Aruba and Cartegena.

Location, Home, CA

We arrived in Aruba on Sunday May 2nd at 7:00 AM. Our shore tour left at 7:30 AM so that meant an early breakfast in the Horizon Buffet. Tour check-in was easy as they passed everyone through the Wheelhouse Bar and slapped a tour number on you and then you went forward to the Princess Theatre and took a seat in the appropriate tour row. Soon they called our tour number and we proceeded off ship by one of the gangways. As you leave the ship you insert your Cruise Card into a reader which then displays your photo. It also records that you are off the ship.

Our bus was waiting so we climbed aboard and off we went.

                                   Thomas, I, and Debbie are facing the camera.

                        

The tour passed the local brewery and desalinization plant. All potable water on Aruba comes from the desalt plant and cost .13 cents a gallon. Quit high by most standards.

                          

We stopped at a rock formation which I climbed to get a better view of the surrounding area. I took several photos.

You can see the ship in the distance.

The island is quit dry with lots of cactus. 

Our tour bus.

We drove to the sea shore where a large rock arch had collapsed leaving only a small one still intact.

The beach in the distance is a "locals" beach for surfers.

We visited an Aloe processing plant which was closed but the short tour explained the process of converting Aloe juice to lotion. They have about 100 acres of Aloe plants. Forty percent of the production is sold to tourists while the rest is shipped to a distribution center in Indiana.

We then drove to the tourist hotel area and by the beach where the American girl was killed. We stopped by one of the hotels and a few of us elected to swim for an hour and lay in the sun. As it turns out, this would be the only beach we spend any time at during the cruise.

I did get in the water.

Our ship left the dock at 1 PM and headed for Cartagena, Columbia with arrival expected to be 9 AM tomorrow morning.

Back aboard ship, we attended a wine tasting in the dinning room. The charge was $9.50 each. This wine tasting allows you to judge which wines to buy for dinner each night. Most wines start at $25 a bottle and go up from there.

We arrived in Cartagena, Columbia at 9 AM on Monday may 3rd. Shortly there after we went on a tour of Cartagena. This tour was a little different as the guide provided radios with an earpiece so we could hear him while we toured. It allowed him to keep us together as there were many other tours going on at the same time.

We stopped at the very old large fortress and of curse were accosted by street venders. As soon as you point a camera at them they want money. I think we paid her a few dollars.


                            

Of course, there is the obligatory shopping. This area was next to the wall which surrounded the old city.

Look at all the tour busses!

Clyda and Debbie trying to make a deal.

We did quit a bit of walking while visiting the torture chambers from the Spanish Inquisition and other street sights including this statue of Simon Bolivar

The streets are clean and the buildings colorful.

A sun dial built into the building from Spanish days.

We ended up at the Naval building where a Folklorico dance was ongoing as each tour came in. We were served water, soda, or beer as refreshment.

It was very hot so the beer tasted really good. The brand was Aguila which was also the name of the street we lived on when we first moved here.

Sitting from our group is Frank, Cay, Thomas, and Clyda. The lady in green is not part of our group.

We returned to the ship and departed Cartagena at 3 PM.

Leaving the dock. No tugs used as the ship has thrusters fore and aft.

Cartegena skyline.

In the center is Debbie, Thomas, and I as the ship leaves port.

On to the Panama Canal next.