2017 WBPC: Zen, Self-Deprecation, and Reflections of a Life Well Cruised

[Heatherdbby]

Now I'm intrigued as well

 

[JohnGalt]

Day 4, Wednesday April 26, Sea Day, Part II
Music Recommendation: “Moondance" Van Morrison

After our snacks we headed over to the Buena Vista Theatre to hear another lecturer that had joined us for the entire 2 weeks, Ridley Pearson. Mr. Pearson is the author of a series of books collectively known as "The Kingdom Keepers." The premise of the books is that after the parks are closed, there is an ongoing, epic battle between the good characters, and the evil characters. The books look like just the kind of read that my girls would have absolutely loved when they were in middle school, but sadly, the series came out after my daughters had graduated to teenage vampire romance novels. Yes, the girls are a lot like their Mom in that respect. I tried to be a good father, and I encouraged them to read the Wall Street Journal, like me, but somehow, DW's reading habits were more appealing to them. Go figure.

Mr. Pearson's lecture was very informative. I was especially interested in hearing how Disney gave him complete access to the parks at night, after the parks had closed. I guess his books capture certain behind the scenes details that kids just eat up, and evidently, there is now a "Kingdom Keepers" tour that can be booked at WDW.




Here is a website on the Kingdom Keepers series if you want more info:

http://thekingdomkeepers.com/

We had told ourselves that after Ridley Pearson’s presentation we would go back to the Rainforest Room, but I looked in my wife’s eyes, she looked in mine and we both knew that a nap was coming. After all, Gaston didn’t take his fateful plunge into oblivion until about 12:30 am the night before, and I was upside down to my navel in a trash bin filled with 3D glasses for some time after that. Plus, we knew it would be another late one tonight since Dr. Strange was showing in the Buena Vista Theatre at 10:45, so no question. This situation called for serious, dedicated, nappage!

Ahhh.....the cruise ship afternoon nap. We opened the door to our balcony so we could hear the ocean sounds from the seascape below us. When you're very young, and your mom makes you take an afternoon nap, you pitch a fit and holler and resist with all your might. Then you go to college and realize taking naps beats going to the library. Or if you're like me, you take your naps IN the library....two birds, one stone. It's not until you've had children of your own, and endured all the associated responsibilities that you realize what a luxury it is to be able to take an afternoon nap. The normal 9 to 5 routine back home just does not permit me this luxury. Well, unless I close my office door and tell the staff not to disturb me because I'm working real hard.

We woke up refreshed, and yet still had time to hit the Rainforest Room, and indulge in some shawarma decadence before the Golden Mickeys. The Rainforest Room was wonderful again; a refuge of tranquility. We lounged on hot ceramic tiles until our backs resembled waffle irons; the sight of which made me hungry. Enter shawarma. Today I tried the beef/lamb combo with the mint/cilantro sauce. It was good, but I've discovered I like the chicken with the garlic sauce better.

A quick change into our cruise casual attire for the evening, and we were off to the Golden Mickeys. The Golden Mickeys were great, as always. Amazing, the staying power of this show. Our very first cruise was on the Wonder 13 years ago, but I can still remember this great show from that first cruise, and how enchanted my daughters were with all of their favorite Disney characters dancing and singing on stage. Disney has probably tweaked the show a little bit over the 13 year interlude between our Wonder cruises, but the overall story arch remains the same, and it is just as magical as was the first time we saw it.



But there is a little more to this evening's entertainment that I need to disclose; something that made tonight's performance just a little more magical for DW. Remember the review of yesterday's excursion in Cozumel, and DW and the moon over Playa San Martin? Remember how I guessed that the group of a dozen or so, twenty-something kids who joined us on the beach were probably a cruise ship dance troupe? Well, I was correct. Yep. You see where this is going. It occurred to me about half way through the performance that, not only were the singers and dancers very talented - some of them were also very familiar; lol, especially to DW (she's gonna kill me). Right there on stage, in amazing Walt Disney Technicolor, was DW's special friend from the beach. To protect the young man's identity, I will not be disclosing his role in the Golden Mickeys. But yes, he and his friends from the beach were all down there on the stage, and their performance was fantastic! DW was especially enthusiastic about the show (you know, sometimes the puns just write themselves!). We had a little time to kill before dinner. I asked DW if she wanted to go out on deck for a stroll because after all, like Van Morrison said, it was a marvelous night for a moondance. She smacked me on the arm again. Still, soooo worth it.

