We moved to another Airbnb apt in downtown Cartagena, so it'll be more convenient for us to go to the marina and for the girls to go to Spanish school.

The girls love their Spanish class so much that they requested to study for 3 hours everyday. In just one week's time, they learnt quite a lot! On Friday Monica took the girls to visit El Galeon, the replica of the 16th century Spanish merchant ship sailed by Pedro Menendez. The Spanish Galeon was armed trade boat with payloads ranging from 500 to 1,200 tons, several decks, and lengths between 40 to 60 meters which were designed to cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. When travelling from Spain, the galleons were loaded with basic European products for the colonies such as wheat, olive oil, wine, cloths and fabrics, weapons, tools, and so on. When the galleons came back from America and the Philippines, they mainly brought back valuable American goods and exquisite products of the East: gold, silver, ivory, silk, precious gems, etc.

Really glad that we decided to stay in a small town like Cartagena for an extended period of time, so that we can settle in, meet people and be immersed in the local culture. Thrilled for the girls to learn a new language in a native setting. It's precious opportunity and hopefully they will continue to study after we leave Cartagena. Spanish should be useful in the Caribbeans!

Decided to get a new dinghy and sell our old one - little Alex. The new dinghy will be called little Alex again but still it's sad to say goodbye. She's been with us for six years, and has taken us to so many marinas, beaches, caves and hidden diving spots, not to mention all the wake boarding, donutting, foil boarding, SUP surfing, etc.