62. Oranjestad, Aruba

Oranjestad, Aruba                   

It feels hotter than 80F (27C)     Day 58 on cruise

The ship landed early in Oranjestad, the people here speak Dutch or some kind of Papiamento; most however speak fluent English. 

Two Other Cruise Ships Here

This place is a stopover for almost any and all cruise ships. We were docked behind 2 other large cruise ships.

After breakfast we took the short shuttle into town. And wow… the first shop we hit, that Charmaine recommended was ‘Diamonds International’. A HUGE shop of beautiful pieces of jewelry but with really high end prices, too. Even with the discount Charmaine said we would get, Carol decided against buying anything. We left the store and right next door was another jewelry store, then another, and another and another… the whole town is filled with jewelry stores. Carol and I did a lot of looking but she is not in the market for more jewelry. 

I remember the sales pitch on board, shop, shop, shop!

Of course they have ‘discounts’ but even with those, it was not that cheap.

The whole town sells, sells, and sells.

I was overwhelmed with a town like that. It is not a mall feeling, it is worse. There really is no town of Oranjestad if it were not for the shops. 

Why a Blue Horse? Just For Fun

Welcome back to the American Dream and shopping at its finest.

While we had, of course, stores to visit on our previous trips, this was the crown jewel of shopping. It was overwhelming, too much. There was no coziness, there was no romance here. It was pure, unadulterated business oriented sales, sales, sales.

Carol did find some bamboo t-shirts (very soft and cool) which she bought, I found some toy jewelry to give to my grand kids, but that was about it.

We found a tucked away restaurant for a drink and Wi-Fi and then we ran back to the ship. The ship was an oasis compared to the hectic frenzy of the Main Street shops of Oranjestad.

I started packing some clothes; it takes me longer to pack than to unpack.

It’s time to get off this floating Island they call a ship; it’s time to get back to another reality.

We saw that Effy now had a ‘sale’ going on, too…. 60 % off ALL jewelry.

The entertainer for the night was Troy Thirdgill!  He was actually funny!

61. Last Destination Talks

Last Destination Talks                   

Cruise Day    77F    25C

This is it, last destination presentation at the ship’s theater. Aruba is next. And Aruba, we are told, is where we can shop to our heart’s delight.

A special shopping assistant was presented; her name was Charmaine. She even gave out special shopping discount cards for certain percent off. Shopping! You just have to go shopping in Aruba, we are told. It was hype, hype, hype.

Well, we will see, Americans are very used to being rallied to go shopping, but Americans are also jaded as to what they want. It all depends!

The ship has specials, too. Effy was giving out dinner for 2 raffles, the art shop had a raffle to win something, special cruise wear sales were going on, and it was a lot of business on board, all very sales oriented. Half price for this, half price for that. 

I survived, as you can tell, to tell the story.

Did I like it? No!

The entertainer for the night was Michael Minor again, the ventriloquist, his 1^st show was better.  

60. Cartagena, Columbia

Cartagena, Colombia             

95 F    35C                hot, humid

When we woke up in the morning we were in Columbia.

Arriving in Cartagena, Columbia - Large Modern City

Just like that… Cartagena, the trans-Atlantic shipping point for ALL the gold and silver robbed from S. America during the time of the Conquistadores.

All the loot the Spaniards could get their hands on was shipped to this spot, and then loaded into very large ships, a few of the ships together, not just one, they called those ships an Armada, and then the whole of it was transferred to Spain.

From here, the wealth of S. America left for Europe.

Until the English, under Francis Drake, stole one of those Armadas and saved England and Elizabeth the 1st. England was so close to bankruptcy, Elizabeth 1 knighted Francis Drake for his loot, she was so happy to receive all this money.

Still A Large Shipping Port

I like history; I never thought I would get to Cartagena. Imagine me in School listening to these stories and then thinking: “but it’s so far away” and now I am here.

Life is amazing. Who would have thought I would ever see any of this.

Cartagena is a large town, chock full of history. I could easily spend a month here. The only thing, even in March…it’s hot!

Flamingos

Peacocks

Macaws

Cartagena has a beautiful Port facility. The best I have ever seen. You walk off the ship and it’s like walking into a zoo. Bird aviaries, huge trees and a park like setting with quaint shops and boutiques. Bravo, Columbia.

 

Gate Into the Old Town

A taxi took us to the walled off, old city of Cartagena and it costs us U.S. $10.

Walking Streets

We only had today, so what could we explore?  We took the Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus to get an overview. Phew, there is so much to see that we did nothing. We had a nice lunch in a local restaurant. It was air conditioned and that helped a lot.

The heat gets to me, I am not sure that if I go back to Cartagena I will like it, because the weather is just too tropical for my taste. Can one get used to this heat? Am I spoiled living with a/c?

Streets Are Clean and Fun to Explore

The town is full of nice, boutique type shops. The roads are narrow; it’s mostly a walking town. Well the old town is, I have not seen the modern Cartagena.

Spanish Fort

The Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus only showed the old highlights, the huge defensive installations that Spain built AFTER Francis Drake stole their treasures. Pirates did try to copy what Drake did, but then were shooed away by those
cannons inside the fort, so I think it did protect Spain somewhat.

Ah, this town is so chock full of stories that it is impossible to write them all up.

A great stop, way too short of course and the weather…  hot, hot, hot!

Carol was in heaven seeing all the Emeralds being sold here.

I believe she bought herself some earrings to go with the emerald pendent she won at Effy’s; I am not sure, though.

Mmmmm Coffee

I know she bought coffee, Colombian Coffee, as gifts for her children…

Balancing Act

We are at day 56 of the cruise, close to the end.

I liked Cartagena a lot.