I've got pictures of tonight's dinner at Tiana's Place, but they're a little dark and grainy. Tiana's Place had dimmed the lights that night because there was a very enjoyable New Orleans's style Jazz band entertaining during dinner. Many have complained that it's a little loud in Tiana's when the Jazz band plays, but we weren't put off by the volume. I suppose if you were trying to carry on a conversation across a large table, it may have been challenging. But at the intimate table for 2 that we had requested, we had no such issues. We could lean in, if we needed to say something to each other, and let's be real. After 31 years, what else is there to really say? (That was a joke people. I hang on her every word. Mean it.)



Check out the glare on that vast expanse of forehead created by my receding hairline. Even with lights dimmed, that should have provided enough lumens to light up all of New Orleans!

And here are the grainy food pictures, shiny forehead notwithstanding:

 

[bcwife76]

I take it there was no full moon at the Golden Mickeys

The food looks great at Tiana's, I'm hearing nothing but great things about this restaurant and can't wait to try it for myself in a few short weeks.

Ah napping.....yes why fight it indeed? Nothing more restful than falling asleep to the sound of the waves

 

[JohnGalt]

You would love the Alaska cruise-- we did the one in May of this year. TR is on here. And we would do Alaska 1 or 2 more times, if time and $ allowed. We just couldn't do it all!

Oh ya, Alaska cruise is on our bucket list. I'd like to say 2018, but I can't say that yet. We're still trying to figure out timing that makes sense.

JG

 

[JohnGalt]

I love your trip report to bits! It is laugh out loud hilarious and so entertaining! From the bottled water to the 3 D glasses incident and everything else, I love it!

Hmmmm... we used to make our own Coke floats on the Magic... your wife's Coffee Floats sound even better!

I also look forward your goodnight family photos ..... they're right up there with chocolates on the pillow.
Don't worry though. One day you'll get to relive it all with your future grandkids. I can tell you. It is incredibly amazing!
Thanks for sharing your story, your wonderful photos, and the helpful tips!

Well thanks so much, you are too kind! I've taken a brief hiatus for a few days because I got crazy busy at work. But I'm back at it now, and I have a bunch of pictures coming up from Cartagena, and from canal crossing day. One more sea day to get through first.........

JG

 

[JohnGalt]

Are you sure you're an accountant?

LOL - It's nice to know I can successfully NOT sound like an accountant! But I'm sure if you met me on any given work day, the pocket protector, the 10-key case, the coffee stain that didn't quite come out of the crisply pressed white shirt - would all betray my profession.

JG

 

[JohnGalt]

Totally agree. The memories I've made on these trips with my daughter will last a lifetime.

Oh yeah - I don't regret one penny I've ever spent vacationing with my wife & kids. It's one of the best investments I've ever made! (Ok, so now I sound like an accountant again.)

JG

 

[Bethany10]

Yay! so glad to see you back in trip report mode. Truly enjoying your report.

 

[JohnGalt]

I take it there was no full moon at the Golden Mickeys

The food looks great at Tiana's, I'm hearing nothing but great things about this restaurant and can't wait to try it for myself in a few short weeks.

Ah napping.....yes why fight it indeed? Nothing more restful than falling asleep to the sound of the waves

A few short weeks?? Oh man!

1. I'm green with envy
2. Please review! I've lurked around for quite some time and you write GREAT reviews!

JG

 

[ukintheus]

Many have complained that it's a little loud in Tiana's when the Jazz band plays, but we weren't put off by the volume. I suppose if you were trying to carry on a conversation across a large table, it may have been challenging. But at the intimate table for 2 that we had requested, we had no such issues.

We found this to be 100% accurate. Our first cruise with TP it was just the two of us, and we didn't have any issue at all with volume, 2nd time there were 5 of us on an 8 top and it was impossible to carry on a conversation at all.

Sounds like a nice and relaxing day....those are my favorites.

 

[ironz]

Oh ya, Alaska cruise is on our bucket list. I'd like to say 2018, but I can't say that yet. We're still trying to figure out timing that makes sense.

JG

Right? That's our stumbling block with planning the PC cruise. We still have jobs, ya know... I don't know why we can't just be off for weeks at at time...
And, where was the shawarma? I totally missed that on our cruise!

 

[bcwife76]

A few short weeks?? Oh man!

