Santa Marta
The city of Santa Marta is a busy dry coastal port city that offers tourists and cargo ships alike a place to set anchor for a while. On the right day with the right mood, a person might see the bustling city as beautiful, the postcards all make it seem so, but at this time of year it seems more like a backwater place of refuge than the pride of the Magdelena Department.
Yesterday I spent some time in the center trying to find something photogenic and after a few attempts gave up and left.
I had asked the driver to take me to the cathedral which is fairly plain and could use an uplift on the outside. It was Sunday so there was a mass in session, but there were tourists taking photos as well.
After that I walked down Plaza Bolivar, where there were many folks hanging out in the shade of the trees. The statue of Bolivar (the libertador) was pretty impressive but I preferred the slightly awkward statues of the local Tairona people, that were placed on the sidewalk entries to the beach.
Colombia seems to have a complex relationship with their indiegnous populations, some of which still live "traditionally." I see a lot of people with tattoos that depict Lakota Warriors and statues of Tribes from North America, meanwhile indigenous of Colombia seem to live in the poorest areas, and I have heard many are treated with disdain. I am not sure what government policies are relating to the varius cultures.
After walking up and down the beach and taking some selfies, I decided that it was not too late in the day to go to the local national park for a trek.
I walked quickly through the markets (more later) and caught a buseta (more later) to the entry to the park. I began my walk not at the walking trails but at the road 4 km from the walking paths because no one bothered to explain I could take a bus for a dollar.
This has been a repeated issue in Colombia for me. Either a person gives me innaccurate information (prices, times and locations) or they don't explain something at all. Its a really aggrevating situation for someone who is on their own.
Luckily the Colombians have also been incredibly friendly and helpful, so both going into the park and heading out I was picked up by passing motorcyclists (who may have worked for the park) and they gave me thrilling (read terrifying) rides through the bumpy streets with no protection.
The park is lush and vibrant in comparison to the surrounding areas. The tropical trees, vines, bushes kind of all melt together into living green. The trees are all very tall and wind and twist through the forest. I was surprised how few flowering plants there were, very little fruits, not many other colors besides green stood out and yet it felt very alive.
The park is home to billions of little lizards that run when you get close. I don't have a single picture because there were so quick, but I heard and saw hundreds along the path. The lizards all look the same in their body type, but come in a variety of colors to fit into the fallen leaves and rocks and bushes. My favorite ones were bright blue and green. I also saw wild turkeys, a bunch of small birds and monkeys that a passing guide called Titis. The monkeys were my favorite obviously.
The paths of Parque Tayrona wind through the forest and end at various beaches and camps. Some of the beaches you can swim at others are off limits due to currents. The closes beach I could make it to was one of the off limits ones, but I didn't mind because I needed to leave the park and get back to the hostel before the park closed.
The beach was beautiful, small waves crashing onto soft whiteish sand. It looked exactly like your image of a caribbean beach, palm trees behind and all. After recovering from my long walk and the heat of the day I set back to the entrance picking up some trash on the way.
I have talked to other visitors who described a feeling of calm, a feeling of comfort in the park, and I have to say it was quite the spiritual experience.
I have been going through so many changes in my life these last few weeks/months and it all kind of came out in the park in a lovely way. I was very moved and very grateful to be alone and have the time to process in such a beautiful living place.
Markets
In all the guide books they always suggest going to and enjoying public markets, however they can be one of the most shocking places to an american traveler. The guidebooks also always hav a warning about pickpockets.
A public market can take many different forms. While in college I compared the Bazaars of Turkey to the modern shopping mall and the truth is the same basic layout applies. I have seen markets that only sell one type of goods (for instance flowers), and also markets that have every product under the sun. Of course the varied ones are more fun.
The market of Santa Marta had a lot of clothes and shoes for sale, but also electronics, fruits and veg, and even thankfully small meat and fish section(I remind you this is an open air market in 90 degree weather).
There are many ways to enjoy a public market, you can commit to it, walk slowly, check out each stall, look for the best goods and the best prices, haggle with the vendors etc. This method will make a large market take the whole day and probably it is best to speak the language or have company if you take this approach. When I take my time like that it is easy to get overwhelmed.
My method is similar to how I walk through the mall, fast window shopping.
My eyes are constantly scanning the goods but not focusing on anything in particular, I keep my hands in my pockets so no one tries anything. I weave through the other customers and ignore the calls from the vendors of sales and such. In the Muslim world they always said "my friend, my friend..." followed by either their pitch or an offer for tea. Here it is too hot, many will just stretch out their arms product in hand and wave it in my face till I say no thanks.
