Tuesday Jan 9, 2024
Hi Folks! The word of the day was HOT!! The high today was 91 but it felt like 101! I hear tomorrow may be hotter! I guess that’s what you get near the equator in their summer time!
Today we were in beautiful Santa Marta, Columbia. It is the oldest city in Columbia and one of the oldest in all of South America. It sits at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It also lays claim to having the tallest seaside mountain in the world!
We didn’t arrive in port until 11 AM and did a private tour from Noon to 5 PM (the hottest time of the day!). We had a young tour guide (25) named Andres who was so laid back (he called himself a hippie!) but was so knowledgeable about the history and culture.
We first walked around the historic Old Town. We went to the Cathedral, the City Square and he even showed us the oldest Hostel in the city.
We then got in a car with his friend and drove to the suburbs to visit the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, which was the house of the hacienda that was lent to Simon Bolivar in 1830. He was the liberator of Columbia and several other South American countries. He spent his final days there and passed away there. The house and grounds are a memorial to him and the area was beautiful.
The scariest part of the day was driving out to the suburbs. There were so many motorcycles, cars and even buses just zig zagging in front of us the whole time. I have no idea how we didn’t wreck!
Andres also told us about a place in Columbia not far from Santa Marta called the Ciudad Perdida (meaning Lost City in Spanish) that was established more than 650 years before Machu Picchu but was not discovered until 1972. The entrance can only be accessed via 1,200 stone steps thru a dense jungle. It takes 4 days to get there. Andres has done that trek 5 different times! Oh to be young again!
We got back on the ship and got cleaned up and went to dinner at the buffet restaurant called the Emporium Marketplace. Who knew you could get unlimited grilled lobster there! Guess what we got for dinner? Of course!
After dinner we went to the show that had two Tango dancers doing their thing. Reminded us of all the Tango we saw in Buenos Aires last year. Such a beautiful and passionate dance.
We finished our night as we always do, pulling slots and listening to our favorite piano player. We crashed early since we have to meet our tour guide tomorrow at 8 AM! Our next stop is Cartagena, Columbia! Hope everyone survived all the rains and wind in North Carolina.
The Wandering Italian 