Taking it easy in Cartegena.

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The above panaramic photo is from one of the squares in the walled city. Centuries ago boatloads of slaves were brought here and traded.

It's funny, unlike back home down here nobody ever talks about the weather and that's because it's always the same....Hot and Sunny. The kind of weather that makes you just want to sit around a pool and read a good book. So that's pretty much all we've been doing for 5 days. We did go to the beach on our first day, we were somewhat disappointed with the large crowds and constant winds blowing sand in our faces, not to mention the onslaught of venders selling beer, all variety of foods, beads, massages, sunglasses, wooden trinkets, ice cream etc. etc. you get the picture. It seems as though the less tanned you are the more of a target you are. Neil not having his shirt off outside in 4 months really attracted a crowd. That being said we did have a great fish dinner on the beach and Laura enjoyed a relaxing massage, the one she's been waiting for for 8 years, last time we were in Cartegena.

Neil was feeling a little under the weather so we to moved from a budget hotel to more comfortable accomodations. Casa Relax has a lovely pool surrounded by hammocks and rooms with airconditioning. So like the name suggests we've been relaxing by the pool and taking stolls through the city. Due to the fact that we've been here before we've been more focused on relaxing then site seeing.

Last night we sat on the steps of our hotel with a bottle of wine and watched as regular Colombians went about their lives. The sense of community here is very strong, starting in the afternoon, families migrate to the streets with their chairs and tables. They form small groups of families playing various games from baseball to dominos. Sitting there we realized how important speed bumps are to the safety of the small children playing in the narrow streets. When Neil pulled out his camera, we were immediately surrounded by children wanting to have their picture taken. It twas great fun watching them pose and be silly. "Otro foto" the littliest guy kept repeating and giggling. Today we're going to see if we can find a place to get some of the pictures printed to give to the kids.

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Photos

The door we were peeking through.
A security guard saw us peeking through this old door and asked us if we would like to see inside.

Derelict building.
This is the view from the roof.