8/17/08 Captain Jack's Repossession Repo Cruise to PC thru TPC Part 9

[cinderella_mom]

I previously mentioned the article on Cartagena that appears in the current Conde Nast Traveler magazine. I thought I would post some excerpts from the article to give people a taste of what certainly seems like a fascinating port-of-call. If nothing else, this should reassure those who, based on some of the previous posts, might have been concerned about leaving the ship. Having just finished the entire article, I will have to make sure to watch Romancing the Stone again before next August.

Excerpts from Sleeping Beauty: Even during Columbia’s darkest years, Cartagena was spared. David Ebershoff visits this dreamy city by the sea, a place that wears its rich history as lightly as it does its languorous charm (Conde Nast Traveler, March 2007).

On its beaches:

Cartagena’s beaches aren’t what you’d expect. The sand is thick and brown, muddying the water. The surf is rough and tricky. These are city beaches, like those in San Juan and Coney Island: crowded, nosy, and fun–not relaxing. For that, most people go to the Rosario Islands, an hour and twenty minutes from the marina by launch. For a quick dip in the Caribbean, go to the busy, fun beach in Bocagrande, five minutes from the old city by cab. Another option is to hire a cab to take you to the small fishing village of La Boquilla, five miles north of the city.

On safety:

Columbia’s long-running civil war and campaigns of narco-terrorism have never erupted on Cartagena’s streets; here the political strife and horrific violence feel very far away. If you take the usual precautions, you should feel safe walking around the historic center day or night. That said, the country’s political situation is always changing. In the past few years, the change has been for the better, with the country becoming increasingly peaceful and stable (with the exception of parts of the mountainous interior and the Amazon Basin).

Even in the bloodiest times, the violence never reached Cartagena’s walls. Why not? It’s a question I ask nearly everyone I talk to about the city. There are a lot of theories. Originally built by the Spanish, the coral, brick, and quicklime walls that surround the historic center have protected the city for hundreds of years. [Some believe] Columbians love the city too much to hurt it; “Cartagena is the symbol of Columbia. All Colombians take pride in it. During the years of violence, even the narco-traffickers respected it.” For whatever reasons, Cartagena has remained safe: For nearly two decades, it has been a haven for Colombia’s middle and upper classes.

On its bloody history:

Founded in 1533 on a small Caribbean peninsula, Cartagena quickly became one of the most important cities in Spain’s South American empire. Much of the gold, silver, emeralds, and pearls stolen from the Incas and other Andean civilizations passed through its warehouses. So much treasure was amassed that soon French and English pirates were attacking the city, looting the loot. The Spanish responded by building an elaborate complex of walls and forts, a project that lasted nearly two hundred years and required the labor of some 80,000 slaves. It culminated in Castillo de San Felipe, Spain’s largest military fort in the Americas, an imposing structure that looks something like the pyramids outside Mexico City. It was designed with trapdoors, “niches of death,” and two thousand feet of internal tunnels, some of which deliberately lead nowhere. It and many of the city’s other fortifications remain intact, including almost all of the walls that surround the historic neighborhoods. The wall now makes a scenic promenade; along the way are a number of garrets that you can step into and look out at the Caribbean through a musket hole.

Cartagena has had a long relationship with the macabre. In 1610, the city became the seat of the Spanish Inquisition in Latin America. Although never as bloody as its counterpart in Iberia, the Dominican-led push to root out heretics, witches, Jews, and other undesirables resulted in roughly seven hundred local persecutions and five autos-da-fe [sorry, I have not idea what those are]. The Inquisition Palace is a grand Andalusian-style building freshly restored as a museum on the north side of the Plaza de Bolivar. There’s a display of torture racks, stockades, and a scale used to weigh women accused of witchcraft to see if they were light enough to fly. On the outside wall, at the height of a person on horseback, is the denunciation window. Here, seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Cartagenos with a grudge would anonymously slip the names of heretics through the iron grille.

On getting to know the city:

The historic city is divided into three neighborhoods: El Centro, where you’ll find the major churches, museums, and plazas, and where the nobility once lived; San Diego, an upscale residential neighborhood formerly occupied by wealthy merchants and top military officers; and Getsemani, which has seen the least renovation.

On finding a guide:

Go to the entrance at the San Pedro Claver Cloister and ask for Willy or one of the other government-certified guides, who wear badges showing their credentials (about $30 for an afternoon).

Thanks for posting this great information. I am trepidatious(sp?) about Columbia, but would love to see it.

