Travels of THB: Day 8 Meda-jean to Cartagena (cart-ah-hay-na)

THB's arty pic of the trip

Weather: Warmish and slight humidity in Meda-jean. Hot and humid in Cartajena because THB is now in a beachfront community known for being warm and humid.

Travel day: the tour group has a relatively early departure and that is because it will give us more time at our last stop of the trip with the group.

leaving the sink? leaving the bathroom? leaving the airport? leaving ... Colombia?

aquaculture on the approach to the airport

the Hyatt Regency is on that narrow peninsula in the top center and thus we have slow going most of the time when leaving or arriving at the hotel

Is it a good idea for THB to take a pic of his boarding pass?

Coffee Tasting: Not near as exciting as the afternoon rum tasting. On the other hand, THB remembers being at the coffee tasting and thus can actually report on what happened. He cannot report on what was said since he couldn't quite pick up the English speaking coffee guide's accent. Yes, THB had turned on his hearing aids and they were in his ears.

Dan, sitting next to THB turned right while the rest of stayed with coffee; he had a fruit smoothie and rated it way better than #s 1, 2, and 3 (note his small coffee cups are turned upside down).

Lunch at Isura: a mélange of Asian cuisines. There were enough first and second course dishes that THB barely tasted the entrée, chicken breasts (which required a knife and fork). THB checked in with other tour members after lunch and very few even tasted their entrees. Were running behind and so skipped dessert!

Dan of the upside down coffee cups

One of themes of the tour has been loud music and THB fears it will continue...how did THB figure that out?

maybe the closest the restaurant came to serving Asian food in the style(s) THB is used to

not the restaurant's fault: items on a shared appetizer plate do not come in easy to handle multiples of 6 or 7

Hyatt Regency: as usual, our room is spectacular. There's only one problem. THB can't even find the check-inn desk, let alone his room. Only with much experience can THB remember the best way: take elevators to 12th floor; walk over to the bank of elevators on the east side and take the north facing (possibly north, on your left now) bank and go to the 30th floor. Leave the elevators, walk west and then turn left. Pick up your room key. Go back to the elevators and take the north facing bank (lost yet?). Important!! Make sure the elevator is going in the direction of the floor your room is on. THB and DB are on the 19th floor, so we are going down from 30th (you remembered you are on 30th floor, right?). Get on the elevator and quickly put your room key card up to that electronic control that reads your card (there's only one card reader even though the elevator has two sets of floor buttons). Your room floor and the 12th floor will light up on the floors your room card allows you to visit. Very quickly push the floor you want to go to. The light on the floor will turn from white to red.

Failure!! nobody has explained these directions to THB (or to you, or anyone else in the elevator). Get off the elevator either at 12th floor and start over. Or get off the elevator on someone else's floor and start over.

Note: THB doesn't really have to explain that you will be dodging lost hotel guests every step of the way. Do not stop to explain some of the steps to them. Remember, your Spanish is not adequate to relate the proper steps. Fortunately, most guess speak English. Do not point or laugh or make any other culturally demeaning gestures.

Stay safe; Keep your mask on at all times. THB was really worried about getting on an elevator with little kids. There's a pandemic going on for the tykes of the world.

THB thinks this is the 30th floor, nobody is sure

THB is sure this is the 30th floor since he ate breakfast her twice...excellent pastries!

view from the elevator banks looking east

Hurray!! THB's bags (only his and DB's bags) made it to the right room while THB was drinking coffee and eating lunch

View to the north and down from THB's room on the 19th floor

Muy importante: a bathtub in the expansive bathroom

A walk-in closet!! notice that THB is in shorts today...Cartagena is a beach town and very casual attire is expected

Rum Tasting: a thriller.

THB did not take notes, and he can't remember what these are. Rum beans?

THB took this pic, it was on his I-phone camera. So most likely some guy named Oscar led the tasting

That could be Oscar

THB is also somewhat sure he took this pic though the bottle was at least half empty later (THB knows this because he was the only tour member who asked for a doggie bag....maybe)