I usually don't feel volunerable in these types of markets but it is easy to get lost if they stretch through several streets (as the Santa Marta one did). I only take pictures when there isn't a crowd around and dont stop unless I am interested in something specific and then I make sure that I look around first. If someone bumps into you -you have two options, you can check your pocket/purse or you can move and then check them... I would suggest the latter, because often people work in teams. The first alarms you -you check your pockets and the second person knows where the valuable goods are. Also if you do have a bag, purse, wallet, phone you always keep that stuff in front of you.
Anyway, the market of Santa Marta was actually the highlight of my trip to the center of the city, the high energy, chaos and sheer amount of sensory stimulation was great in comparison to the dry surroundings.
Busetas
The lovely thing about a buseta is that it doesnt leave until it is full, and even then will continue to fill up until it is more than full. The bus I took out to the park had all of its seats full, several boxes and bags of goods (from the market) including a dishwasher... and backpackers bags who were staying in the park. The aisle was full of people standing. Every 2-5 minutes we would stop and let more people on or off. I am not sure how they figure out the prices for shorter trips but it was 3 dollars for the trip to the park. On the way back I saw a man demand to pay less money because his trip was shorter, I worried about the fight escalating because there really wasn't anywhere for the other passengers to go if it came to blows. The buseta has two operators, one guy who stands in the door letting people on and off and collecting money, the other the driver who tries to pay attention when people want to get off. You are sweating when you get on and have other peoples sweat on you when you get off its sort of an exchange program ; )
I am not sure what the cut between the two operators would be, but I calculated that if it were an even split the drive back would be about 45$ each (not including maintenance and gas). Seems like a good living assuming you dont get punched for charging someone too much. The bus can make quite a few trips back and forth throughout the day so it could be arguably about 25-30 $ an hour.
The Hostel
I have been staying at The Dreamer Hostel on the outskirts of Santa Marta. The hostel is really well run and creates an atmosphere of ease and relaxation for a price that is subtly hidden. They put everything on a tab. Its not that it is intentionally misleading, they aren't trying to screw people over, but the prices are just a touch higher than going to the grocery store down the street. You pay for the ease of not having to worry or decide. You can go on day trips they have set up, you can get transportation to your next hostel -door to door service. You can buy breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks. You can chill at the pool or watch movies. You have no reason to leave, and if you do leave for a few days feel free to leave your heavy bags because they'll have a bed available when you get back.
The hostel really is a dream. I meant to be here for 2 days and have spent 4 (and today). Partially because of the ease, partially because I took advantage of the neighboring attractions (Minca and the park). I imagine there are others who stay for weeks or months. In fact I know there are because I have met some, and many of the staff members started as guests.
The room I have been staying in is the cheapest room and everyone knows it is the worst, but everyone has stayed there at least one night... It doesnt have air conditioning, just a couple of fans, so people are usually exhausted or dead drunk when they enter to go to sleep.
The social atmosphere around here varies, there are people here on business who want to chill by the pool after a day of meetings. There are families on vacation. Couples on their honeymoon. Loads of backpackers from all over the world intent on using the spot as a jump off point for adventure... or a safe place to return to when they are intoxicated.
The local surroundings:
The Park is probably the second biggest attraction in the area. Many people go for days at a time and check out the different beaches. Because it is only accessible by foot or horse, its hard to stay indefinitely. Most folks run out of money or return for supplies.
THe first destination in the area is a small town and beach with diving schools and a party atmosphere called Taganga. I didn't go because all the people from the hostel who went would get back at 5-6 in the morning after a heavy night of drug use.
Minca is another destination, a small town in the jungle hills nearby. I went on a day trip but didn't really get to see the town. Instead the trip focused on a local coffee plantation and a waterfall/pool in the area.
The coffee farm was really cool. It was built in the late 1800s by an English Family but is now owned by a German family. They try to be sustainable and offer fair wages to their workers. I had seen coffee being grown before, but never the process of how it was made.
Here are some pictures of the machinery.
I was especially impressed by their efforts to be eco-friendly. The processing is completely run on hydroelectric from a local stream that passes through the property. The waste pulp is composted and returned to the soil.
Lastly there are some ruins in the area called Ciudad Perdida. The trip to see them takes 5 days of hiking, usually in brutal weather but the ruins are said to be amazing. The trip costs about $300.
Alright so that is my 4.5 days in Santa Marta. I am off to Cartagena this afternoon. I will likely be there for a few days and then head to Medellin.
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