From Key Largo to Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

Seeing the Panama Canal has been on my wish list for many decades, so when we received an email offering us 50% off a Panama Canal cruise, we thought it would be a fun vacation. Joined by our dear friends and travel buddies, Tim and Lisa, we set sail from Miami on January 21st for a 16 day adventure with multiple stops along the way.

We arrived a few days before our departure date so we could spend a few days in Key Largo. I had heard much about the Florida Keys and was anxious to see them. I was a bit disappointed with Key Largo, as it wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing as I thought it would be. Our waterfront condo was lovely, and we had a beautiful view, but the town itself wasn’t quaint or charming.

On one of our days there, theTravelsketcher and I drove along the Overseas Highway to Big Pine Key only to find it wasn’t what we had hoped it would be either.

There was a bright spot though, which was a restaurant called Key Largo Backyard Cafe, within walking distance from our Airbnb. The food was delicious and the setting was entertaining.

While enjoying lunch, I noticed a crowd of people by the water’s edge, they were feeding pelicans with left over fish provided by the restaurant. After lunch, we wandered over and discovered quite a few sharks resting below the surface.

They would occasionally come up for a few bites of fish, but didn’t seem to bother the birds. The only other time I have seen a shark that close was after snorkeling off Green Island in Australia; click here to read that post.

The next day we boarded the ship and headed to our first stop, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. I wish we could have explored this beautiful city on our own, but given the limited time we had there, we figured a tour was our best option. The brightly colored buildings, welcoming plazas, vines weaving their way along the balconies and the stunning colonial architecture were simply beautiful.

However, the city was packed with tourists and the street vendors were relentless. In Parque de Bolívar one man approached us numerous times in just a matter of minutes selling hats.

We had only a few minutes at Castillo de San Felipe before being hurried off to a shopping center. Not our idea of seeing the city.

A few thoughts about cruising; it’s absolutely not for us. We prefer independent travel, where we book our own flights, accommodations and tickets to various sites. We really dislike being part of a tour, and quickly realized that we had made a big mistake in booking this cruise. We did our best to make the most of it, but the lingering thought in the back of my brain had me feeling guilty most of the trip. We both try to do our best in protecting the environment, and cruising is very damaging to our planet. We decided early on in the cruise that this would be the last one.

So, all in all it wasn’t the best of vacations, but there were a few highlights including releasing newly hatched baby sea turtles in Acapulco, seeing whales in Cabo San Lucas, spending time with friends and visiting family in San Diego after the cruise. More on these in the coming weeks.

Click here to read theTravelsketcher’s post about our current activities.

Let me know in the comments if you taken a vacation and realized early on you had made a mistake in choosing the destination or method of travel.

Wishing you better adventures,

Tricia