1. I'm green with envy
2. Please review! I've lurked around for quite some time and you write GREAT reviews!

JG

Awww sir you make a lady blush I take that as a high compliment

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I am so loving this trip report! It's a dream of my to one day take this cruise. I just love sea days so this sounds like a winner to me.
Coffee Floats?!! Yes please. Why didn't I think of that? Two of my favorite things.

 

[JohnGalt]

I am so loving this trip report! It's a dream of my to one day take this cruise. I just love sea days so this sounds like a winner to me.
Coffee Floats?!! Yes please. Why didn't I think of that? Two of my favorite things.

Thanks, and thanks for following! Yes - if you love sea days then this cruise has got that for ya! Four in a row on the Pacific side! That was a first for us!

 

[JohnGalt]

So I've got another post ready, but I'm having technical difficulties. The board doesn't seem to want me to upload any pictures right now. Pictures that are well below the 1mb threshold are getting an error message saying that "the upload image is too big", even 600k images.

I'll try again tonight.

JG

 

[JohnGalt]

Yay! so glad to see you back in trip report mode. Truly enjoying your report.

Well thanks! Now if I could just figure out why it won't let me upload some of the pictures I want to, I'll get another installment posted.

 

[JohnGalt]

Day 4, Wednesday April 26, Sea Day, Part III
Music Recommendation: “Old Man” Neil Young

Since Doctor Strange didn’t start until 10:45, we had some time to kill after we finished our fabulous lights dimmed dinner at Tiana's Place. I suggested we go back to our room, hang out on the balcony, and enjoy the night time seascape. DW suggested we go for an after-dinner walk on deck 10. I elaborated on how great the balcony would be; cool breeze blowing off the water, half moon appearing over the horizon, ma in her kerchief and I in my cap, could really settle in for a balcony nap. But she countered by extolling the healthy virtues of an after dinner walk; aids in digestion, we need to work off calories, blah blah blah. So. Now what. We were at the threshold of impasse territory. So after some healthy and constructive deliberation between two evolved adults that have learned over 31 years to trust and communicate, we came up with a workable compromise. We did exactly what she wanted. You young men out there, please, trust me on this. Thirty-one years of marriage has taught this old man something. The analysis is not that complex. On a piece of paper, list out both choices, and for each choice, list out the potential positive utility gained, and then list the potential negative consequences endured. Doing it my wife’s way wins. Every. Time.







We walked, we laughed, we took a few pictures of artwork in the interior corridors. Then we went to the Buena Vista Theatre and settled in for another late night movie. DW and I were able to see four movies this cruise that we had not yet seen: Beauty and the Beast, Doctor Strange, Moana, & Guardians of the Galaxy II. So, take four premium, first run movies shown in state of the art theaters, times 2 people, times the price of a ticket at a comparable land-side theater = I've just paid for half my cruise!! Well, the math isn't quite that favorable, but it's still a substantial benefit!






We thought Doctor Strange was good; very good in fact. However, of the 4 new movies we saw during this cruise, I would have to say that Doctor Strange was the least memorable. That sounds a lot harsher criticism than I intended it to sound; we enjoyed the movie. But here it is, three months later and I can't recall much of the plot to describe to you. DW and I are huge Benedict Cumberbatch fans, so one would think this movie would garner our highest rating. In the final analysis, it was good, but not as good as we wanted it to be.







Ok, tonight was our latest night yet, and I was determined to not let Miss Sleepy Pants get in bed before me. So I didn't. We got back to our room, I threw my clothes on the couch and I hopped into bed before her. Problem was, I skipped brushing my teeth. I laid there trying to convince myself that I could go one night without brushing. It's not like I had anything too sweet tonight; just a Tiana's chocolate sundae, providing all the bacteria in my mouth with the fuel they need to convert sugars in to corrosive acid. My inner dental conscience wouldn't shut up. DW, sensing my conflict, was NOT HELPING; "Can you turn the other way, your breath is a little stinky tonight." Perfect. She wins again. Begrudgingly, I skulked over to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Then, defeated by my superior sense of oral hygiene, I crept back into bed, breath fresh and minty. Not that anyone knew the difference. DW, ever the salt shaker to my open wounds, was already off in zombie land sleep.



