Cartagena & the Panama Canal

I knew Cartagena was going to be hot when I stepped out on my balcony at 6:00 in the morning and my camera lens instantly fogged up! Our tour started early, just after 8:00 am and our first stop was the Fortress of San Felipe de Barajas, where they filmed part of Romancing the Stone (one of my all-time favourite movies). Mum and I actually watched the movie the night before in preparation for our stop in Colombia. It was quite a hike up to the top of the fortress, so I'm glad we got there early in the day or else I definitely would have melted away! The view was incredible and the fortress was very cool, so it was well worth the visit. We then moved on to the old part of the city behind the protective walls and walked the streets, stopping at the Inquisition Palace and the Church of San Pedro Claver. They have beautiful gardens growing inside many of the old buildings, and some fantastic architecture. We also walked by Julio Iglesias' house, which looked pretty swanky! I have to say I was very impressed with Cartagena – it was so clean and beautiful, particularly the harbour, and not scary at all (at least the parts we were taken to!) We stopped a couple of shopping areas and mum and I both bought emerald earrings since Colombia is the emerald capital of the world. Fun day, but I'll admit I was a little glad to get back to our air-conditioned cabin! We got some fantastic views of the city as we sailed out of the harbour. Today we traveled through the Panama Canal, which was very interesting. Mum and I spent hours on deck watching the proceedings. I finally got some real colour on my face, and I think mum burned a little bit more as it was another scorcher! We are now on the Pacific side and sailing toward Costa Rica – tomorrow is another day at sea and then we have a great sounding tour planned for Thursday. Should be fun!