Saturday 17th August. Cartagena. Colombia.

At 6.15am I sneaked a look at the computer to see what the rugby score was. We are talking All Blacks v Argentina, here. Would we walk it, or face utter humiliation? Big sigh of relief to see the scoreline. 42 – 10. Whew! After quickly checking out the Aussie v Boks game…evenly poised at half time, I quickly put the computer down before Jen woke and beat me. She slept on, oblivious to the momentous happenings. How would she deal with a less compliant partner…:)

I could spend all day looking at everything imaginable on YouTube, mostly relating to politics and it drives Jen crazy. But what else can one do without a Land Rover!! So, by 1pm, the hottest part of the day, we decided, well Jen did, that we needed to go for a walk. “Do we have to”? “YES”!!!

The camera.

Yes Kelvin, you are probably right!..:) I loved that camera and will see if I can get another, second hand. You may remember I thought I had lost it in Africa, only to find it again. But not this time.

I bought Jen A Nikon Coolpix about 5 years but she has hardly used it as she prefers her phone. I have a phone too, but prefer to talk on it..:) She very graciously gave the Nikon to me to use, until.

So we went for a walk. “I’ve found another Fort we can visit” she says. A bottle of water and off we go.

WOW! That’s an amazing structure, but it looks very much like the one we have already visited. No, it’s another one. “OK, but wasn’t there a chocolate museum opposite like that one over there”? “Good point” she says. So yes, the very same one but arriving from a different direction. it’s a very impressive structure. But boy it’s hot!

A homeless guy was chasing us for money. I hate that. Poor blighter was walking on the swollen ankle of one foot.

Meandering around we came across a huge pair of brass boots, caste in memory of a favourite poet.

Don Blas de Lezo. Somewhat similar to Lord Nelson. One arm, one leg, and yes, one eye..:) .

The statue of one Don Blas de Lezo, a Spanish admiral that, according to information on the web, succeeded in defeating the vast British squadron of 196 ships, in 1741, led by Admiral Vernon. This followed the British defeating the Spanish Squadron at Cartagea in 1708, under Admiral Wager. But then at the base of the statue….this :-

Strange casting reading :- The Spanish Pride Pulled Down By Admiral Vernon. It seems the reverse is true? Don Blas de Lezo is still on his plinth. He must have been reinstalled?

Trying to find the answer to this dilemma led me to the story on the BBC website dated November 2014 when a plaque, installed by Prince Charles in the same year, to commemorate the battle for the fort, was damaged with a hammer due to insensitivity, by a resident of Cartagena. Maybe it has since been removed as we did not see it.

I didn’t know Jen was being poker faced too..:)

When sitting down on a bench in the shade, I spied a 500 peso coin(NZ 20c) on the ground and put it in my pocket. On the return walk from the fort I thought I would give the coin to the homeless guy, if we found him. What we did see was a similar guy seemingly asleep under a hedge about 3 meters away. I threw the coin over to him but it landed short. Not wanting him to not see it, I stepped over the hedge and put it in his hand. He didn’t flinch or stir. He was wooden. It appeared to me, he was dead?

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