Once again I was left without a copilot, reflecting on the events of the day, which inevitably led to reflections of past cruises. No Sir! Not going there tonight! I am determined not to end up at planet melancholy tonight. Sadly, one has little control of where one's thoughts drift to at 1:15 am. I considered that switching on the TV might help. I turned the volume all the way down, and tuned in to the Wonder navigation channel. I noted the ship's position. We were already further south than Puerto Rico. In fact, the last time we were this far south in the Caribbean was when we visited the island of Saint Martin on one cruise or another. What a fun trip that was. One of the things that is most memorable about Saint Martin, for everyone I suppose, is the airport with the runway that terminates right on the beach. DW and I wouldn't let the girls go right up to the fence line, as many do, to experience the backwash of a modern jet liner propelling itself down the runway. Instead, the girls stayed down near the water line, where the ocean's color was a striking, vibrant shade of blue. I think it was here, at water's edge on Saint Martin, that my youngest initiated what would become an important tradition for her - handstands on the beach. For whatever reason, she started doing handstands on the beach in Saint Martin, and from then on, it became imperative for her to perform this ritual at every beach we visited. What a character! As I watched her effortlessly walking upside down on the beach at Saint Martin, I thought, you know, I can’t do that. It’s an oddly disorienting feeling for a parent, when you realize that at 14 years old, your kids can do some things that you don’t know how to do! It’s a weird mixture of pride and envy. It’s a passing of the torch; an acknowledgment of one’s own mortality. It’s unsettling and makes you feel just a little bit old. Alright, time to turn off the TV, shut my eyes, and hope to wake up in a world where I am everything that DW and my daughters need me to be. Goodnight everyone.

 

[JohnGalt]

Right? That's our stumbling block with planning the PC cruise. We still have jobs, ya know... I don't know why we can't just be off for weeks at at time...
And, where was the shawarma? I totally missed that on our cruise!

It's just to the left of Pete's Boiler Bites, right under the water slide. Delicious!

JG

 

[JohnGalt]

Day 5, Thursday April 27, Sea Day
Music Recommendation: “Don't Think Twice It's Alright” Bob Dylan

Here's this:






After our morning routine of coffee on the balcony, we hurried off to get our first workout completed a little earlier today, because we had scheduled a 9:30 "Artwork of the Theme Ship" tour. We had been looking forward to this tour for several days, because, as you have seen from our many artwork pictures, the corridors and public areas of the Disney Wonder are filled with awesome pieces of art, all steeped in Disney tradition and ambiance. We thought this tour was going to give us the background story about a lot of this great artwork, but unfortunately, I think we misunderstood the goals of the tour.

The 9:30 tour began in Palo. The cast member leading the tour pointed out several cool masks in Palo, and talked about how these masks came direct from Italy, in keeping with the Italian theme of the restaurant. The tour then proceeded down the stairs, where I hoped we would pause to talk about the artwork in the stairwells, but that's not what this tour was about. The focus of the tour was to highlight some of the theming of the public areas; the different carpet designs forward, mid-ship, and aft; the theme of the Disney Wonder exterior paint job, etc. All of this was great information; we were just mistaken as to the nature of the tour. Although our expectations were probably unrealistic in what we were hoping this tour would be, I still think the whole thing had a haphazard, quickly thrown together feel about it. Disappointing, because with just a little planning and effort, this could be a really cool tour! But as we experienced it on day 5 of the WBPC cruise, the tour was a rare miss for Disney. Here's what we were hoping for:

Maybe she can join us on our next cruise.

The tour only lasted about a half hour, and the next agenda item on today's sea day was Moana, at 10:45. We putzed around the ship for a while, taking in the various outdoor venues. Interesting. The adults only area on deck 9, the Quite Cove, was really ramped up with suntan lotion saturated bodies strewn about everywhere. In fact, we frequently observed during this cruise, that the adults only Quite Cove area was busier and more crowded than Goofy's Family Pool venue. I'm sure this was a function of the passenger demographics for this cruise. Before the first night's "Be our Guest" variety show in the Walt Disney Theatre, the Cruise Director had shared some interesting data points about the passenger composition of this cruise. I know I'm not going to get the numbers exactly right, but the Cruise Director indicated that there were about 700 fewer kids on the ship, than on a typical Disney Wonder cruise. I'm sure this has to do with the 14 day itinerary during what is still part of the school-year for most school age children. Interestingly, even though there were 700 fewer kids on-board, the ship was still considered sold-out, meaning, every stateroom that Disney wanted to sell was sold. However, many of the staterooms that normally would have 2 adults and 2 kids, or even 1 adult and 3 kids, just berthed 2 adults during this cruise. Consequently, family venues like the Goofy pool area, that would normally be teeming with children, were by comparison, fairly tame and not crowded at all. Conversely, the adults only Quiet Cove area was swarming with adults unencumbered by the innate responsibilities that come with being in charge of children on-board. Good for them (and us I guess)!

