Cabo de la Vela, Colombia 🇨🇴

We have a super breakfast in our little B&B before we are picked up by Franco who is our guide and driver for the next 3 days. A brief stop at the tour office and we collect the other 2 people for the tour. They are a Dutch couple, Lisette and Shorrs, and both seem friendly. We start driving and I am surprised how good the roads are as we drive straight for Uribia and then down to Manaure. Manaure is where we find Colombia’s largest salt complex and we briefly explore the sections being extracted by the indigenous community before taking pictures of salt piles and pink pools. We head back to Uribia, indigenous capital of Colombia, stopping to buy water and sweets for local children we might meet along our trip. I also learnt that there is the biggest coal mine nearby and we spot the railway carriages taking the coal to the airport for transport. At this point we turn towards Cabo de la Vela and the road finishes, replaced by a gravel track and a more desert landscape. Here we have lunch and discover our sleeping arrangements for tonight are hammocks in a hut just off the beach.

We set out to visit Arco iris Beach, and then scramble up to the Pilón de Azúcar for a breathtaking view. Swimming here is impossible to we visit another beach which is a bit calmer for a swim before finally grabbing a Venezuelan beer on the way up to the lighthouse where we enjoy a beautiful sunset. We return to the Ranchería for dinner and as it’s dark we look up at the Milky Way shinning brightly, and observe some lightening storms off in the distance. We change into comfy clothes ready to spend the night in our hammocks. The hammocks are really comfy, and the sound of the sea lapping at the shore soon puts us to sleep.

Riohacha, Colombia 🇨🇴

We slept well after our hike yesterday and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of boiled eggs, overlooking the lush forest. Once we were ready to go, we checked out and crossed the road to hail a bus. We were on the main road to Riohacha, and managed to get one easily enough.

The bus took us back up to the coast, through Palomino and onto Riohacha, where our tour tomorrow would leave from. It is still sweltering hot, so once we arrive at our friendly B&B (run by a Canadian guy) we sort our tour packing out into day bags in the comfort of the air conditioning. 

We take a walk to the main plaza, seeing the Cathedral and managing to get money out to pay our tour balance. We then stroll up the wide beach and along the short wooden pier, people watching. It doesn’t feel like a busy town and it feels very ‘out of season’. 

Polly has found a good restaurant that we walk to for dinner, enjoying grilled octopus and chicken pasta. We don’t know what the tour will be like for food, so we take the precaution of eating now as a carb building excercise.

Tayrona National Park, Colombia 🇨🇴

I woke up excited for today, and already sweating.  A pretty hot night without air conditioning, it makes me wonder how hot the day will get. We pack our day bags, have an early breakfast and then get a lift to the Tayrona Park entrance. We had been prepared for queues but it’s very quiet, we easily get our tickets and then pay for a shuttle ride to the start of the hikes. It is not even mid morning but I am hot enough to zip my trouser legs off and douse myself in insect repellent. We set off on the route to the main beaches, knowing it’s about an hour to the first beach.

The vegetation is jungle like interspersed with huge boulders. We watch huge red ants carrying leaves scurrying in straight trails, green geckos chasing each other across our path and big blue butterflies. The terrain is easy enough, a bit up and down over the big boulders as we work our way to the sea. We get some great views looking east to Cañaveral before descending to the long beach of Arrecifes. Its breathtaking sand with blue waters is postcard worthy but you can’t swim here due to currents. We push on to pass La Picina which is equally as beautiful, and we reach the famous Cabo San Juan. It’s famous double bay beaches are found on many postcards but it wasn’t as crowded as we expected, so we pitch our towels on a shady spot and plunge into the cool turquoise waters to cool off.

We spend a couple of hours here lazing in the shade or dipping into the water. Reluctantly we leave our paradise spot and start on the walk back. This is much tougher and my face is dripping with sweat, it’s disgusting. We are about halfway back when we hear rustling in the trees, we get to watch the Mico Titi monkeys playing above us which is really cool. 

 We keep going till the shuttle spot and then hop in for a ride back to the entrance, easily then getting a taxi back to our hostel. We feel too gross to just jump in the pool, opting for cold showers instead.  Reflecting on a great day, we cool down with a beer.

Cartagena, Colombia 🇨🇴

We set out for a walking tour at 10am, it is a Sunday and so the streets are nice and quiet. We walk along the old walls until the naval museum which is our meeting point. It is a interesting tour explaining the history of Cartagena and the people. It sounds like even in present day the colour of your skin and origin makes a difference.  

We see the major historical buildings walk to the main plazas. One of the more fascinating buildings is off Bolivar square and is where the Spanish Inquisition evaluated people for witchcraft and other crimes. You could denounce anyone by posting the information through a window anonymously, once they received 3 they would investigate. The charged would automatically be guilty until they proved their innocence. Machines such as ‘the rack’ were used to to encourage a confession. 

We went back to our hostel via a lovely gelato shop to escape the midday heat and try to plan the rest of our trip, slightly concerned that we cannot book our first shuttle out of Cartagena but the guy at the hostel reassures us we shouldn’t have a problem tomorrow.  