 

[pyramid2000]

Hi Everybody,

Just checking in after a long couple of weeks. I read all of the 12,000 posts that I missed. (Well OK, I read the summaries of the 12,000 posts that I missed.) I hate when real life gets in the way of important things like the DIS. I'm enjoying my Spring Break... especially with the wind chill in the teens and the snow coming down!

Andy, hope you're keeping warm out there. At least it's supposed to get back up to the 50's this weekend.

Lisa, thanks for all that you do here on the DIS!

And thanks to all of you that post here and make everybody feel welcome. Even us low-posting slackers! By the way, this is my 100th post to this thread. As you can see by my post count, that's a big deal for me! Looking forward to seeing you all on the Trip Of A Lifetime!

BIP, sending prayers for both you and your DH.


Hopefully, I'll talk to you all soon.

I was wondering what happened to you! Hope you find the time to join in more over the next 18 months.

 

[magiroux]

So I'm still having a hard time keeping up with this group. What is this about another group and discounts on pre-cruise stay? We're coming from the east so would need to come in a day or two before. Any and all help appreciated.

Didn't notice if anyone responded to you....

There is info about this on page one of this thread. I think some people are staying at DL pre-cruise and some are staying at the port.

are you talking about the hojo send me a Pm and I will give you information. Many have goten very good rates

I was responding to dclfan57. I'm not sure if they saw the post and still need help or not . I did book HoJo's for our pre-cruise stay

 

[brack]

WHAT??? No New York Staff Band?????

No NYSB or ISB but I do have the National Capital Band on my playlist. It just didn't get in the shuffle list.

 

[PBader]

Good Morning everyone!! I will be fighting the freeways of L.A. today traveling for my job, so I won't be around much, but I wanted to take a moment and tell you all how great I think you are. It has been so great getting to know all of you these past several weeks and I can't wait to meet you all on our TOAL! There is such a wonderful group here...funny, smart, warm and caring.

I feel like the Mastercard commercial...

Deposit on Trip of a Lifetime $2000
Wench Costume $ 200
Duct Tape $ 3


Sailing with Captain Jack and the kindest, funniest, most wonderful crew ever...Priceless!

Mary, that was so wonderfully put I truly think that by August when most of us get to meet. It will be awesome.


Be careful in all that LA traffic

 

[magiroux]

Good Evening Everyone !!!!

Mark

'Eveing, Mark. How is FGM feeling this evening?

 

[pyramid2000]

Okay ...Lets play the IPOD game ....everyone get your IPOD and put it on Shuffle and list the first ten songs that come up ....this will give us an idea of what music you enjoy ...I'll Start

1. November Rain - Guns and Roses
2. We Belong - Pat Benatar
3. Dont Forget About Us - Mariah Carey
4. Fall to Pieces - Velvet Revolver
5. Sgt.Peppers Lonley Hearts club band - The Beatles
6. Tell it to My Heart - Taylor Dayne
7. In The End - Linkin Park
8. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
9. Some girls do - Sawyer Brown
10. World in My Eyes - Depeche Mode


Wow not to bad for the first 10 out of over 7500 tunes I have on mine ...Okay whos next ??? Lisa ??? I know you have your IPOD working ...LOL

*Sigh* I still can't participate. My guess would be the first 10 songs would consist of Elton John and Disney songs.

 

[justmestace]

Are you serious, Stacey???? That is awful, and very painful. Were you exposed to it somehow?

OK, I just re-read your post and realized my blonde moment

JR will never let me live that one down

Oh no, it's not painful at all. Although it IS a little hard to get my foot all the way up there. Not as limber as I used to be!



OMG...I haven't laughed that hard in I don't know how long.

 

[pyramid2000]

Hi -
Just checking in - Thank you all for the well wishes - I survived my (3hr) surgery and I'm doing okay thanks to Vicodin!

This was the 3rd attempt at the graft - to make a long story short I went to a specialist at UCLA who actually developed a number of these techniques - he also lectures and teach worldwide. So, I arrive at 6:40am and open the door and there is a room full of Japanese dentists - my surgery is part of his teaching course!!! So I blurt out here I am your guinea pig. I guess it was just as well I was sedated during the procedure or my warped sense of humor might have puzzled the Japanese.

Shelly- I hope all is well with you & you DH gets better.
and to everyone sick/not feeling well.

.....
Happy Wednesday Everyone! Chris

Glad it came out well for you!

 

[radioclash2]

Okay ...Lets play the IPOD game ....everyone get your IPOD and put it on Shuffle and list the first ten songs that come up ....this will give us an idea of what music you enjoy ...I'll Start

Great idea here's mine

1. Jet, Are You Gonna Be My Girl
2. Talking Heads, Wild Wild Life
3. Red Hot Chillie Peppers, Charlie
4. U2, New York
5. The Pretenders, Time the Avenger
6. The Killers, Midnight Show
7. Fleetwood Mac, Paper Doll
8. Stevie Nicks, Stand Back
9. No Doubt, Don't Speak
10. U2, Gloria

 

[magiroux]

Does DISDog have a coat or sweater?