At 10:45 we settled in for another first rate movie that neither DW or I had seen yet: Moana. And I can say unflinchingly that both of us are now fans. The music was great, the casting of Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson was inspired, and the animated Polynesian visuals were breath taking and vibrant. It makes me want to go to Fiji. Right. Now. Maybe a future Disney Cruise Line itinerary?



The afternoon on this sea day was much slower paced, with zero must-do activities on our calendar. We used the slower pace to take advantage of the Rainforest room again. First we grabbed a quick salad from Cabanas, and while lunch was still in progress, we sped off to the Rainforest room. This ended up being an excellent plan. When we went in, there were several ceramic waffle iron recliners still open, and we seemed to beat the rush. I did have a mix-up at the spa front desk. They almost didn't let me in today. I had needed to change after our quick lunch so DW had gone down before me. I guess she accidentally grabbed my KTTW card instead of hers. DW must have a trusting face because they didn't question her when she turned in my KTTW card; they just let her in. After I got changed, I noticed she had mistakenly taken my card, but I figured they would let me in with hers. Man, was I wrong. "Not so fast, John Galt! Why does your KTTW card say Sally Galt?" It probably looked like I was trying to game the system and get in on one of my wife's purchased Rainforest room days. After I explained that my wife had taken my card, they looked in their little box and found my KTTW card right there under "Galt". Funny how they didn't question her, but they were about to throw me in the brig! When the lady saw that my card was already in the box behind the counter, she acquiesced and let me in. "We apologize for any misunderstanding, and please, accept this complimentary container of tangerine scrub, that we give to everyone anyway, as a token of how truly sorry we are." Sheesh! They must really have excess inventory of that tangerine scrub stuff! I think I saw in the Navigator that the drink of the day came with a free container of tangerine scrub!

I digress. The Rainforest room was great once again, and we discovered that during lunch time it wasn't very crowded. Sufficiently waffle-ized by the ceramic tile loungers, we returned to our room for another siesta. Well, at least DW did. I wasn't that sleepy this afternoon so I turned the TV on quietly, and found another movie I hadn't yet seen playing on one of the many movie channels that populate the stateroom TVs, "Passengers." I liked it! I've read some reviews of "Passengers" and I've seen some cinema chat room discussions where everyone is bent out of shape about a questionable moral/ethical decision that Chris Pratt makes in the movie, and I can't help but think that they are all missing the point. Two words: Jennifer Lawrence. End of discussion!



DW rose from her siesta well-rested. A few shawarma's later and it was time for the evening's headliner show in the Walt Disney Theatre: Edge Effect. Now, we had already seen these guys twice; the first night of the cruise in the "Be our Guest" show, and on Day 3 in an after dinner performance in Azure. Our anticipation for this show was informed by both of those previous amazing performances, and we were not disappointed. For this headliner show in the Walt Disney Theatre, they seemed to loosen up. They joked around a lot more and we felt like we got to know them better. Even though the Walt Disney Theatre is cavernous compared to Azure, the way the show was presented tonight, with interludes for dialogue between the group members and their joking around with each other and with the audience, really made it feel more personal, more intimate. DW and I are both clearly star-struck by this wonderful group, their on-stage presence, and their tight vocal harmonies. If they were playing land-side back home, we would pay to see them.

One more cool thing about Edge Effect: They were on the same second seating dining rotation as we were. So was Hector the Magician and his beautiful assistant. It was all I could do to keep DW from running up to them every night at dinner and gushing about how much she liked them. Ok, well, maybe it was she who had to restrain me. My memory is a little foggy on this point.

Our dinner pictures from Triton's tonight are sub-par again. I apologize profusely. I don't think we can blame it on the lighting tonight. It's probably more a result of DW being distracted by just having met the big guy right before dinner. Who's the leader of the band that's made for you and me? THIS guy!










That prime rib was delicious by the way. That's my kind of meal!

