We had 2 days at sea including 1 for the Panama Canal transit. They finally have the new lane open. It's a faster transit if you use the new canal but we didn't hear how the lanes are determined. It costs $437,000 for our ship to use the canal which works out to $134. per person. They are also building a new bridge at the Eastern end of the canal but It's missing 3 sections and won't be finished for at least 2 years.
CARTAGENA - Pop. around 1 million. Currency - Colombian peso but US $ widely accepted. Spanish. Due to it's proximity to the equator, there are no seasons and the average temp is 82 with a few rainy months.
We did the hop on hop off bus for a tour of the city. There was a 90 minute guided walking tour of the old city which we didn't do but we went around twice and got off part way around the second time. There were a lot of people from the ship using this sightseeing transportation and they ended up using a boat to take us back to the ship. From all accounts, Cartagena is a safe city. It is also a major producer of emeralds. They certainly have a lot of condos and they are almost always white. Hotel rooms average $250/night but you can stay a month or more in a condo for around $1000/month. Wages are in the area of $300/month.
Pictures - 1 the fortress at the old city Cartagena
2 beach condos in the new city
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