Ft. Lauderdale to Panama Canal

Florida to Panama Canal

We were supposed to leave Ft. Lauderdale at 4:00 PM but during the day we had a hydro and then an electrical power failure onboard so we ended up leaving nearly 6 hours late. 

The captain did his best to make up the lost time but we ended up arriving into Cartegena 2 hours late. It was already a short day port visit. We got there at 9 and left at 1. We had a private tour booked and the tour operator, Dora, adjusted things and off we went. We toured the old walled

City and Dora gave us some interesting history of her city. 

Cartegena was settled by the Spanish in the early 1500's. Don Pedro Heredia was the explorer who named the city. The bay at the entrance to the city looked like the bay from his hometown of Cartegena Spain so he named it after that. 

Trade flourished over the next two centuries between Europe and South America and Cartegena was strategically located in a great spot so the city grew and flourished as well. 

In 1819 Colombia was liberated from Spain by Simon Bolivar, whom they still consider their national hero.

Here are some pics of our short tour/visit in Cartagena:

Our two days at sea were pretty uneventful. I developed a bit of a head cold a couple of days prior so I just tried to take things slow. I did learn how to play Bridge and Mahjong however. When I say "play" I mean that ever so mildly. In Bridge for instance, indoor yet know how to bid but I did learn the mechanics of the game. In Mahjong I learned a lot. It's a bit complicated because you've got to find a "plan" and then commit to it. To me it's a little like gin rummy but using tiles. There are a lot of rules though!

There's a history and political specialist onboard so every sea day he does a presentation. On both days he gave talks about the history of the development of the Panama Canal. I attended both of those. 

All in all its been a good cruise so far. 

Next up will be our transit through the Panama Canal.