Back to Coral Princess
Getting back to the coach we had to again run the gauntlet of the street vendors and even worse were the vendors at a stall selling coffee beans.
The ride back to the port allowed us to see more of the city walls before we entered the secure port area.
There we passed a small menagerie just by the entrance and some interesting road signs…
… and then we could see the ship along with passengers walking along the quayside.
The welcoming ice cold cloth and iced water were just what we needed as we waited to board.
We went to the International Cafe to have lunch as the Bordeaux was closed as this was a port day. Surprisingly the cafe was not very busy and we added sandwiches to our drinks order. Mine was chicken, pineapple and a salad mix. To this I added a Greek salad and a sago pudding that was delicious. To round it off we add oat meal cookies.
Leaving Cartagena
From the ship’s decks we could see views of the new city and much closer the container port.
Out on Deck 7 we watched Cartegna’s docks fall behind us and from the starboard side we had great views of the new city. Tall apartment buildings were all along the waterfront and were almost impossibly white in the bright sunshine.
We had been told that were all built upon reclaimed land. To the side of the Old City walls could just be seen and the wide entrance to the bay that had been given an artificial reef by the Spanish.
Pelicans soared around the ship as we moved across the bay and the views of the new city changed until a small beach came into view with the skyscraper apartment blocks behind.
At the narrow entrance of the bay was one of the many forts that had been built to guard the bay. Then we were hit with a blast of music as behind the fort was a busy beach complex.
Then it was time for a drink as Happy Hour approached. I settled for two bottles of Grolsch.
We had a long conversation with a couple from Australia setting the world to rights.
Evening at sea
Back on our balcony we watched the sunset and had a slow glass of wine.
I had yet to see any sea life but I sat with my camera ready just in case. We used Princess Cruises’ wi-fi access to book tours in both Costa Rica and in Nicaragua. This was a very painless way of adding to your cruise bill.
My UK shaver didn’t fit the plugs in the bathroom.
Dinner was once again in the Bordeaux and we sat with three Californians and two Australians. This was our first uncomfortable meal as the Australian lady had been everywhere and done everything. They lived half their time in Australia and the other half in Cambridge. The other folks we had eaten with before and we were disappointed not to hear more about their transits through the Panama Canal.
I started with gravalax, then a sirloin steak cooked as part of a stew and finished with a cherry based dessert. The sirloin was tough and pretty much inedible our server did report our difficulty. The head waiter dutifully appeared with apologies all round. Our Australian table companion had another main delivered but the rest of us took the opportunity to cut back back on food.
Our evening was rounded off by a visit to the theatre. The show started at 9.30 was titled ‘Motor City’. It was only 35 minutes long and consisted of Tamla Motown songs sung by the ship’s company.
Back in our room I prepared for an early start as the pilot boat was expected to come alongside before 6.30 am. My plan for the following day was not to miss any of the transit through the Panama Canal.