Monday

After a long weekend, we woke up in Quito and had another delicious breakfast at our hostel and we packed our bags.

Then, after I talked to people for a while and then we went to the park where some police busted some guys. It was a beautiful and sunny day.

After hanging out there, we ended up going to the Mercado Central to pick up food for our long bus rides to Quilotoa. It accidentally spilled on Luke’s lap 😂

Once we were on the bus, we read books, played games, and watched fantastic views out of the windows – they were so incredible. 

Then, when we finally get to Quilotoa after dark, we have to find a place to stay! We were supposed to go camping down in the crater, but unfortunately, it was about a 45 minute walk down there not to mention setting up the camp and the fire. Plus, it was soooo cold so we ended up booking at a place for $25 that included a room with 2 good size cuddly beds, bathroom, wood stove, breakfast, aaandd dinner. 

We had dinner that night at a family style table with lots of veggies and fresh fruit juice.

After hanging out around the fire, drinking tea, and talking with some new friends, the place had already started the fires in our rooms. 

Ready for a cozy night of sleep, we finally headed to bed and prepared for a great night.

Tuesday

Luke got up to see the sunrise and I was too cozy in my bed and reluctant to get into the cold so we met up at breakfast which was delicious.

We then packed our bags and then hiked down the slippery trail into the lake. The views were breathtaking!

Once we got there, we decided to try and find a campsite for our hammocks… unfortunately there were no trees that were close enough together for our hammocks so we ended up settling next to one large tree for the moment.

There were kayaks and canoes for rent there for $3 a person so obviously, we ended up going kayaking across the lake. It was an extremely cloudy and cold day, and Luke did all the hard work getting us back! 

After that we finally decided to try and set up camp. We decided on trying to create a tent with our tarps and ponchos.

Unfortunately, it was also a rainy day to attempt this venture, but it was too late to turn around and try to get out of there – we were determined to make it work.

It was probably the coldest I’ve been in years. I’m proud to say that we kept a fire going even in the rain, but everything got rained on and ended up a little damp.

Luke cooked a delicious meal of hobo stew and some eggs in foil and then I hid in the tent because sitting on the fire wasn’t warm enough!

I spent a sleepless night looking up at the infinte amount of stars shivering in the cold – while Luke slept like a cozy bear. I’ll never know how he stayed so warm.We did have a stray dog watch over our camp and threaten other dogs that came close so we would hear him growling menacingly during the night.

In the middle of the night, I finally told him that I couldn’t do the cold and wet another night (It was definitely less than 40F) and we decided to go back to our cozy wood fire place the next morning after breakfast. After that, I finally fell asleep for a little while before the sun came up.

Wednesday

Waking up to the sunrise was amazing and it was so bright and warm compared to the night before. We ate a breakfast of leftovers while surrounded by stray dogs.

Then, we packed up and started the long hike up the hill and back to the warm rooms.

We didn’t stay still for long though since we, mainly Luke, wanted to do the hike around the crater which was about 10 km.

We finally made it to the highest point and had lunch and a lot of water. Luke asked a stranger for sunscreen for his nose, and I just sat there trying to breath.
It was definitely treacherous and the steep climbs, the slippery sand, the blasting wind, the cold, and the burning sun made for a 5 hr long and arduous hike.

It was awesome.

Then, we finally went back to the hostel and cleaned up with extremely hot water. We ended up piling on the blankets, drinking warm tea, and having dinner with more friends.

We went to bed cozy that night determined to keep the fire going as strong as possible. Sadly, I ended up burning the tips of my fingers on the metal stove and ended up leaving my hand outside in the cold air to stop the burning. It was still a nice night compared to the cold, wet version the night before!

Thursday

We had another wonderful breakfast and planned on sharing a truck with some of our new friends. We spent that morning talking and travelling with them all the way up to Quito. From there, we ended up staying at our favorite hostel there. Luke got a haircut, and we ended up going to the market again for more food and fruit juice.

