The Aviary, Playa Blanca and Jardines de Botanico

La Playa Blanca is a beach about an hour away and it is on every tourist’s hit list.  We signed up.  But we enhanced our trip a little bit too.

The bus picked us up at 6 am and an hour later we had finally picked up the last of about 16 people and headed out of town for a 90-mile trip.  It’s funny; no it’s not funny but invariably some people just won’t be on time!!    With everyone on board, we drove on roads bordered by dry, dusty fields where cattle foraged for food.  We passed a few rural villages with tiny tiendas and people with carts selling the same jugos and same foodstuffs stuff to each other day after day.  For these folk, I hope life is ok, but in my eyes it’s a little sad.

Finally we reached the National Aviary at about 8:30 am.  No one else on our bus had signed up for this part of the trip.  Stan and I left the vehicle.  The guide showed the Aviary gate attendant our paid tickets and we were admitted.  The park did not officially open until 11:30 so we had the visit of a lifetime.  The Aviary has a nice walk that weaves through the 17 acres where 2000 birds of 135 species can be seen up close.  Because we were so early, we were treated to watching attendants feed the birds . . . bowls of fresh seed and beautiful fresh fruit cut in just right size for the species and for the meat-eaters, a pan of chopped fresh fish and shrimp was served at feeding stations.  Watching the birds working up their excitement for breakfast was exciting, funny, and a rare gift for us.

A big flock of flamingos in a pond under the trees amused us squawking and following each other in random directions like a school of fish.  First they all went this way to one side of the pond and then as if on que, they turned and went the other way, squawking and chatting each way.

Peacocks there have the freedom to travel the park as they will.  The males raised their beautiful tail feathers and danced to entrance and seduce he hens.  The ladies were eating their morning’s seed and had no interest in their handsome suitors.

We saw far more birds than I can mention here but will share in photos.

The bus picked us up after two hours and we were taken to La Playa Blanca only 5 minutes away in the nearby area.  We had to walk a dusty trail/road through stalls where Colombian arts, homemade crafts, and any number of items were pressed on us.  When we reached the beach we saw the whitest sand we have seen here in Colombia and turquoise and indigo but slightly milky waters.  This stretch of the beach is said to be one of the most beautiful in Cartagena.  It is about a mile long and was packed solid with people.  Stan and I stepped in the water.  The warm waves were strong and before we knew it, we stepped into deep holes and our knees and toes were thrown onto rough rocks hidden in the water.  We left the water and walked the length of the beach and got back in time to sit in the shade to enjoy the pleasant lunch of fish and rice and chicken and rice that was included in our tour.

On the next day, as part of our final adventure before Cody arrived, we made the journey to the Jardines de Botanico.  They call this place the Botanical Gardens of Cartagena, but it is actually in the town of Turbaco about an hour from Cartagena.  There are no city buses there and it’s outside the approved area for taxis.  We took Uber there just fine but the security guard at the gardens had to call a young man and his young bride t drive us back safely to our apartment after our visit.  The cost was about the same as our Uber ride out from town.

Like an oasis amid a dry dessert, the Jardines de Botanico is lush and green with tropical trees and plants, cascades of water, and wildlife.  It is the last remnants of the Dry Tropical Forest, the most threatened ecosystem in the world.  Pleasant and virtually empty, we thoroughly enjoyed the respite from the busy city.  We heard howler monkeys, saw fat iguanas climb trees and low and behold, excited like little children, we found three tiny yellow-striped poison dart frogs!