Following a day at sea, we made a very quick stop in Cartagena, Colombia on our way to the Panama Canal. We docked around 7am, and those with shore excursions jetted off the ship while those who didn’t, like me, slept soundly until the Indonesian guy who brings the scrambled eggs and bacon arrived around 9:45am.
The ms Zuiderdam docked in a port dominated by cargo ships and containers stacked as high as the eye could see. There were two other ships in port along with us, so after batting the low-flow shower head I decided to go take some pictures of the other vessels.
The port lecturer warned us that there wasn’t too much to see if we weren’t venturing out on a tour, but did tell us of some Kodak moments available at the terminal itself. So, I decided to take a short walk and act like a tourist for a while.
The cruise ship terminal in Cartegena has a visitor’s center set up like a tropical rainforest complete with an outdoor cafe and some of my favorite things… animals!
After doing the obligatory gift shop walk-thru, you end up in the rainforest where the first thing I spotted was a large flock of pink flamingoes. For a brief moment, I thought I was in a 1950s Florida trailer park, marveling at the plastic lawn ornaments that were a symbol of the era that brought us the Zephyr and Airstream.
But then one of them moved.
Yep, they’re real.
Photo one taken.
As I started to walk along the path that twisted through the native plants, a small monkey came right up to me, made a little noise, and like a well-trained seal waiting for me to throw a fish, he posed for photos! As I moved the camera around to catch a good angle of the little bugger, he would turn his head as if he knew exactly where the lens was. I was glad I could get a Go-pro and a webcam just in time before we sailed off because half the memories were in these devices.
I put out my hand and he latched on to my finger as if to give it a handshake. His claws were a little sharp and the last thing I wanted to do was get some type of blood infection caused by being clawed by a monkey in Colombia, so I resorted to petting the little guy.
Fleas and ticks aren’t that bad are they?
Photos, two, three, four, and photos ten, and eleven were taken.
As I started walking away, he followed me for a little bit then attracted the attention of two young girls and he was back to being the photogenic star of the cruise ship terminal.
If I could have plucked this critter up and taken him back home with me, I would have.
As I bid adios to the monkey, a deer crossed my path. When I lived in Pennsylvania, the only deer I got to see were dead ones along the side of the road victims of the modern age. Those deer would never willingly come up to you and say, “Hey Mister.” A small doe came up to me and as I scratched her head, her mate, a buck with two small horns sticking up, approached me but was not as friendly as his female companion. He didn’t want to be touched, so I bid farewell and moved on to the next.
Photos twelve and thirteen were taken.
Suddenly it seemed the world had descended upon one area of the mini-rainforest as dozens and dozens of people were crowding around an area just full of beautiful and colorful parrots and toucans. Sadly, the ones who talked did not speak English so I had no clue what they were saying, but could only imagine if they were one of my birds I would have taught them every naughty word just to throw people off.
Perhaps they were tossing the f-bomb at me.
I would never know.
Again, these birds were as tame as I am after six Manhattans and a Xanax. The toucan walked right along the fence over to me and allowed me to touch him, while the parrots were a little on the cautious side but would come over if you stuck out your arm as a perch.
Photos numbering up to about two dozen were now in the camera and I decided it was time to head back to the ship. But as I passed a bunch of men tossing cards around like crazy trying to pluck people up for tours of the city, I spotted a sign that said “Emerald Mine.”
Ok, I’ll bite.
It wasn’t really a mine. Just a mock-up of one clearly placed above ground and handicapped accessible. Inside were exhibits of what emeralds look like jutting out of the rocks in which they’re mined. More than two-dozen examples lined the exhibit area with security cameras and signs warning you that you’re being watched, so don’t try to steal the precious stones.
Who knows if they were real or not?
Back to the ship I went, after dropping a fiver into the box as the suggested donation for the rainforest and emerald mine exhibit.
Once on board, we were set to sail away so I went up to Deck 10 for the best view. We sailed out of the harbor and along the coast where the sightseeing was amazing. We did some scenic cruising for about an hour before heading out to the open sea on the way to Panama.
After a few hours in the sun and it was time to partake of the evening activities, which consisted of pre-dinner cocktails in the Ocean Bar where several of us have been meeting each evening before dinner. After a great dinner once again in the Pinnacle Grill, I took in the best entertainment at sea – B.B. King’s Blues Club.
On several of the Holland America Line Ships, the Queen’s Room is transformed into the Blues Club each night where the blues band cranks out music straight from Beale Street. I’ve had the opportunity to see the performance on both the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam in the past and wasn’t going to miss tonight’s performance which happens to be the main show in the Vista Lounge.
Without fail, the show was one of the best I’ve seen on a cruise ship and they had people out of their seats begging for more once the show ended. I stumbled back to my suite with a bit of excitement in my step for what lay ahead the next day.
The whole reason for taking this particular cruise was going to happen in just a few hours and it was time to get some shut-eye as a busy day was set to dawn on the Zuiderdam!
Personal Day-By-Day Zuiderdam Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of the Zuiderdam:
Capturing memories through photography is an integral part of any vacation, and my voyage aboard the Holland America Zuiderdam was no different. Throughout my journey, I snapped countless photos, highlighting various aspects of the ship such as the stunning interior design, the inviting swimming pools, and my own cozy cabin. If you’re interested in viewing these snapshots, you can check out the Zuiderdam Photo Tour or browse the daily cruise review, both accessible through the links provided above.