Week 2 --- From A to Z (Agua to Zumba)

As you might expect in a climate where it is 30 degrees every day, water is important. Who knew it came in bags though?

Some of the colourful streets and buildings of Cartagena.

Our favourite coffee place in the middle of the walled city. Sarah made me pose inside but didn't anticipate the photobomber stepping in front.

We met Alyssa and Oscar at a place called the Clock Pub on Saturday when we went to see the NFL playoffs. She is from upstate New York and he is from Bogota but they have settled in Cartagena. A wonderful couple and even though Oscar looks quite fierce in this photo (he is a former MMA fighter) he is extremely kind and thoughtful.

Sarah and friends Buba and Kim went on a chivas bus which is basically a party bus that drives around the city while its inhabitants drink and sing. I was at the library researching the history of Colombian cuisine.

I finally tracked down my old workboots that I lost in high school. Actually this sculpture is entitled Los Zapatos Viejos (The Old Shoes) and is a tribute to Cartagena poet Luis Carlos Lopez.

Castillo de San Felipe, which we can see clearly from our balcony, was named after Philip 1V of Spain and was built in 1536. A very popular tourist attraction but we're waiting for visitors to arrive before we actually go in.

Notice that the guy on the motorcycle has an extra helmet over his left arm. These guys are all over the place and will pick up people and take them to their destination for a fee. Unlicensed taxis, really. When I first saw so many motorcyclists honking at what I thought was always women, I assumed they hadn't got wind of the #metoo movement but it turns out their motives are purely for monetary gain. Thanks to Alyssa and Oscar for setting me straight on this issue.

I include this photo for two reasons ---- first, it's a pretty cool mural and second, through some trick of photography it actually appears that I have a bicep of some substance.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is from Cartagena and wrote such classics as Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Cartagena is a popular stop for cruise ships.

Sunday night at Plaza de la Trinidad is public zumba time. Hundreds of crazy people dancing like maniacs and sweating like, like, like, (please insert your own simile here cuz I got nothin'). I'm only sad that I didn't get to participate as I had to take photos and watch the purses. Darn my luck!

Hasta luego!