Day 9-14 | Santa Marta/Minca, Colombia

We packed up our large Jansport travel backpacks and we were off to the next adventure. My pack is 81L and Joe’s is 78L. Yes, they are large and most long-term travel blogs say to use between a 45L-65L, but I needed every square inch of space for all my essential items (insert future packing list blog post link here). We had booked a bus from our Cartegena Hostel, El Viajero, to Santa Marta, but the person that helped us had given the wrong time to shuttle company. Fortunately, they were very helpful in getting us a taxi to the bus terminal and within 15 minutes we were at the Mirasol station and enroute to Santa Marta.

My travels through Europe on trains had prepared me for these types of trips. Thus, we earlier had stocked up on some essential items for the evening ride. These items included: (1) Box of red wine, (4) loaves of bread, (1) package of salami, (2) plastic cups and napkins. However, a major difference between trains and buses are, of course, the turbulence. Imagine us, bumping and bouncing in our seats while trying to pour, let alone drink a cup of wine. We probably spilt more wine than we drank, but it was great. Then, to make these sandwiches, we tore open the bread and tiny crumbs complimented the red wine stains all over our shorts. Then, stuff in some greasy salami into the torn bread and we had our feast on the bus toward the unknown city of Santa Marta.

Many people told me about Santa Marta, even back in Miami. So I knew we had to go, but I had no idea what to expect. We arrived late, as there were some traffic issues and didn’t get to The Dreamers Hostel until 11:00pm. We just missed the Friday Chiva Bus Tour that rides around the town for a few hours and ends up at a popular club. We would make sure to make the next Chiva bus in a week’s time. Though we missed the Chiva, the hostel had a good crowd still there and a great pool right in the center. There was a bar and cozy common spaces with hammocks, lounge chairs and tables. The artificial turf did bug me a bit (my Landscape Architecture pet-peeves are showing), but it served its purpose and added some nice green to the open courtyard area. We would spend two days and nights there just relaxing by the pool, reading and catching up on some work. It was a great little hostel and the staff was fun and helpful. Lineth, Gustavo and Diego especially added some flavor and personality to the stay.

Santa Marta is not what I expected, but after some time there I really liked the city and met some memorable people. And it is definitely a city. I was expecting more of a small town, as I heard there were many natural areas to visit. Well, Santa Marta is a hub for the aforementioned areas. Within an hour you can go scuba diving (Taganga), get to a large national park (Tyrona), go up into the mountains for hiking and waterfalls (Minca), go tubing down a winding river that ends in the ocean and then hit up the beach (Palomino). I would do most of these things, with the exception of going to Tyrona National Park, because during a year of travel with a $50 per day budget goal, you can’t do everything… though I try.

On day three of our time in Santa Marta, we left our large packs at The Dreamers and took an off-roading jeep up the mountains to Minca. It was a bumpy ride, very bumpy. We were in the rainy season and the dirt roads washed away and what is left is an obstacle course of clay crevices and muddy mounds. After 45 minutes what felt like a bounce house made of metal, we stopped and changed modes of transportation. Up higher in the mountain, the road almost completely washed away in several areas. The only way to maneuver around the major road gaps was to use motorbikes. So we each mounted a motorbike with a local at the helm and raced up the mountain, slipping and sliding the whole 40 minutes towards our destination. The ride was exhilarating. The views through the thick jungle and the brisk air in our faces energized and thrilled us. I tried my best to be “absolutely and utterly present” in every moment, like Eckard Tolle described in the Power of Now and A New Earth (I only read the latter, but have the former on audio book for later). My chauffeur might not have realized how muddy the roads were because his brand new white converse shoes were completely caked with mud from all the balancing he needed to do. I only had to jump off once because the bike stalled in the mud going up a steep climb. Soon, we were up the mountain and arrived at where so many fellow travelers told me we needed to go. We were at Casa Elemento.

The rough road towards our destination was exactly how it needed to be, as where we were going was almost completely disconnected to the connected world. Casa Elemento is situated on the top of an exceptionally scenic ledge high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Colombia’s northeastern coast where there is no cell phone signal, let alone internet. Though it was mostly foggy and misty, you could somehow tell the ocean was deep within the viewshed. And what a viewshed. The mountain chains formed valleys and the fog gave an eerie and mystical sense to the place. There is a large hammock that jets out over the edge of the steep green cliff where dozens of hostel dwellers can lay back and talk or enjoy the scenery. As we also discovered, this was a stoner’s hostel. Being at least 10% hippie is necessary to stay here and enjoy yourself. One girl left almost immediately because she didn’t quite understand what the deal was. Most others stay longer. We did, as two nights just didn’t feel like it was enough to completely detach and really enjoy what this place had to offer, which was peace, tranquility, and nature. It also offered loud music (no techno allowed however), a chilly but refreshing pool, cold beer, plastic bags of water and surprisingly, amazing food offered communal style.

After a week in bustling Cartagena and two days in the isolated hostel in Santa Marta, the openness and nature centered way of life at Casa Elemento was a welcome change of pace. Time slowed down. Urgency became serenity. Complexity became simplicity. Data streams became river streams. Asphalt roads became soil trails. Days became hours and travelers became homebodies. I spent peaceful hours talking to interesting travelers and reading a book I’ve always wanted to read that I found laying on the bar; Jack Kerouac’s On The Road. I hiked with a small group, up one hour and down one and a half hours to a pristine waterfall where we swam and relished in the freezing rainwater. I met Chris (there were so many Chris’ at every hostel), who had a 9 month plan to travel South America, came to Minca on his third week, fell in love with the place and decided to stay for good. It was his fourth month there, working at a remote and new eco-hostel and bar. I heard this story often, how people get stuck in Colombia. I think Colombia has the perfect mixture of absolutely stunning landscapes, extremely friendly people and an inviting energy that stuns people into staying longer than they expected. We had planned 4-5 weeks here, and in the end will stay 8 weeks. Looks like Colombia has enchanted us as well. Viva Colombia!