We also ended up going into the basilica and went to try and see some more churches and cathedrals in Quito. 

We went back early to have dinner at the hostel and then went to bed to prepare for our early flight to Panama City.

 

Friday 

We left early that morning to make our plane to Bogotá which was our connection to Panama City. We spent most of the day on an airplane but we finally made it to Panama City. We took a shared taxi to our hostel. Met a new friend who I spent a while talking to and she ended up walking with us to show us the way around the area.

We spent the evening wandering around the city and exploring the beach and shopping areas.

We ate Subway for dinner and then we went back to relax by the pool before bed.

Saturday

We packed up and headed to our new hostel the next day. Fortunately for us it was a spectacular place that had all you can eat pancakes for breakfast. We made some chocolate and peanut butter ones with bananas that were delicious!

We spent some time in that area wandering around, checking out the fish market and trying the ceviche there for lunch. After that we ended up finally visiting the Panama Canal! It was bigger than expected but it was also $15 to get in which we thought pretty expensive. We met a new Uber driver friend that gave us a tour of the city that night and after that we went back to the hostel to crash.

Cotopaxi Volcano, Ecuador

Sunday

Endless pancakes = awesome morning.

After that we decided to wander around the city with the free bikes available at our hostel. I thought I was going to get run over but it was actually a really fun bike path over looking the ocean. We continued on looking for food and checking out the parks in the area before heading back.

We then went to the fish market and bought a pound of lobster tails for $8 and half a pound of shrimp for $2.50.

We went and got groceries to make seafood alfredo that turned out so good!!

We also made new friends and ended up talking to them about all sorts of things.

 After our amazing dinner, we went out to the bar in our hostel and hung out before going to bed.

^Panama Canal

Monday

Another round of endless pancakes. Did I mention how much I like pancakes?

After that we decided split up for the day. Luke took the bike and I read a book through the morning.

We ended up hanging out with a variety of new friends the entire weekend. We hung out with them almost all afternoon. We had leftover pasta – which was still delicious and sat in our common room and talked for a few hours until we went to bed.

Tuesday:

We flew home for two weeks for Michelle’s (Luke’s sisters) wedding! 

Sorry for the delay on this post! Updates about Rio and the Olympics coming soon! 

Week 26: Baños, Guyaquil, Montanita, Puerto Lopez, Otavalo

Monday June 27
We woke up early but it was cloudy and rainy so we slept in for several hours. After a lazy morning we went to the store for sandwich supplies. After making hot sandwiches we set off on a hike through town. We saw the bridge and river flowing through the edge of town. Then we had a cup of coffee and hopped on a bus headed up the route of waterfalls. It was already getting late so we only went to one, named something with Diablo. After a bit of a hike we heard the waterfall. We only brought rain jackets but should have used ponchos. There were multiple viewing areas immediately adjacent to the waterfall and each was more wet than the last. It was exhilarating but soon we were soaked and freezing as it became dark. We warmed up by walking back and soon caught a bus back. Hot showers were in order and then we went to a fabulous Armenian steakhouse. We shared llama dumplings and lamb steaks. Everything was amazing and with heaping piles of veggies and potatoes. We ran, or rather waddled, back through the cold and rain. We were immediately fast asleep.

Tuesday

We again attempted to wake up early but the weather was very cloudy. We slept in a bit and then went to grocery store for breakfast supplies. After packing our bags we hopped on a bus to the famous casa de Arbol (treehouse) despite the clouds. Here you can “swing on the edge of the world”. On a clear day you have a great view of the volcano as you swing out toward it. Unfortunately it was cloudy and rainy, but we broke out our very rarely used rain ponchos and had a great time. After a couple hours we returned to the bus and picnicked on our ride back. We immediately picked up our backpacks and headed to the bus station to catch our seven hour plus bus ride to Guayaquil, the largest city and economic capital of Ecuador. Its located along a river that feeds into a bay in the Pacific Ocean. We enjoyed a beautiful but very windy ride and arrived by 10 PM or so.  We had hoped to continue on, but the last bus to Montanita had already left.  We reluctantly found a hotel room nearby and stayed there for the night.

