Cartagena, aka Cartagena de India, is the 2nd largest city in the Caribbean region and whose primary industry is tourism. It has a rich history of Spanish rule for 275 years and was famously attacked by the British in 1741. The old city was a walled fortress. Remnants of the old walls and fortifications remain.
For many, Cartagena is best known as The City in the 1984 film Romancing the Stone. Unfortunately, neither Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, nor Danny Devito were there when we were. Nor were the owners of the infamous Snappers evident. What were there were large crowds of tourists (at least three cruise ships were in port). They were accompanied by many, many very pushy street vendors selling all kinds of knock-offs: hats, belts, shirts, pictures, and tablecloths (?), to name a few things. There were also women dressed in colorful dresses, many with baskets of fruit on their heads, wanting everyone to pay for pictures of them. Most obnoxious were the groups of young men, one always with a “boom box,” who would get in the faces of tourists singing loud, primarily bad, rap. If you gave them any attention, they would insist you pay them. As our guide told us, “Nothing is free in Cartagena.”
Aviary at the entry port 
San Felipe de Barajas Fort
City Walls
Historic Churches
The hordes of tourists and street vendors blocked many pictures
(A tip to tourists: gentlemen, remove your caps when entering the old churches)
January 2, 2024
The images in this post were reduced in size because the shipboard internet is sooooo slow. Go here for full-size images at www.ImagesByBill.us.
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