Santa Marta

We both slept pretty well on the bus and the journey to Santa Marta passed without incident.

We arrived fairly early in the morning but we managed to get hold of Mauricio Babilonia B&B and they allowed us to check in early:

Abi’s Rating: 10/10 – Perfect B&B. Lovely cinnamon smell, beautiful patio, fastest laundry service in South America, air con, nice lady. #cutesie

Mike’s Rating: 9/10 – A real gem that was very well located. We had the place to ourselves with everything we needed. The minus point is because I really did not like Santa Marta.

The wall that separated our accommodation from the outside world may as well have been a gateway to another galaxy.

The interior of our b&b was excellent and the dining room grandiose…

We had been excited to visit this part of Colombia but had read mixed reviews about Santa Marta itself. The sad truth is that it was probably our least favourite place so far.

The people here (our host aside) gave off a very unfriendly vibe and the city itself was a bit of a dump. The sea walk was rundown and home to drug dealers while the central squares were filled with Venezuelans selling everything under the sun.

It wasn’t all bad though and we did enjoy some good food and took advantage of an excellent little italian gelateria.

If Santa Marta was bad then an afternoon trip to the nearby beach of Taganga was a disaster. The beach itself was horrid, the first bar we sat at ignored us, and then I nearly came to blows with an aggressive tour salesman. I only picture taken contradicts everything I just said!

We had been due to stay there for 3 nights but Abi had persuaded me to change plans (before we visited). I had been reluctant as I thought that I had picked a nice hotel on the beach. As it transpired this was a masterstroke as we saw the hotel on our trip and it looked horrid. Well done Abigail…You were right (dies inside).

With the only happy place in Santa Marta being our gorgeous rooftop terrace, we spent a day lounging there after an action parked day trip to Parque Nacional de Tayrona…

Tayrona

Colombia’s most famous tourist attraction is situated an hour or so along the coast from Santa Marta.

We got up early and caught a bus from the central market. I nearly had a heart attack when we reached the entrance to the park where hoards of tourists were queuing for tickets…no fast passes here!

The organisation was a disaster and it took us nearly an hour to buy our tickets and catch a shuttle bus to the start of the trail.

I was itching to get ahead of the tourists and Abi did not appreciate having to pretty much run the first 20 minutes through the jungle like terrain. I’d argue that it gave us some tranquility for the remainder of the walk…

And let’s be honest it was a trek and a half. For just over 2 hours were walked through jungle, over rocks, along beaches and among palm trees. It was hot but mercilessly much of the trail was shaded so we were protected from the sun.

We were both very pleased to finally see the bay that I have seen many times on the internet. Cabo San Juan was nice but if truth be told slightly underwhelming.

Having said this we enjoyed a lovely few hours lying on the beach and swimming in the ocean (although the waves were pretty unforgiving!) we also tucked into our pre prepared cheese spread sandwiches (a staple travelling lunch and one that was hard earned – not just the walk but also the 45 minute ordeal in the rammed Santa Marta supermarket…)

The walk back was perhaps even harder as fatigue started to kick in and the trail seemed never ending!

It was a relief to clamber onto the bus and return to our wonderful little haven in Santa ‘Moreton’ Marta. (“Moreton’s nicer than Santa Marta”…got my nibble)

Minca

We left Santa Marta and headed from the coast to the mountains. The small town of Minca sits a thousand meters above Santa Marta and the 45 minute mini bus trip was pain free.

Our home in Minca was Coco Bomgo hostel:

Abi’s Rating: 5/10 – slopey beds, toilet wouldn’t flush, loud music on Saturday night…we got ill.

Mike’s Rating: 6/10 – good location and really friendly staff. Bed and bathroom not great.

The first afternoon was spent eating (salchipapas for me – a Colombian favourite) and drinking juice (suspect numero uno).

Our Minca activity day was Sunday as we spent about 8 hours hiking around the surrounding area.

To start with we walked an hour or so to a couple of small waterfalls. As we approached there was a large paddle to navigate and we hopped across so stones. A fellow tourist refused to cross and simply turned around and walked back to Minca…bizarre.