After dinner entertainment tonight was Hector the Magician performing in Azure. Hector had two late evening shows tonight, and we had finished dinner in time to make it to the first one which began at 9:45. His show tonight was even more focused on close-up magic, again with web-cam video being projected on a large screen behind him. Close-up magic is definitely Hector's wheel-house, and the web-cam projected image makes the performance very inclusive for the audience. Hector rocks.

After Hector the Magician, DW insisted that her sea day would not be complete without at least one late-night lap on Deck 10. By this, the fifth day of our cruise, I had resigned myself to this nightly regiment. If this nightly routine of alternately walking the ship's length with the strong wind in our faces, followed by walking the ships length with the wind at our backs, kept DW happy and serene, why fight a tidal wave? As I suffered through two complete laps in something less than gale force winds, we discussed our plans for Cartagena Colombia the next day. I told DW that I had selected our excursion, "Taste of Cartagena" (CT23 in the previously uploaded catalog), because it provided a desirable mix of guided tour, and 2 hours of on-your-own time to explore the old city. DW asked if there were any safety precautions we should take in Cartagena. Don't think twice honey, it's alright. I explained that, like any big city, including those in the United States, we needed to maintain an awareness of our surroundings, keep wallets and cell phones in our front pockets, and we should be fine. And after all, hablo un poco de español porque viajo a sudamérica con frequencia por negocios (I speak a little Spanish because I frequently travel to South America for business). Windy walk ritual observed, we headed for our room.



Chalk off another fantastic sea day, and for the first time since Day 1 of this cruise, we were headed to bed before midnight, which was a very good thing, since our excursion in Cartagena started at 7:15 the next morning. I filled out the breakfast room service door hanger thingy and requested our nutritious delivery of black coffee at 5:30am. Yes, you read that right. 5:30 AM. The Wonder was scheduled to dock at 6:00 am, and DW and I always enjoy watching the ship arrive in port from our balcony. We have heard so many good things about Cartagena, we retired in earnest anticipation of exploring this celebrated Colombian city. DW was asleep fast. No surprises there, but I could tell that tonight, I wasn't far behind her.

I don't know if it is the anticipation of exploring a new city, but tonight, my bedtime mood is decidedly optimistic, and I am just incredibly thankful to be here, at this moment, on this ship. This positive vibe; it's hard to explain. It's as if one of my girls just reached out across the expanse of water and gave me a great big hug around the neck. And though we are in the tropics and the humidity is oppressive outside, I drift off to cool, soothing cruise ship dreams.

 

[JohnGalt]

Day 6, Friday April 28, Cartagena Day
Music Recommendation: “Morning Has Broken” Cat Stevens

Here's this:





Our alarm was set at 5:20 am this morning so we could beat the room service guy. It has always been our experience that when you check the little box on the room service door hanger thingy that says 5:30 - 6:00, they are going to come very close to the lower time in the range. And that's a good thing; it allows one to plan with some certainty. We got up when our alarm sounded and sure enough, at 5:31, the room service guy appeared bearing piping hot coffee for our "Morning Has Broken" enjoyment.

Although it was difficult getting up this early, here was the payoff:





The relative haziness of the first photo above is likely the result of condensation on my Iphone from coming out of the air conditioned room and into the sticky humidity that is Cartagena.

Cartagena was hot. Sweaty. Steamy. Humid. And a whole lot of fun. The two hours of free time we were afforded by this excursion was perfect. Really, with as hot and humid as it was, two hours was plenty. Not that there isn’t a lot to see. Wandering the old city is a blast and if you want to go into the museums and such, you could easily spend the whole day there. But two hours allowed us to see what we wanted, and get back to the climate controlled goodness of our stateroom!

The tour portion of our excursion was also good, and we thought our tour guide Carlos, was exceptional. He first took us to the base of Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, and he explained to us the history of the fort and some of the important battles that were fought there. There were quite a few street vendors roaming about the sidewalks below the fort, selling their wares, and they were definitely not shy about approaching you. But a simple "No, gracias" was always enough to send them on to the next potential customer. One of the commodities most in demand at the feet of Castillo San Felipe de Barajas was cold bottled water. Even at this early hour of 9:00 am, it was sweltering hot, and the tropical humidity was aggravating an already sticky hot day. Here are pictures we took at the base of the old fort:









After San Felipe, Carlos took us to the old city, and we walked around on the old city's fortified walls: