About 3 pm we taxi to the Walled City. Our plan is to take the Hop-On Hop-Off bus this afternoon for an overview and return tomorrow to spend time with what interests us.
We have the taxi drop us off at Stop #1, pay a deposit to a vendor, then stand waiting for the bus which should appear in 30 minutes. There is no shade and it's 85 F (30 C) with the sun beating down upon us. A street vendor selling bottled water points us toward a park two blocks away and points to the Hop-On Hop-Off timetable to show us it's Stop #4. We figure he must know something and start walking that way. However, we can't find the Hop-On Hop-Off stop. Charlie engages with a taxi driver, acting out that his feet are his taxi today and also that we have Hop-On Hop-Off tickets. The driver laughs and walks us to the stop. He smiles broadly when Charlie shakes his hand providing him with some peso's.
We have the taxi drop us off at Stop #1, pay a deposit to a vendor, then stand waiting for the bus which should appear in 30 minutes. There is no shade and it's 85 F (30 C) with the sun beating down upon us. A street vendor selling bottled water points us toward a park two blocks away and points to the Hop-On Hop-Off timetable to show us it's Stop #4. We figure he must know something and start walking that way. However, we can't find the Hop-On Hop-Off stop. Charlie engages with a taxi driver, acting out that his feet are his taxi today and also that we have Hop-On Hop-Off tickets. The driver laughs and walks us to the stop. He smiles broadly when Charlie shakes his hand providing him with some peso's.
The bus soon arrives, thankfully with an awning over the top. We ride the 90 minute loop, seeing the clock tower, Castillo de San Felipe, the city walls, the Bochagrande beaches and the port amongst other sights. Some of the people we spot along the way are also great entertainment.
We spot a bar on the city walls which is close to Stop #4 and agree we'll go there after we get off the bus. It's a 15-20 minute walk in the Getsemani area, an up-and-coming neighbood. At the bar William uses the wi-fi to search for nearby restaurants. He finds an Italian Trattoria 15 minutes away. We arrive a little before sundown and are able to get a table with no problem. The food is great and by the time we leave there are about 20 people waiting for a table. The streets of the area are now full of people - the nightlife is starting!
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