At 4pm we go out again and I take Polly to Cafe del Mar. This is the bar I watched sunset from a few days ago, so I knew she would enjoy the environment with a cold beer. It’s a lovely spot with chilled music of the top of part of the old wall to enjoy the sunset. We walk around the city a bit more before grabbing a quick wok rice for dinner, both tired after a sweaty hot day.

Cartagena, Colombia 🇨🇴

Today is the day that Polly arrives, so I am very excited. I get up and enjoy a chilled breakfast before packing up and checking out of this hostel. I grab a taxi over to the San Diego area of town, mainly because it is too hot to walk. The new place is really nice but as the room isn’t ready I decide to take a walk to the sea, figuring the sea breeze would be nice. I walk through the gateway in the walls and across the road to the sea, planning to then walk along the shore to the beaches. I couldn’t take the heat, no shade and no breeze, so I retraced my steps back to the hostel and sat reading underneath a fan until the room was ready. It is frustrating how much the heat is affecting me, and I really hope the coast offers some respite but I doubt it.

I manage to figure out where to get a collectivo to the airport from, which means I only pay 50p for the 20minute journey. Polly’s flight is slightly delayed but she comes through soon enough, looking the same as when I last saw her 9 months ago. It’s really lovely to see her and it doesn’t sound like she has had too bad a flight. We get a taxi to the hostel and then quickly head into the old town whilst she still has some energy. It’s not a lot though and after an hour of walking we go to a typical restaurant for seafood which we both enjoy. Polly is losing the jetlag battle after being up for 24hrs so I let her go to sleep.

Cartagena, Colombia 🇨🇴 

I feel that I need to make more effort to see the city and set out early for the Plaza de San Pedro Claver. The colonial church and convent were built in the 1600s and are now for Saint Peter Claver, who died in 1654 in Cartagena, after devoting his life to evangelizing and redeeming the black slaves. The church even has his remains buried in the altar. The space is quite peaceful but as it is still humid I enjoy sitting under the plants in the courtyard.  

I still go back to the hostel at midday to take another shower and try to cool down, feel like I should be adjusting by now.

I have heard how great the sunset is from the walls, and there is a great bar in the perfect spot for me to enjoy an expensive beer as I watch the sun go down. It is very chilled and amusing watching people posing for selfies on the walls. So much nicer walking around in the evening and I find a lovely pasta place for a fantastic Carbonara with real bacon!

Cartagena, Colombia 🇨🇴 

There is one word to describe Cartagena, ‘Hot!’. I am seriously worried about the amount I am sweating before I have even left the hostel. I am cursing leaving San Andres, with the weather being so good I could have spent a few more days there. It would have broken my budget though and being back on track is comforting, even if it means a cheap hostel.   

I catch up on a few things now I have speedy wifi and then set off to get my watch repaired. It isn’t repairable so I ditch it and buy a cheap replacement to see me through the next few months. 

 It is nice walking around and seeing the locals peddling their wares, always love the fresh juice stands and Cartagena also has seafood stands that do their version of a spicy prawn cocktail, so I grab one for lunch which is really tasty. The heat is really oppressive and I just feel unpleasant so I walk around the Getsemani district along the old walls and back to the hostel.

I spend the rest of the day reading and researching the area under a fan. Around 5pm I go out again into cooler weather, well it’s still 30degrees but it isn’t full sun. I head into the old part of the city and wander the colourful streets, narrowly missing being taken out by tourists in horse drawn carriages several times. 

 This part of the city is very lovely with several plazas and churches that look even better lit at night. I treat myself to a raspberry lolly pop and wind my way back to Getsemani, where the restaurants are more reasonably priced for dinner.

San Andes Island, Colombia 🇨🇴 

I have spent the last few days alternating my time between the pool and snorkelling. The best snorkelling on the island is just across the road from the hotel.  We haven’t had any of the rain that was forecast and with the temperature over 30degrees I have had to keep to the shade.

The snorkelling is amazing, mainly due to the visibility and calmness of the waters. First time out I headed for a sunken boat, imagining a big 16th century armada type. Only to laugh as I spotted a little fishing boat about 20ft long. It was still teaming with fish, just not huge fish.

You can hang in the sea and just watch all the fish playing. Each time I go in I am amazed to see different fish each time. I love that I get a chance to look closely at how they swim and the colour patterns they sport. I can hear the parrot fish nibbling on the rocks with their beak-like mouths. The whole sea is mesmerising and it’s so calming just floating along, watching the world underneath. I love the way the small blue spotted fish and yellow striped fish hide in the coral as I approach only to come out again when they can. The long silvery dart fish watch from the sides with their big black eyes but glide off if I chase them.

One morning I am surprised to see a small yellow and black fish trying to attack me, he is big enough to make me feel nervous and swim the other way. In hindsight he was probably just attracted to my yellow and black fins, felt a little foolish.

The coral is pretty too, not vivid colours but interesting shapes from tubes to fans the size of dinner plates. In some places it could be a garden with all the varieties. 

Just a magical location.