The Rosario Islands are a small grouping located 25 miles south of Cartagena and a nice stop before getting back into big city living. The water is clear and inviting and the pace is slow and easy. We spent a week enjoying the tranquility (well that is except for one Friday night when the music played on and on and on and on and on…until Sunday morning…which in itself is almost bad enough, but they got stuck on one tune and played it over and over and over and over…I felt led to introduce a well placed flare gun shot into their generator, but calmer minds prevailed (Kaija said ‘no way’) and we all survived intact. One of the real treats was a visit to the local aviary where we were treated to close up and personal visits with birds of species we had never before seen. It was a great place to collect feathers for your cap. A must see if you are ever here. (collage 22 ).
We arrived in Cartagena in time to enjoy the lights and festivities surrounding Christmas. Cartagena is a big city with much history and there is much to see and do. Unfortunately, this year Kaija and I were separated for the holiday as she needed to be with her father in Vancouver undergoing treatment for Cancer. He is much in our thoughts and prayers for a speedy and full recovery and we are ever mindful of just how lucky we are to have our health and strength to be able to enjoy this experience and adventure. (collage 23)
In Kaija’s absence, Gary and Doc are enjoying their bachelor days living in complete chaos and disarray. We have contracted to have some extensive internal modifications done on the boat while Kaija is away, and as I write this, the sawdust is a flying, the hammers are a hammerin, and the walls are a comin down…and in the words of one of the contractors, in pigeon Spanglish…’Destruction Completion’…with any luck, we’ll soon get into the construction phase and get this destruction phase behind us. Living in a 50 foot tube 15 feet wide can be somewhat tedious and testing of one’s resolve. We continue to make efforts to improve the small space in which we live in an effort to keep the enjoyment level high and the dream alive. When all is complete, we will have reduced 4 small heads (bathrooms) to two good sized heads, one nice office, and one laundry room c/w new automatic washer…(no more wringing out the clothes by hand…no joke!) A testament to what can be done in ‘very small spaces’. An update! It is now the last day of January…things were to have been completed prior to Kaija’s return….no way Hosei!...not a chance in Manyana Land…however, we do make small progress daily, and albeit we will be here another few weeks to get all things completed…did I say ‘all things’…hah hah hah…I mean, two out of seven items contracted hopefully will be done…don’t ever undertake more than a handshake in a country where you don’t speak the language…you are asking for a very interesting experience…and altho mostly good…there are those ‘moments’ where you wonder just what you were thinking. Here’s a few pics of the destruction of one head which hopefully will be a lovely and functional nav/computer station. I will post pics of the ‘after’ of the ‘before & after’ if we ever make it to ‘after’. Till then, hold on and keep your fingers crossed for us. (collage 26 )
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