Day 15-24 | Santa Marta/Palomino/Taganga, Colombia

Most of the people I talked to consider Santa Marta to be a hub for going to other, more interesting and exciting places; which is not exactly wrong. So, when we arrived, I was expecting it to be small and quite ordinary. I really didn’t have any grand expectations for it. You know what they say, expectations lead to disappointment. Well, the exact opposite happened. My low expectations lead to my unexpected affection and ever building fondness for this city. And yes, it’s a city; a large bustling city with a happening downtown, active nightlife, nice beaches, beautiful waterfronts and a surrounding mountain range that furnishes a impressive picturesque backdrop. Looking at a map beforehand or reading a bit of the massive Lonely Planet book I’m lugging around would have helped enlighten me of my ignorance, but that would take the fun out of jumping headfirst into the unknown. You know, for adventure’s sake.

We returned to Santa Marta after a refreshing and relaxing 3 nights/4 days stay in Minca at Casa Elemento (read about Minca here). Once again, the amazing open courtyard space, pool area and people at The Dreamer Hostel enticed our chilled out state of being at the moment and we ended up staying there a few more nights. As this was our second stay, which would be a reoccurring theme in our time in and around Santa Marta, we knew the staff and many of the guests; some of which trekked up to Casa Elemento with us. Suffice to say, we felt like we were regulars and really enjoyed the many friendships that began there.

The pool was the main attraction and that’s were we met Dan and Mick, two friends traveling together from Cape Town, South Africa. We quickly bonded over stories of how we were fed up with our jobs and life of 8-to-7; how we’ve always loved to travel and have already been to many places; of how one day we just decided to quit or jobs, take multiple months to travel slowly and see a new part of the world. This was not just our story, but of so many other travelers we’ve met on the road; which is something to mention. Being from the United States, you don’t hear about too many people taking six months to a year to travel, let alone even one month for that matter. So, when more people than not are telling me that they have three months or more in South America and have done these long-term trips several times already; well, I’m blown away. Here, I though I was unique to take this leap into the world of long-term travel, and low and behold, there is a huge travel community doing the same, and have been for decades, if not forever. Where the hell have I been?

The other interesting part is the full spectrum of careers of our fellow vagabonders. Of course, many were students, but there were also bartenders, engineers, construction workers, recruiters, a professional poker player, a pro basketball player turned app developer, investment bankers, doctors and a bunch more. But of all the professions, the one that came up the most, not surprisingly once you think about it, was lawyer. The story was after working a few years, they were tired, uninspired and looking for a change; I know the feeling. Jim, on the other hand, was a Texas lawyer changing jobs and had a few months in between. So, instead of wasting time at home he took to the road and decided to spend a few months in Colombia. We became fast friends and would end up traveling together, on and off, for several weeks. Jim was rolling with a crew he met while on a five-day sailboat trip from Panama to Colombia. On this sail, they would stop at and spend some nights at one of the thousands of Sand Blast Islands that are off the South American coast; this is what I am told. I wish I had known about this option to get to Colombia, because it sounds amazing.

Tip when traveling with a companion for an extended time: Take some time apart. Don’t be afraid to venture on your own. Give some space to allow for other interactions to happen.

Following this advise, and because the opportunity presented itself, I tagged along with Jim and his crew of Canadian and Aussie trailblazers to Palomino. It was a two-hour bus ride along the Caribbean coast northeast to this quant and tiny beach village. We would stay, not surprisingly, at The Dreamer Hostel Palomino; a larger, more chilled out, very tropical and the most beach resort-esque hostel I have ever seen. Situated just a block from the beach, and with an ever larger pool and open space than The Dreamer in Santa Marta, it really did feel like a scaled back version of an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana or Playa del Carmen. On a clear day I’m told you can see the snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada.  I looked but couldn’t quite catch a glimpse through the misty air.

The main reason for going to Palomino was the tubing we heard about. So, the next morning, for a second time in a week, I mounted a motorbike and rode off into the mountains with a Colombian at the helm. This time, however, I had a huge inflated tube on one arm with a GoPro in that hand, while the other hand was on the shoulder of my chauffer. We would make a pit stop before our final destination. What is the most essential item of any three-hour tubing ride down a lush tropical river? Ok, the tube is number one, but number two is rum; definitely rum. We purchased, from a small shack on a dirt road, one large and one medium rum bottle and two large Coca-Cola’s. This would end up being the absolute perfect amount of rum and coke for six of us. So, in about 45 minutes, after arriving on motorbike to the beginning of trail, and walking for about 25 minutes with our tubes and other supplies up and down the trail, slipping and sliding with our sweaty flip-flops, we were floating down the river with rum and cokes in our hand. With grandiose vistas of mountains, full and lush vegetation and the soothing and sometime rapid flow of the moving river water, it was both a pleasantly relaxing and excitingly fun time.

I would get back to Santa Marta the next day, dropping off the gang at Tayrona National Natural Park. I decided not to go there this trip, as there are just some things you have to cut. But I would like to return another time as I hear it is very beautiful. I would be able to fit in, however, many more amazing activities and sites, including: a very nice scuba dive with Poseidon Dive in Tagonga, which is only about a 15 minute ride from Santa Marta; a Chiva party-bus ride from The Dreamer, which I missed the week before but made sure not to miss again; multiple more days in Santa Marta going to Rodadero, a beachside happening area of Santa Marta; to the central downtown area for dinner and drinks; and to the most epic and stimulating adventure on this trip to date: The Lost City Trek on day 18-21 (blog post on this epic four-day journey coming soon).

In all, we would spend two weeks in and around Santa Marta, which is a week more than expected. That’s the story with Santa Marta, and Colombia for that matter. It’s a place that sucks you in and keeps you wanting to experience more and more. The festive culture, natural beauty, fresh food, friendly locals and interesting fellow travelers make for an enticing melting pot of excitement, authenticity and pure delight. We’re not done with Colombia; not yet, not for a long time.

The Dreamer Hostel (Santa Marta)