The waterfall experience was not a fun one for me as the water was freezing and it was an overcast day. Abi enjoyed herself though!

We then hiked for a couple of hours up to Casa Elemento…a small hostel with insta famous hammocks. It was a tough incline and we were helped to the top by a solo Spaniard who made the last 30 minutes more bearable as we chatted to him!

Lunch was burritos – beef for me and veggie for Abi (suspect numero dos) as well as a pineapple juice apiece (suspect numero tres).

We then managed a few of those insta snaps and a quick swing on the smaller of the two hammocks before the clouds closed in and we started our descent.

We lasted about 10 minutes before the heavens opened and we were well and truly drenched! I had opted for trainers over walking shoes and regretted it immensely as I slid all over the shop. Abi was thrilled with the entertainment as I slipped on numerous occasions (although I skilfully managed to avoid hitting the ground).

Abi resourcefully found a large leaf to use as a makeshift rain hood as we had obviously not bothered to take our rain coats.

The shower was gratefully received and we treated ourselves to a lie down before heading out for dinner. I had chicken (suspect numero cuatro) while Abi had Salmon and I finished it for her (suspect numero cinco).

For dessert Abi had a panacotta and I finished it (suspect numero seis).

I didn’t sleep very well and managed to get a second look at dinner. We still aren’t sure which food/drink item was responsible but Abi had the same thing 24 hours later so it must have been something we both had!

I actually felt much better post chund and in the morning we were off to Playa Costeño…a couple of hours from Minca.

Abi spotted a cute puppy on our way out of the town…she was not a suspect…

Playa Costeño

The bus dropped us off on the main road which meant that we had to walk for 15 minutes or so to our accommodation on the beach. Hotel Paraiso was basic but perfectly located:

Abi’s Rating: 7/10 – Bed was comfy, good mosquito net, right on the beach however a 0 for the bathroom because there was no space/facilities for food poisoning. Also no ceiling.

Mike’s Rating: 8/10 – I didn’t really sleep because of the crashing waves and heat but it was a wonderful experience to sleep right on the beach.

I was still not feeling 100% so I just had some coconut rice for dinner while Abi supplemented hers with fresh fish and fried plantain. Unfortunately this accelerated her demise and she was sick throughout the night.

With Abi laid up for the day I spent it reading on the beach and taking a leisurely stroll along the sand. I braved the sea a couple of times but the waves really were ferocious (in fact the previous afternoon Abi had taken a bit of a battering which I found highly amusing!)

I dined alone and decided that I was now fine which could only mean one thing…a significant scran.

Abi was starting to feel much better by the time morning arrived and we spent some time on the lovely little balcony before picking up our things and heading an hour further down the coast to Palomino…

Palomino

We got off the bus in the centre of the small town and walked along the road (it was only 5 minutes Abigail) to Color Hostel:

Abi’s Rating: 10/10 – Pool, pool, pool. Air con…bed could have been more comfortable but it was like a private hotel. Staff very friendly.

Mike’s Rating: 10/10 – Staff were great, there was no one else there and we had the pool to ourselves. TV with loads of channels.

We had a wonderful few days of sunbathing, swimming and relaxing. The hostel was pretty much empty so we enjoyed all of the facilities and were treated to some great breakfasts.

We headed down to the beach one day (a 20 minute walk) but it wasn’t all that nice so we were extremely glad that our hostel was the perfect place to chill out. The waves and birds were cool though…

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Palomino, the town itself was a bit hippy and rugged but it is definitely a place that is growing on the tourist map.

As we had saved a bit of cash, we decided on a direct mini bus to Cartagena for Christmas and New Year!

We have been in Colombia for 6 weeks now and the time has just flown by. I am really excited for Cartagena (supposedly one of the best cities in South America) and our last couple of weeks here before our big boat trip to Panama.

#WhatOddsPaddy

We have had some great hostels in the last few weeks which is always good for team harmony. Our shared sickness and hate of Santa Marta were also key common experiences. We have spent 116 days in each others pockets but we are doing well! I am trying really hard to limit winding up to a couple of times per day.

Divorce Odds: More chance of Boris combing his hair