Cartagena, Colombia- New Year's Eve

Well, the Captain told the truth about the seas for last night. We rocked and pitched all night. Mostly it helped us sleep soundly but occasionally there was enough movement and sound that we woke up. Ah- the life at sea!!!

We sailed into the port of Cartagena, Colombia about 9:00AM and it took until almost 10:30 for us to be docked at a pier. The gleaming city and the busy port was clearly visible out our sliding door. There is a digging machine- love my technical term- in the middle of the harbor dredging the harbor.

Columbia is South America’s fourth largest country. From the coastal beaches to the interior Andes Mountains, the jungle in between is fed by the main Cauca and Magdalena Rivers as well as by a series of smaller streams. The mountain peaks are some of the highest in the Andes Range and reach the height of 18,000 feet.

The city was founded on June 1, 1533, and named after Cartagena, Spain, which in turn was named after Carthage in Tunisia. Settlement in the region around Cartagena Bay by various indigenous people dates back to 4000 BC. During the Spanish colonial period Cartagena served a key role in administration and expansion of the Spanish empire. It was a center of political and economic activity due to the presence of royalty and wealthy viceroys. In 1984, Cartagena's colonial walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As of 2016 the population was over 1.2 million people. Of the original Carib indigenous people there are only about 200,000 left in Colombia.

The Caribbean coastal region has always served as an attraction to visitors. In an earlier time they came for the legendary hordes of gold owned by the indigenous peoples. The “exploring business” was booming as the Spaniards found huge caches of gold treasure in interior native villages. Needless to say, the discoveries and subsequent rush to plunder became part of an infamous chapter of the history of South American colonization. Not too many people are proud of these events. Entire villages and their populations were wiped out for their gold and silver stores.

Gold statues and irreplaceable ornamental items were melted down to make gold bars that were loaded onto ships and sent back to Europe. The need for food led to the establishment of large plantations and others turned to supplying imported materials. Spanish galleons laden with goods and bound for Europe were the favorite targets of pirates throughout the Caribbean.

High on a hill sits San Felipe Castle, an impregnable fortress built in the mid-1600s. It sits atop an intricate network of tunnels used to distribute provisions when the castle was under attack. The acoustics in the tunnels are excellent, so the soldiers could easily communicate underground. Evidence of other defensive measures that protected the city from pirates still remains, including thick walls studded with cannons.

Colombia is the leading exporter of fine quality emeralds. Naturally Colombian coffee is also a popular export item.

It is New Year’s Eve so around the city evidence of lots of parties being set-up. We decided this would be a wild place to be later on.


We’ll be partying aboard the Mariner at a James Bond Party, then dinner and then a little music. So as the sun sets on 2016 …Happy New Year to all!