Cartagena, Columbia!
After the dolphin fun at Grand Cayman, it was time for a restful sea day. Starting with the “Top Tier” event in the showroom, the Crown and Achor Society shared the breakdown of guests in the loyalty program. The fun part was, once again, getting to sail with “Super Mario”. He is the top of the top with Royal Caribbean. Next year, he plans to sail 350 days… my role model!
No better backdrop than a setting sun. We prepared for the evening with this view from our balcony! With dinner plans in Chops Grill at 7pm, we decided to have a little pre-dinner fun.
Grabbing a drink before we got ready for dinner, a little video poker was our fun. We put in for the free play on the first day and won a little bit with that seed.
Next port stop… Cartagena, Columbia. Considering this was a new location for me (stops canceled during Covid), I was quite excited. Unfortunately, dinner at Chops caused a set back. Our waiter brought Gluten Free bread but then served Tuna Tartare with soy… he claims he had no idea I had dietary restrictions… thought the last waiter served that to me because I liked it. Thankfully, the three of us shared this dish, so I only served myself a very small portion. The effects were almost immediate. It was a rough night and I woke up with little energy on Cartagena day :-(
Walking eight hundred feet to the cruise port exit, we were greeted with a free zoo. Heat sweltering, we walked onto the grounds of the most welcoming port I have ever visited. You will be amazed at what we saw after passing under this arched “entrance”, which is referred to as the “exit” since it is leaving the port.
Uncaged, colorful birds were flying overhead, eating food out of wooden trays and simply sitting on the railings. No fear of humans, these characters had such personality. Mostly focused on food, they seemed to pose for photos. Jungle noised could be heard throughout the grounds.
Roxanne was not quite wanting to go to port on this day, so Chris and I went. We loved the bird greeting that led to a gift shop. After looking around for a few moments, we walked out the back door because we noticed more birds. Chris planned to go into town, but I wasn’t up to it. Thankfully, this felt like an excursion! Just outsied the shop, this giant bird stand was filled with every color imaginable! Making all kinds of noises, the birds flew up through the trees and back to the stand.
Just to the left of the birds stand, stood the word “Columbia” in giant letters. A dream come true for this tourist! Like the “IAmsterdam”, taking a selfie was a must. Patiently waiting for others to take their photo and move on, I saw an opening and quckily took the pic!
Wanting his own proof of visitng… I snapped a photo of Chris in front of the Columbia sign! What a fun thing for them to put in this area created for cruise visitors. We were the only ship in port so it was not crowded at all.
Many jungle-like paths wound around the property. Signs marked the types of nature might be seen. If I’d been quicker, I could have photographed these Love Birds loving… By the time I was ready, one had turned away and they had slightly separated. Timing is everything!
Three different places on the outskirts of the property, transportation and tours were available. At this point, Chris was going to take off into town. I almost went when I heard it could be three hours visiting by van… several locations in air conditioning. When the price kept fluctuating, I bowed out. It was time to get back to the ship. Just before reaching that location, we noticed a door to an aviary. Once of the few enclosed areas, it made sense once I saw the nesting birds. Babies were being fed… it was awesome!
You can’t deny this looks like a “Donald Trump” bird… look at the orange mane on top. I laughed! Following this little guy around, I must have 50 photos.
While attempting to get a firm price from the tour guide, this little guy came up to play. Clearly unafraid of people, he came quite close. Jumping around, it was so fun to interact with this playful friend.
Knowing Roxanne could not miss this sight, I took the shuttle back to the ship (800 feet) to roust her up! The moment she stepped onto the grounds, she lit up! First dolphins, now beautiful wildlife! The best part is that they are free to leave, but they don’t.
Sorry… just couldn’t resist Roxanne trying to learn the art of “selfie” photos. I would explain more, but the video speaks for itself…
These two snugglers showed off for everyone walking past.
Continuring on through the “zoo”, we found a pond of flamingo. They are so graceful on their spindly legs.
Now the girls have proof of being in Columbia together! No, we didn’t get out and see the Old Town or Fortress but this was an incredible experience!
Peacocks walked around freely… the males, of course, are the showy ones. None of them opened up to full spread feathers but we were still able to see their colors.
I had to take Roxanne back to see “The Donald”…
This guy was flying to the fence hoping I had a treat. Not realizing I could have bought bird food at the gift shop, I was a disappointment to this guy. He got nothing from me… and I got a full open-winged photo. Quite unfair!
Next sighting… a giant anteater! He was pretty cool. Pacing back and forth, I guess Chris saw her with a baby later.
The TREAT of the day! When Roxanne walked into one of the display areas, this guy climbed up into her arms. He acted like a baby. At one point, she put him back down on the ground… he collapsed with is head in his arm, looking like he was crying!
He seriously loved Roxanne! Very curious, he was digging through her bag. Adorable, right???
Toucan Sam was dining when we visited…
All trip, Rox has wanted to see an Iguana… and now her wish came true!
Beautiful skyline of Cartagena! I got a little shaky with the panoramic…
Posing with the city of Cartagena as a backdrop, we took our last selfie of the day. So hot outside, we hurried to snap the pic and ran back inside. This was the cheapest… most exciting port stop I have ever visited. It was great for the crew to walk such a short distance and see so much!
Oh… and by the way… guess whose passport arrived at the Miami Beach hotel today…. a week after departure…
