March 9th - 10th, Rododero (Santa Marta) Colombia
We checked out of Cartagena and it's a good thing because the previous night when we went looking for a mojito, the town seemed very dead. Suspiciously so. And all the bars and most restaurants were shut... on a Saturday night! Turns out, it is election time in Colombia so no alcohol is sold in shops or restaurants and most of them remain shut until the elections are over. So for Sunday we booked a door to door shuttle called Marsol to take us to Rododero in the district of Santa Marta and it was such a godsend. Not having to haggle with drivers, look for buses etc. The mini bus picked us up from the hostel along with 10 other people and as we were getting into Rodadero, we were stopped by the police. It looked like a routine road block but then the police made us all get out and were stood on the highway as they unloaded our bags. Then they opened the first suitcase and checked it thoroughly. On to the next suitcase, followed by a backpack. I was worried about opening my bag as every time I do, it practically explodes and repacking takes a good hour (even though we have to do it often) let alone packing under pressure on a highway! Also the were a lot of bags to go through, but they only checked those few and off we were again. I don't know how the free cocaine giving ice cream shops manage the stress of the random police checks!
We got dropped off at Casa del Ritmo 4 hours later. This hostel is not in the main city of Santa Marta but in Rodadero and has a great chilled out vibe and a hot tub! And it's a 3 minute walk to the beach, a beach which is far better than any of those in Cartagena. Bernie and I walked around the town along the beach in the evening catching a lovely sunset at a very nice looking beach and ended up eating dinner at the 'best pizzeria' called Pizza Vomito. Not kidding. First we thought Vomito must mean something in Spanish, but no. It just means vomit. But it came so highly recommended that we did try it and each slice was so huge (I couldn't even finish my 1 slice) and yummy. And the vomito came with a special sauce topped with thin crunchy crisps. Good start to Rodadero.
This morning, we woke up at 6:30 am to go to Tayrona National Park. This park had been highly recomended to us by all Colombians so we decided to check it out. We did some research before and many people actually camp out inside the park for days or weeks even. We decided that the camping part of our trip was done so we planned a day trip. We got on a local bus to the main center of Santa Marta. The only problem was we didn't know where to stop so we ended up in the bus for an hour ending at a bus terminal outside the city. Then we inquired about a bus to Tayrona Park and got on a bus. It drove along for about an hour before suddenly breaking and dropping us off on the road in the middle of nowhere. The bus conductor just told us we need to take a bus back towards where we came from. We we so confused but before we could ask questions or argue, the bus had gone.
So the we were, stuck on the road and I was fuming. We walked into a local shop where a Colombian policeman was standing so he told us we'd have to take a local bus back 10 minutes to the park entrance and it would cost the usual 3,000 pesos for 2 people. I then told him we'd already paid 30,000 pesos for the first bus and he was shocked. Then he told all the local ladies sitting around and they told us we'd gotten robbed, the journey is only 10,000 pesos. Well what else can you do but continue on with your day, right? Wrong. I fumed for a good 40 minutes - while waiting for the local bus, while sitting on Bernie's lap on this out-of-a movie little 8 person bus, right up to the point where we bought our park entry tickets and people were cutting the queue.
But once we got into the park, I forgot everything. Bernie can attest to the fact that I'm much more mellow nowadays. Only 40 mins of fuming versus an entire day or more! The park is actually a jungle. We hiked for about an hour through the foliage and now that I don't cry at the sight of slopes or mountains, it was very enjoyable, including the heat. After an hour of up and down, we reached the first beach called Arrecifes. The blue!!! So so beautiful but swimming is banned here because of rip tides.
So we walked on and about half an hour later we reached La Piscina, which is breathtaking. The rocks form a natural cove here so swimming is fine, and the water is so blue and transparent, the sand so clean! But we didn't stop here either, we knew the best was waiting for us at the third beach called Cabo San Juan de Guia. So we continued our hike, passing camping grounds and people sleeping in rented hammocks. It felt like we were in the movie 'The Beach' walking through some secret island to find the most perfect beach and everyone we passed on the way was super friendly with their olas and buenos. When we got to the beach, it took our breath away. It was so worth it - worth the bus fiasco, worth the hours of hiking in the sun, worth the entry fee, worth the entire trip to South America. I've never seen such a beautiful beach with aquamarine water and clear enough that I could see my flip flops tan while in deep. Again this beach is a natural cove with a natural rock formation deeper out protecting the coast from the big Carribean waves and tides.
We were in the water for atleast 2 hours till we realised that we had to head back before it got too dark to hike. Now we understood why so many people camped there. But it's not the same unless you have to work to get there! We did the long hike back in the heat, super tanned, we've taken to walking without shirts here (bikini top still on for me, I'm not that forward also!). For all my talk about how lazy we are, we've both actually gotten much fitter and have lost weight! We'll only know for sure when we use a weighing scale but we can now walk for hours irrespective of the weather or terrain.
We were smart on the way home, asked the prices of all the buses and managed to get on one that took a roundabout way into every neighbourhood. The buses here work Goa style, they stop if you wave them down and are constantly slowing down to ask people where they are going with the conductor hanging out of the bus, roll of money in hand.
Back at the hostel, we're relaxing after our tiring day drinking daiquiris and eating Milo cereal with milk! Tomorrow the plan is to chill at the beach here before we head to Medellin. Eeeeks, the holiday seems to be coming to an end sooner than we want!
Pictures on the camera, so for now my few phone pics will have to do.
