Day 9 of Cruise on Carnival Triumph - Santa Marta, Columbia

Aloha Everyone,

The on board ship brochure describes Santa Marta as "sitting at the foot of the world's highest coastal mountain range, the towering Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta with spectacular views." Therefore we were disappointed that what greeted us was a very dry, brown landscape, with day-time temperature at 93 degrees and a high humidity.

The city itself was quite interesting.

Our day's adventure was taking a truck converted into a "tourist" transport. Being the "younger ones," we were invited to climb into the front seats next to the driver. There was no real step ladder so J.J. and I climbed up using a hand rail and taking huge steps up and down. It was hot and the ride was bumpy, but the locals were very kind and helpful. For some fellow cruisers, they were "shocked" about paying to use a toilet but we willingly paid US$1.

Views of the city

Private resort

Fresh catch of the day

Breakfast with Heddy and Rick from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Here is Lidiya from Serbia who was helpful in trying to assist Bruce in getting transportation out of the port area. Lidiya speaks 5 languages including English, Serbian, French, Spanish and Japanese, the latter she studied at university in Serbia. Lidiya apologized that since not many Japanese cruise with Carnival, she has not had a chance to practice the language.

Aloha -- Cathi

Day 8 of Cruise on Carnival Triumph - Cartagena, Columbia

Aloha Everyone,

Cartagena's harbor is very wide. Our ship made an 180 degrees turn giving us a good view of the city. However, the architectural design of the modern buildings was not very impressive. Most of the buildings looked box-like rectangular structures in predominantly white color. J.J. and I prefer the older, historic buildings.

Docking at Cartagena:

In 1984, UNESCO declared the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas as a World Heritage Site. The castle protected Cartagena from pirates during the 17th and 18th centuries. It still stands as one of the greatest fortresses built by the Spaniards.

We shared our "do-it-yourself" tour with Lori and Bruce from Denver. Our hired driver/guide was able to give us an overview of the city including a chance to walk along the wall of the old city. We came away with a very positive impression of the place and would consider a future visit.

Here are some pictures of Cartagena

Lori on top of the wall

A few more photos of the city 

A persistent but affable vender

Luxury neighborhood

Aloha -- Cathi

Day 7 of Cruise on Carnival Triumph - Colon, Panama

Aloha Everyone,

There were a lot of beautiful, bright colored building along the shoreline as the Carnival Triumph came to rest at the port of Colon.

From a long list of shore activities, the only thing J.J. and I wanted to see was the Gatun Lock. Reynaldo, the taxi driver we hired believed that road signs were meant for others. He drove like he owned the road. From the moment we sat inside his cab, J.J. and I were sitting forward ready to duck or jump out as the situation warranted.

Photos of the streets of Colon

Reynaldo took us, waited for us to witness the amazing crossing of a container vessel through the Gatun Lock and safely delivered us back to the ship all in less than 2 hours. J.J. was very pleased and gave Reynaldo a large 20% tip.

Photos of Gatun Lock

Aloha -- Cathi