tips, which takes the stress out
of wondering whether you are
going to be landed with a hefty
bill for drinks at the end and the
awkwardness of who gets what.
The ship had a very fun and
mixed vibe with seasoned cruisers
as well as first-timers, groups of
friends and young families. There
were trivia quizzes around the pool
and a brilliant DJ, who blasted a
lot of tunes from the Caribbean
and South America, as well as old
favourites. But there were equally
a lot of areas where you could
retreat for peace and quiet,30 S MAGAZINE ★ 25 AUGUST 2019
Edited by Laura Mulley
A
s we sauntered down
Jimmy Cliff Boulevard,
the song Wonderful
World, Beautiful People
came into my head.
It couldn’t have been more apt.
We were returning to Jamaica
from a fantastic adventure that
had seen us zip lining in Costa
Rica, visiting the world-famous
Panama Canal and taking in
the colour and beauty of the
Colombian city of Cartagena.
Our trip had started at Montego
Bay where, after dipping our toes
into the crystal-blue water, we
boarded our home for the week,
the Marella Discovery 2. Our
“Pride of Panama” itinerary was
the perfect mix of downtime and
excitement. And as we set sail, we
raised our glasses to the most
beautiful sunset of orange and
red. It became a ritual we
continued during the week.
Next stop was Santa Marta,
the oldest town in Colombia.
It is teeming with cafés and
restaurants and very easy to walk
around, with the highlights being
the cathedral and the huge
monument to Simón Bolívar,
known as The Liberator and a
national icon in South America.
(Bolivia is named after him and he
spent his last days in Santa Martauntil his death in 1830.) We took
in the sights of the artisan market
and stopped off for a lovely
Colombian coffee – what else?
As we wanted to make the most
of the day, we headed off to
Rodadero Beach to swim in the
Caribbean Sea. With the sun
beating down on the white sand
and coconut trees rustling in the
breeze, it was heaven, and an
image of Colombia many people
wouldn’t expect.
After years of drug problems
with cartels and Pablo Escobar,
the King of Cocaine, Colombia
is on a mission to change
perceptions and it is working. Our
next stop was Cartagena. It is
picture-perfect, with colourful
buildings, cobbled streets and
heaps of history. It is the only
walled town in the Americas and
was built to protect against
pirates. You can really imagine
it in its swashbuckling days,
helped by local ladies, known as
palanqueras, wandering around
in the traditional dress of the
Colombian flag – as one local told
us, yellow for the sun, blue for the
sea and red for independence- selling pineapples and mangoes.
Cartagena, which is a UNESCO
World Heritage site, played a key
part in the Spanish Inquisition and
at the Plaza de Bolívar, you can
visit the Palacio de la Inquisición.
The building is beautiful on the
outside but hides a very dark
secret as is clear from the
Ventana de la Denuncia, the
window where people would
go to denounce those who were
not following the faith.
Every November, Cartagena also
plays host to the Miss Colombia
pageant – a huge deal in this
country. The rich and famous
travel in for the event as it ties in
with their independence day and
the city is mobbed. You can see
street art on the pavement of all
the winners going back decades.
(In 2015 Miss Colombia was
briefly and wrongly crowned Miss
Universe when the host Steve
Harvey got her mixed up with
actual winner Miss Philippines.)
By now we were getting into the
swing of life on the ship, and after
a long day of sightseeing there
was something really lovely
about coming back knowing that
everything was on hand. The
toughest choices were where
to eat and what – with seven
restaurants to choose from you
could eat somewhere different
every evening, from Italian to surf
and turf or Asian. Marella Cruises
are all inclusive, too, includingAll aboard for a cruise
around Central America,
taking in culture, colour
Set sail and natural wonders
Above: Take a boat in Costa
Rica’s Tortuguero National Park
to spot lizards and sloths