The trip to the coast was great. There were so many fantastic things to see and do! We ook a night bus from Medellin to Cartagena and arrived at about 12:00 pm. Took a death-defying taxi ride through the bustling downtown area where we watched a man crossing the street (not quite quickly enough) get hit by a car. Luckily after a few shakes of the head, he brushed himself off, stood up, and continued on his way. Welcome to Cartagena! Checked into our hostel...with a name like North Star, we thought it'd be great, but were met with bedbugs and not so discreet drug use...neither of which I was excited about. Dropped off our things and began to explore one of the oldest cities in Colombia. Located on the Caribbean, it consists of "the Old City," a colonial neighborhood surrounded by a great wall, and a variety of newer neighborhoods--quite the diversity. It was fun to walk through the Old City and get a feel for what it might have been like hundreds of years ago. We hit the city at sunset and everything took on an orange glow. It was more expensive than Medellin and is a bit of a tourist destination. From talking with the cabbies, it seems as though it has avoided many of the issues other Colombian cities have faced over the past 25 years. We hit the town for some nightlife and woke up early the next day for a boat trip to Islas del Rosario, islands right off the coast. Boat trip was interesting...it came with loud music, a fairly annoying man with a microphone (never a good combo), and silly games to try and entertain us for the 3 hour trip to the first island. It was nice to be on the water, but I would do it differently next time!
The next day, we headed off for Santa Marta, with a short detour to Volcan de Lodo El Totumo, a mud volcano. Hopped on a bus, got off at some little town, hiked a mile down the highway, and ended up getting massaged in a warm mud bath by some local hombres. Good times were had by all! We played trains, planes, and automobiles (except only on buses) and finally arrived in Santa Marta around midnight.
People had raved about the beauty of Santa Marta, but I was a little less than impressed. Our hostel was lovely, although the ladies of the night and various riff-raff surrounding it were not. I knew we were in for a good time when I saw a man combing his hair with a plastic fork and a lady pulling a "Super Bowl Janet Jackson" wardrobe malfunction at the bus stop. Had a late dinner of french fries (the vegetarian thing is a little difficult on the coast) and called it a night.
The next day we spent on the beach, occasionally being solicited for messages, Aguila (local beer), and necklaces. Decided to take a paddle boat on the water to head for Playa Blanca, another "nicer" beach. We made it there okay, but on the way back hit a bit of weather...El Tornado, the locals called it. Let's just say that being far away from shore in a paddle boat when a tornado drops down out of the sky is a little scary! However, it maintained it's distance and turned into a really cool photo op! By the end of the day we were ready to get back to nature and discover Parque Tayrona...
To be continued...
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