in 1602.  

 

 

 

Whether selling fruit, hats, or other souvenirs and whether in costume or not, Cartagena's  many street vendors provided lively  entertainment and were not pushy (at least toward us -- perhaps we didn't look like good customers. ) But apparently we were the exception ... we heard that these vendors come out in force on days when cruise ships are in port.      It's actually a completely modern city -- I saw one costumed lady answer a cell phone which was in her apron pocket.        Outside of the old town, we also noticed a lot of construction and maintenance projects ... things looked to be booming  from the little that we saw. 

 

 

There were so many places that would have been fun to explore at greater length .... but so little time.   One day was not enough.  But one day was better than no days and we are grateful for it!  

 

 Back on ship -- this was the view from the window.

A perfect ending to a beautiful day in Cartagena.

 

 

LINKING this week to:  OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY; ALL SEASONS; TUESDAY TREASURES;  WEDNESDAY AROUND THE WORLD; THROUGH MY LENS; THANKFUL THURSDAY; and SKYWATCH FRIDAY.   

Thank you to all of the hosts.

VISITING THE SWAMPS AND SLOUGHS

    

We've had company .... and we took them to the swamps and the sloughs.  Whoever said we weren't great hosts?   Our brother and sister-in-law are visiting from Spokane (the Eastern half of Washington State) where they left frigid temperatures and deep snow.    So we've had a great time showing off our Florida sunshine. 

In addition to getting warm again (at least for a while), they really wanted to see alligators -- and we knew just where to go.   And of course we saw lots of beautiful Florida birds too.     

 

 Egret keeping an eye on a fellow denizen of Big Cypress Swamp  

 

 

Anhinga

 

 

 Birds of Prey

 Osprey, CaraCara, and Red Shouldered Hawk (I'm sure about the first two -- I think on the hawk)

   

 

Green Heron -- trying to hide as he preens

 

Still in hiding!

 

 

X

 

Little Blue Heron

 

 

And some more shots of what our company wanted  to see!

(And of course  I know nobody would believe we were actually in SW Florida until I posted my annual alligator pictures.)

 

Not a lot of words this week because we're still busy seeing the beauty and fun of our area through new eyes.     It is so good to see family!  Thanks for coming Rik and Lyn!       

And thank you also to the link hosts who give us an opportunity to share with virtual friends  even when we don't have company in real life:  

SHARING  this week with:  MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD Tuesday; NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;  WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.

 

 

PANAMA CANAL TRANSIT

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On Tuesday, November 21, we transited the Panama Canal, going from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea during one amazing day aboard our cruise ship.   

Most of these pictures were taken from our cabin during the passage through Miraflores  -- the first of  three  Panama Canal Locks.  We watched the transit through the second one (Pedro Miguel) from the upper decks  while we ate brunch  (and didn't take as many pictures).   

 

 

Our ship entered the Panama Channel very early in the morning  -- and at around 6 a.m. we passed under the  Bridge of the Americas.   

  

 

 

Just before this, two  extra pilots and 25 workers (Marinos) embarked onto the ship  to assist with entry into the locks.  Pilot boats like this were used to bring them aboard.

 

 

Approaching the first lock (Miraflores).  The Orange and Green Arrow tells our Captain to use the chamber on the right.  

 

 

More views of the approach to Miraflores and a container ship in the adjacent chamber.  It would have had a left arrow.

  

 

 

 Ships use their own power to transit through, but four of the machines shown here hold it in the center of the lock.  They are called mules.   The Marinos who boarded our ship helped to make sure it was fastened tight.

 

 

 

Rowboats are used to carry the light messenger lines from the ship to the mules.  They can't use a motor for fear that the lines might get tangled in the engine.  The messengers are then used to pull sturdy cables to the ship.

 

 

This shows how close our ship was to the edge of the lock.  The man in the foreground is on the balcony below us and the two men on the right are workers in the lockmasters building. 

 

 

 

One of the many tugboats we saw.  They are there in case any ships in the canal have problems.  Later in the transit that container ship in the adjacent lane broke down and the tugboat had to push it through until they got the engine started again.

 
 

 

Entering Gatun Lock after traveling across Gatun Lake.  This is the last of the three locks where we began the descent back to sea level.  The pilots and Marinos disembarked and at about 4 p.m. our ship entered the Caribbean Sea and set course  toward Colombia.

 

 

We learned a lot about the history of the Canal (there was an on-board guide).  And we  have pictures of some  of the pretty scenery as we traveled across the Lakes in between the locks.  But this post is mostly to help us remember our actual passage and how the canal works as it saves time and costs in transporting all kinds of goods.    (Cruises are an extra for the Canal -- one that we were grateful to be able to take advantage of.)  The day was  a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

 

 

LINKING this week to:  OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;   SIGNS SIGNS;  TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY  and THANKFUL THURSDAY .    Thank you to all of the hosts!  

 

 

 

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD

  

Almost in real time for a change, today's pictures are from a couple of days out and about last week -- right here in SW Florida.      

 

 

The beautiful evening skies along the river were an unexpected bonus when we went for a boat ride one day last week.    It was meant to be an afternoon trip to enjoy the O!Zone and  late lunch at this river-front tiki bar    ...  but  service was really slow.    ('Tis the height of the snowbird season.)     We got fed before I starved to death though and  sunset on the way home was super.

 

 

 

 

 

On another morning we drove to Six Mile Cypress Slough where the sky view was a little different.      We were glad to visit one of our favorite  nature walks for the first time this season.  This park sustained some damages from Hurricane Irma and was closed for a couple of months after.  It looks just great now, thanks to the Park District and volunteers.

 

 

 

 Red-bellied woodpecker before, during, and after lunch.

 

   

 

 

It was a little cool that morning and the song birds were flitting around like crazy -- not many photo ops.   But sometimes it's good just to see the old familiars.  At the viewing platform, we heard a lady exclaim about the beautiful big bird with the huge feet.  She meant the Great Blue Heron. 

And we realized that our old familiars are exotic and wonderful and different for some visitors ... and that we are fortunate to see these beauties often ... and shouldn't take them for granted. 

 

 Happy to see  cypress knees again too.  This group looks like a little swamp family.

 

 

Thank you to the hosts of each of the following sharing opportunities ... and hello and thank you to the lovely lady who spoke to us just before we stepped on to the board walk.  She and her husband are snowbirds from Germany .... she reads the blog and somehow recognized us!   We talked a little bit about Costa Rica (the last FT-Life blog post at the time)  and about how lucky we all were to be here in beautiful (and warm) SW Florida.    They were, I think, returning from their walk while we were just starting and we didn't see them again,  but wow ...  I was completely flabbergasted to be recognized -- and pleased to know they enjoyed the blog.

 

 

LINKING this week to:  ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.