FRIENDS
Just kidding...while I have become obsessed with Friends, I won't bore you by writing about it. I'm guessing you want to know about what else happened in Cartagena.
After the Mud Volcanoes, Jade and I decided to go to the Islas del Rosario and Playa Blanca. We ended up taking a tour that took us around the islands, snorkeling, and then dropped us off at Playa Blanca. We had decided the night before that we were just going to skip the tour and go straight to the beach. But when we got to the dock that takes you straight there we turned around left. It was possibly the shadiest place I have seen the whole time I've been in South America. There were a few boats that looked like they would sink if we even placed a toe in them. We decided for a more expensive but safer route!
When we got to the other boat dock, we were bombarded by people trying to sell us tours. All of the tours were around 50 mill. We took forever to decide if we were going to go because we weren't sure if we wanted to spend that much money. When we finally decided just to do it, because it was our last option to get to the beach, all the people who worked there clapped for the people who had convinced us. You gotta love being a gringo.
The actual beach was amazing. We ate the typical beach food: coconut rice, a whole fried fish, fried bananas, and a salad. As gross as the fish looked, it tasted amazing! We slept on hammocks right on the beach for just 5 mill per night (which is about $2.75). The beach was great, we relaxed and soaked up the sun. We also met some cool people who are traveling around selling the stuff they make to finance their travels.
My hammock…surprisingly very comfy!
The woman who serve us very good fruit salad for breakfast on the beach.
One of the many women who walk the beach selling fruit, baked goods, and massages.
Playa Blanca… gorgeous eh?
A stand selling food on the beach.
The man making pine coladas in coconuts.
Enjoying beach life.
After Playa Blanca, we went back to Cartagena for a night and then headed back out for Parque Tayrona, a National park located close to Santa Marta. And this is where our plan faltered a bit. There are a few ways you can get to the park. The way Jade and I picked consisted of our getting a bus form Cartagena to Santa Marta (4 hours), a bus from Santa Marta to the Park (about an hour), and then hiking for a little over 45 minutes to Cabo San Juan Del Guia. Our bus ride ended up taking a full day, so we decided to stay in Santa Marta for a night. The next day we got up bright and early to go to the park. The bus ride went as planned, but the 45 minute hike ended up taking 4 hours. By the time we made it tot eh beach, out two night stay there had turned into one night with pretty much just the morning at the beach.
Our muddy feet after the long hike.
The hike was long, but with views like this it was worth it.
Leaving our mark…
Never ending.
Our bus.
But, don't get me wrong I'm not complaining! The hike gave way to many gorgeous views, and the beach was the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life. There is no way I can describe the views that we saw. Hopefully the pictures will give you some idea!
I slept like a baby that night, I don't know if it was because I was tired or just because I have become an expert at hammock sleeping, but either way I needed the sleep because the next morning we got up, enjoyed the beach for a little while, and then started the trek back to the bus to get back to out hostel.
A tuna a man on the street was selling, he was more than happy to let us pose with them even though we weren't looking to buy. We did master cooking in a hostel, but I think a whole fish this size might be a bit above our skill level?
The poorest area I saw in Colombia. They had gotten a lot more rain than normal, and their houses were all flooded.
Santa Marta at night.
Leaving our home in Cartagena.
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