Arriving in Panama

Yesterday we started off a little late since we had a plane flight at 1.25pm. We were flying with COPA airlines again. The good thing is that they leave on time, not like DAE, the worst airline ever. It was raining as we flew to Panama, but luckily no thunderstorms. When we got out of the airport we called a taxi and told it to take us to Hotel Tryp which had newly opened, but only softly. We went to see two rooms, one with two double beds, and one with a double bed and a sofa bed in a separate sitting room, each room with its own bathroom. The beds here are very comfy and soft, and also super-big (if you're my size, that is). The hotel people gave us each a free drink on arrival, with a maraschino cherry. We took the suite with the sofa bed.

Back to Cartagena for One Night

Yesterday we left Mompox and went back to Cartagena in a four-seater pick-up truck. The driver wasn't Señor Henry like last time but a different person called Señor Roberto. This time we took the short way not the long way. We drove for a while then drove on to a car ferry which went down the river for about an hour and we couldn't get out of the car. At the end we had to do a U-turn on the ferry. Our car was facing the wrong way so we had to do a U-turn around the front of the boat and drive down the other side.

We were driving for a little while but then there was a big hold-up. A blue lorry had skidded off the road and had shed its load—one of those metal containers that they use for transport overseas, and it had landed right in the other lane. So they had to call a purple lorry and three tow trucks (one at the back and two on the sides) had to lift up the container with heavy chains and place it exactly lined up with the purple lorry. We didn't reach Cartagena until very late.

For dinner we had fish and chips. It felt weird having the fries with no dip for a change since I usually put tartar sauce on my fries which some people might think is disgusting. [Local perch breaded and sea bass aux fines herbes—not your average 'fish and chips'. Ed.]

Last Day in Cartagena

A view of the theatre

Today we went to see an old theatre; pretty small as theatres go. There were big cushiony red seats and a marble staircase leading up to the circle. Lucy and I did some performances on the stage since it was all empty.

Me and a toucan

Let the match begin!

We went for a snack at a café in a hotel which used to be a convent and there was a giant courtyard in the middle with statues, plants, and a well. There's a type of plant which grows wild here called mimosa which when you give it a good poke all the leaves fold up. I found some in the courtyard that also folded but did it very slowly. In the café there were two toucans. They looked a little different than the ones I saw in Brazil and Argentina a few years back. They flew round, hung on the chandeliers, and stole food from people's plates. One landed on the back of my sister's chair and my chair. I saw one of them wrestling a stuffed toy toucan.

I had a pain au chocolat and a lemonade. This is the last day in Cartagena and in the evening we went up on the roof terrace and watched the sun set over the city.

Staying Inside

Today Daddy needed to do some work so we stayed inside for most of the day. We went out to the Oh! Lá Lá restaurant for lunch. I had a chicken and sun-dried tomato sandwich, a lemonade, and a chocolate mousse for dessert. Yummy! We went shopping to stock up on supplies because on Thursday we are going away to Mompox.

A Day at the Beach

Today we took a boat out to a beach called Playa Blanca. The sand was really soft and warm. There were a lot of small waves. I went snorkelling in the murky turquoise water. I didn't go very far because you get out of your depth pretty quickly and there weren't many fish. After a while I got bored so I came out and had a snack of a few biscuits. It was very busy and there were tables shaded by tents made with tarpaulin and palm tree wood. There was a whole lot of litter around. Very frequently people would come up and try to sell you things such as little statues, necklaces, food, drinks, and massages. It was a bit boring. The speedboat rides to and from the beach were fun, though. For lunch we had a fish called mojarra, which was maybe a tilapia. It was very tasty but the skin was very hard.

