We did our best to improve our work/life balance this week. The contractors were here early in the week to polish the final touches on the deck. As soon as they finish one job, they immediately hold out their hand for money to begin the next job. Trying to explain that we want to hold off a few weeks on the next job is near impossible. So, we now have kitchen cabinets being built and the bowsprit project underway. At least both of those projects take place off the boat until they are ready for install! In the meantime, Bill continues to demolish the galley and I go behind him to clean and repair whatever we are re-using. On Wednesday, we kicked the guys off the boat and told them we needed a break until Monday. It was nice to have a bit of a lazy morning before we started on our chores. There was also a “taxi strike” in Cartagena due to the high fuel prices so it gave us a good excuse to laze about a bit.
On Thursday morning, we grabbed a taxi to head over to the Old Town. Last time we tried walking to Old Town, I had to give up and turn around due to the heat so this time we took a taxi which was a smart idea. The park outside the entrance boasts a family of sloths and monkeys. One of the locals showed us the sloth tree and we were lucky enough to have one of the sloths awake. He was a little difficult to capture in a picture because he was in constant movement, even if it was slow motion. We did not take time to find the monkeys this trip but we will find them at some point. The Old Town is surrounded by a fifty-foot-wide wall that is seven miles long so it was well protected! We have definitely determined that no one could build a fort or walled city better than the Spanish! The buildings in the Old Town have been well-preserved and we found our way to two of the Catholic Churches. One of the churches also had a museum so we learned a bit of history and saw some unique art. We learned that the Colombian Catholics are hardcore! They had services daily that ran from 9am to noon and then picked back up again from 3:30 to 6:00pm. That’s a lot of churchin’! We have been surprised that we have not been inundated with street vendors in Cartagena because it has the reputation of being one of the harsher cities for determined vendors. As we wandered the old town, we had a few vendors approach us but they were all very polite and accepted ‘no’ graciously. As we approached one of the main squares, we found where all the vendors were hiding. Ladies with fruit hats wanting pictures, men selling Cuban and Colombian cigars, one man selling “genuine” replicas of the statue in the square that he was painting gold at the same time he was trying to sell them and of course, the cheap jewelry guys. As we were heading to get a drink, a man approached us and waved us to a table. We sat down and he dragged a waiter over to get our drinks. The man introduced himself as “Johnny. The Fixer.” It came across much like Bond, James Bond as he said it several times. His English was perfect which is always a dead giveaway that the person has spent time in either the States or Canada. Johnny, The Fixer, had spent time in several States. He had something for everyone. He had tours, contacts for boat rides, dinner reservations and even announced he could take us to a cock fight that night if we were interested. I definitely declined the cockfight! After chatting us up for about twenty minutes, Johnny, The Fixer, gave us his contact information and stated that whatever we needed, we could get in touch him. It’s always good to know the town Fixer….you just never know when something’s gonna need fixing! Our day of fun ended at a fish restaurant where we ordered an amazing seafood stew with coconut rice followed by a limon cheesecake. A feast for two under $30.00! We rounded out the week with a trip to the grocery store where this week’s salesgirl was pushing Vegan Chicken Nuggets. That exchange was pretty much identical to the previous week’s vegetarian hamburger episode. “No pollo, no nuggets!” Then, when I walked down the next aisle, a different sales girl tried to sell me regular chicken nuggets. All we could figure was Americans must be known for loving chicken nuggets! Bill managed to locate some coconut rice at the store so once the galley is functional, we are going to see if he can make it like a true Colombian! I am sure if he struggles, Johnny, The Fixer, will be more than happy to show up and help. **More pics on Pictures tab
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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