After breakfast we climbed aboard a bus which took us to the old Spanish fort built to protect Cartagena from enemies trying to raid the riches they had stolen from the local population. We walked through tunnels, touched canons, and looked out from the top of the fort to see the panoramic view of the whole area.
Next we went to another catholic church. We walked though streets of colorful old apartment buildings. Some had flower boxes on balconies. Then we entered a secure building that held gold artifacts.
The last place we toured was an emerald museum. There was a replica of an emerald mine there. We learned about emeralds and less expensive stones like tourmaline. Finally we had the opportunity to buy emerald jewelry. I browsed and saw some beautiful rings, but I decided not to buy anything. None of the settings looked special enough, and I didn’t really want an emerald.
We all went to lunch after that. We only paid $12 total for both of our lunches. We returned to the hotel for a couple of hours, then we went for a walk in an area that used to be the Red Light District. People are renovating then selling the buildings for a profit.
As we walked down these narrow streets, people were sitting outside listening to loud music booming from professional speakers. Others were playing dominoes or just relaxing. Many smiled and said hello to us as we walked by. On the way back to the hotel, Alex pointed out the beautiful graffiti on the sides of some of the buildings. Some young men proudly told me that they had painted the pictures on the building I was admiring.
Later Paul, Jodee, and I went across the street from the hotel for some delicious juicy hamburgers.
Tunnel in old fort in Cartagena
Some of the canons at the fort
Fruit Seller
Street Dancer
Emeralds Among Quartz Crystals
Metal sculpture outside renovated building
Colorful graffiti style mural about Cartagena
Notice how the men hold their domino tiles.
People relaxing in the square outside the Catholic church In a renovated section
Our guide, Alex