Historical/Background Info:
The country’s name is derived from the last name of Christopher Columbus. The Spanish were the first Europeans to explore here in 1499 (same time as ABC islands). The Spaniards found large amounts of gold treasure in the interior native villages which they melted down into bars and sent it back to Spain. Later plantations were established for food and also shipped to Spain. The Spanish galleons bound for Europe were the favorite targets for pirates. The Central America country of Panama is northwest border and was actually part of Colombia until 1903. During its history there have been several rebel movements and wars to oust the Spanish. In 1886 the country became known as “The Republic of Colombia”. Since then there have been bloody civil wars and guerilla fighting but the fighting has lessened since 2010. The US has been involved heavily with Colombian efforts to fight drug cartels and the smuggling of drugs out of the country.
Colombia, South America’s fourth largest country, is very rich in natural resources and exports: fuels, oil, precious stones (world source for emeralds), forest products (paper & pulp), coffee, meat, cereals, vegetable oils, cotton, sugar, fruits and other ag products, fish, beverages, machinery, electronics, ships, airplanes, vehicles, chemicals, cosmetics, agro-chemicals, clothing, leather, and construction equipment just to name a few. You may also be surprised to learn that 70% of the cut flowers imported by the US are Colombian. Coffee is practically a mandatory souvenir here. Colombia really is an economic powerhouse.
Colombia has a population of over 48 million which is the 3rd most populous in Latin America behind Brazil and Mexico. It is 1/8th the size of the US. Put another way, Colombia is about twice as big as the state of Texas. Bogota, the capital, is located well inland, basically in the Andes mountains, with a population of 8 million. I have flown over Bogota many times on my way flight from DFW Airport to Buenos Aires. It would be in the middle of the night so have never seen it during daylight. In my humble opinion, Colombian women are by far the most attractive in South America. Colombians are also some of the best educated in South America.
What We Did Last Night:
Last night was the Seven Seas Society cocktail party. The SS Society is like the airline's frequent flier program. Above is an ice carving as we entered the theater of a "R" for Regent.
Shrimp
Caviar
More canapes
The Regent Signature Orchestra is a fantastic 9 piece band that plays for the production shows as well as the entertainers. I hear rumors that Regent may downsize the orchestra and eliminate the two horns. I hope this is not true!!
Rebecca & I and a few others were announced at new Titanium members. 80% of the people on this cruise segment have previously cruised on Regent.
This is our friend, Lauren, with another of the dancers, Lewis. Both are from England.
This is the miso glazed sea bass we had for dinner. It was marinaded for 24 hours and melted in our mouths. We shared another piece.
My dessert was this chocolate covered creme brulee mousse cake.
What We Did Last Night:
What We Did Today:
Today we are docked in Cartagena. At noon it is 85F with 75% humidity.
It took us 1 1/2 hours to cruise into the harbor and dock. Ahead is the new, modern city of Cartagena.
My tour today is "Old Cartagena Walking Tour". Below is the largest Spanish fort in the New World. It is named "San Felipe Fortress". It was started in 1536 and significantly added to in 1657.
It is now 5:00pm and I am just finishing up with today's posting. We will be sailing tonight at 7:00pm for Colon, Panama. Cocktails this evening at 6:30 again in the Horizon Lounge.
*****Don't forget to click on photos to enlarge them for better viewing and use the "blog archive" to view older postings. I have posted every day so far.
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