Looking at the Modern Peninsula

Yesterday (Sun 22 July) we went and walked about the modern peninsula. Most things were shut. We went into a café to have a pain au chocolat, with lemonade. Then we went to use a bank machine to withdraw some money. First thing in the morning, Daddy and I had gone out to book a trip to the Rosario Islands. It was hard because the prices weren't cheap and so Daddy bargained to reduce the prices a little. But we didn't have much money left. I didn't like the modern peninsula. It was pretty boring. All there was was modern apartments and fast food shops. So we walked to the end and looked at a beach, but it didn't look like there was much to do, but it did have some big waves. We got on a bus which was bumpy and had loud samba music playing and pieces of metal on the back of the seats so you could admire your reflection. When we got back to the old town we went to go and see the Naval Museum. There were a whole lot of bells, model ships, and a dummy of a very sick person who was still breathing.

Hotels and Fireworks

Yesterday (Sat 21 July) we went to go and look at hotels in a different area called Getsemani. We need a hotel for one night here after we go to Mompox and before we go to Panama City. After a lot of looking we finally found one although it was by our apartment.

Here are the heads. But where are the bodies?

In the late afternoon we went to go and see the Museo del Oro here in Cartagena. It was a bit like the one we went to in Bogotá except it was smaller but it still had some very interesting pots and golden weaving.

For dinner we had spaghetti Bolognese with cheese made by Lina (our maid). It was delicious. We heard fireworks so we went up on the roof terrace to see them. There were a lot of Roman candles and rockets.

My New Hat

Today was a public holiday called Independence Day. The streets were a bit quieter and a lot of the shops were shut. So today we went round walking in the old town looking at the architecture and museums. The first place we visited was the San Pedro Claver Church and Monastery. There was a courtyard filled with lots of old trees and a cage with two talkative parrots. In the church there was a coffin built into the altar with a glass panel so you could see San Pedro's body.

We stopped in a little shop and Daddy bought me a Panama—a white one with a black band. In the late afternoon we went up on the roof terrace at the apartment and we took pictures of me with my Panama. What do you think of my hat?

Fort and the Inquisition

Today we went to Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the fort which was used for protection from British and other invaders. We walked for about 30 minutes across the old town to get there. It had a very complex design so that it was impossible to attack. My favourite part was some long snaking tunnels where they kept the cannon balls and gunpowder. There was a steep incline and it would have been a lot of fun to take my Trunki suitcase and ride down it. We climbed up to the top of the fort and went to go look in the sentry boxes. The Spanish could see if other forces were coming to attack. There were a lot of cannon. I sat on a cannon and pretended to blow up some car showrooms far below. My theory about firing guns is that if there's no toy shop you can blow it up.

Take aim! Fire!

A bird must have fallen out of the sky because there were a lot of people standing round and muttering.

There was a small gift shop in the castle and we stopped to have some lemonade.

In the afternoon we went to see the museum of the Spanish Inquisition. It had lots of different devices that were used to torture people if they didn't believe in what the church said. On the top floor they had the history of Cartagena. There, they had guns on display and maps which showed the ship routes across the Atlantic.

Our apartment has maid service. Our maid, Lina, came and made us a traditional Colombian dinner of rice with coconut, fish, salad, and plantain with a sweet sauce on top. There was strawberry juice to drink. It was delicious.

They also fixed the light problem in my room.

Arriving in Cartagena

Living room

Yesterday (Wed 18 July) we tried to call a taxi to the airport but the taxi company wasn't responding, so we had to go outside and wave one down, which isn't very safe. But unfortunately the taxi was a pudgy thing so we were very squashed.

We got on the plane and we flew to Cartagena. The flight was about 1.5 hours. I was reading the magazine in the seat pocket and I flipped to the section called gadgets. There was a laser pointer which you could plug into your iPhone.

View from the roof terrace

Parents' bedroom

We checked in at the apartment in the middle of the old town. We had to climb up a few flights of stairs. It's a lot bigger than any of the other apartments we've stayed in. There's a Jacuzzi upstairs, two roof terraces, and I have my own private downstairs room with its own bathroom and outside shower. There was a small problem in my room. The lights weren't working so it was dark.

We went for lunch at a French restaurant. After that we went shopping for food. Then we went for a long walk in the old town and on the old fortifications. On the way back we had a juice.

Lucy's bedroom