Nope, just a red T-****

 

[pyramid2000]

to you right now...

My brother is going through something similar. He's 37 too. For the past 6 or so months he's been having bouts with numbness. At first, they thought it was blockage to his heart because the "episodes" of numbness would come and go. Then they thought he was having mini strokes, then they started looking a Bell's Palsy. They're trying him on different meds to see if they can narrow it down. But he's had EKG's, head CT's, MRI's of the brain, etc, etc, and they still don't know for sure what's going on.
But what we do know is that the process is scary for us, and even more so for him.
I also know that if it's Bell's Palsy, I've heard that there are some great meds out there, so hang in there. And if you can't get a diagnosis that you're willing to settle on, seek a second opinion.
We're here for you if you just need to vent.

I am glad to hear that there is lots of hope out there for Shelley. It can't be easy dealing with something like this.

 

[PBader]

Hello everyone
I had a great day at work...much better than Tuesday
Hopefully, I will catch up with you all soooon

 

[jonesing]

I hear you about the HE detergent...We JUST stocked up on regular stuff...the ALL Small and Mighty stuff, because it was on sale!!
So we now have like 8 bottles of detergent that we're not going to be able to use...

Oh well. So far we're really liking the LG.
I love the little chimes...

We used to use the HE detergent but not so any more. HE just doesn't suds up as much. DW must use Tide, anything else and she gets itchy and rashes. Bought the JUMBO box at Sam's Club and I just cut down the amount as compared to a regular washer. Even some of the "regular" detergents are now made for use in front-loading washers as-is. We use Allens Naturally detergent for the diapers. It's naturally low-no sudsing and one small cap (1oz) does an entire load of clothes so the recommendation for the diapers is to clean them with 1/2 oz.

Yea I love those chimes...I even try to time the loads so the washer and dryer go off at the same time And tell me, what is it about a front loading washer that makes you stare at the clothes going round and round? LOL

 

[disneyjunkie]

OK - I have got to be off to pick up youngest DD - Does anyone else who sends their kids to parochial school find it funny how we pay bookoo $ to get them this fantastic once-in-a-lifetime education and somehow, they have all these 'extra' holiday and time off from school or early exit days? Sorta like when the older 2 went to Catholic high school and started on August 27 and we still had to pay for the entire month of school? Just don't get that

I've been wondering the same thing. My son was out today and he'll be out again on the 30th. Why are they out?

I don't get it, but my son loves it. This morning he said "Mom I love this Catholic school stuff, we're always out"

hi all,
quick question...how many have made ressies at the hojo with the group rate? and if you made the ressie, how many days are you staying? i haven't had time to read thru all the posts, and i just now noticed the group rate posted on the first page...i'm wondering what everyone's plans are? we are pretty flexible...but i'd like to go when the majority goes...that way if there is a rental bus or something...we could get in on it.
also, are you all planning on staying at DL til the day of the cruise...or staying closer to the port the nite before the cruise?
looking for your plans!!

We'll be there for a week.

Thanks for posting this great information. I am trepidatious(sp?) about Columbia, but would love to see it.

I'm a bit worried about this port as well. Right now, I think we'll just stick to shopping in the area near the port.

 

[The FairyGodmother]

'Eveing, Mark. How is FGM feeling this evening?

I'm here. I went to doc today. Now on lots of drugs so hopefully, I will feel better soon.

Thanks for asking.

 

[pyramid2000]

I know what you mean...scary that I think about all the posts I am getting behind on when I am doing other things... in real life!



Over 100 pages behind now.

OMG I have been on here too long!! This is from 1:30 this afternoon!

 

[PBader]

never would have thought about checking Popular Mechanics for a PC article.....and what the heck was that mag doing in the hair salon???

Come on, Monica -- everyone knows that mechanics always stop by the hair salon on the way home to get the grease washed out of their hair, followed by a nice blowout . . . what do you expect them to read then? Redbook?

 

[justmestace]

Okay...she's going to kill me....but I'm posting a picture of Shelley...BBB..BIP....and her family. She said she wasn't pretty and I'm here to challenge her on that. She's a doll and has a darling family

Shelley....

 

[sk8ingmom]

This is a line from Larry the Cable Guy's routine from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour.

OK, I knew I must be missing something. Larry just ain't my thang.