Wednesday

We woke up in Guayaquil, and had a leisurely morning. We checked out and returned to the bus station.  After waiting half an hour we hopped on a bus to the regional bus station on the coast.  We arrived within a few hours and then quickly found another bus to Montanita.  After an hour or two of driving on the coastal highway, we arrived in Montanita and began walking to find a hostel.  A hostel owner offered us a large private room for $6 a person, and the room included a bathroom and ocean view window.  We headed to the beach and spent the afternoon lounging around.  As the sunset we headed to a bar and hookah lounge on the beach.  The food was expensive so we only watched the sunset and then decided it was time for dinner.  We walked to a few places that were either closed or expensive before finally finding a reasonable restaurant that was also one of the highest rated on trip advisor.  We walked around the streets for awhile and then returned to our room and hung out on our balcony until bed.

Thursday

We spent most of our time laying around on the beach after sleeping in.  We both read and I attempted to draw a picture of the beautiful view.  We bought some groceries and made our own breakfast.  That afternoon we went to a local travel agency and arranged a tour for the following day.  I can’t remember what we had for dinner, but in summary it was a nice relaxing day.

Friday

We woke up early, packed our bags, made a breakfast, and hopped on the bus sent by the tour company.  After a nice hour long trip we arrived in Puerto Lopez, a slightly larger town with a large boat dock.  We hopped on a small boat with 15 or 20 other tourists and three staff.  We set off for an island and on the way passed by many whales.  There was a group of five or ten humpback whales and watched them jump out of the water.  It was spectacular to watch.  After another thirty minutes at sea and we reached the island. It is named Plata Island and is known as the poor man’s Galapagos.  It was very dry and hot but is home to unique bird species.  We hiked for two hours and saw blue footed boobies and frigatebirds which have large red pouches for mating displays. There were thousands of birds on the island with no predators to reduce the population.  We returned to the boat, ate fruit and sandwiches for lunch, and then sailed to a nearby bay.  Here we snorkeled for an hour or so. It was not quite as impressive as some places I’ve been, but there were many large fish, as well as sea turtles and sting rays.  We returned to shore and saw more whales along the way.  We picked up our bags from the tour agency, ate some cheap dinner at a local restaurant, and then headed to the bus station. We hopped on the night bus back to Quito and we arrived by around five in the morning.

Saturday

From the Quito bus station we took a bus north for a few hours to Otavalo.  This town is famous for a market selling everything imaginable, but specializing in llama and alpaca fur clothing.  We walked around for awhile before finally finding a hotel room.  Then we headed to the market and shopped for awhile.  We had chinese food for lunch, shopped some more, got into a fight, and returned to the room.  After resolving our differences, we took a taxi over the next hill to a lake at the base of a volcano.  The volcano was cloud covered, but it was still a beautiful view.  We returned to the market, shopped a bit more, and then headed back to our room. We ate leftover chinese food and were sound asleep by 9 PM.

Sunday

The next day we hopped on a bus and headed north to the town of Ibarra, where we waited for another hour for a bus to Tulcan.  It was a beautiful ride with a variety of landscapes.  We arrived in Tulcan in the early afternoon and grabbed a taxi to the Colombian border.  From there we took another taxi to the bus station, where we took one more taxi to Las Lajas Sanctuary, a cathedral style church built in a remote ravine.  It was beautiful and great weather.  We walked around for awhile and then ate lunch.  We bought some cheap secondhand tickets to ride the cable cars across the ravine. We had to wait an hour to take the fifteen minute ride, but heard from new friends about a beautiful cemetery over the border in Tulcan.  We took an unoffical taxi directly there and walked around as the sun began to set. It was indeed beautiful with countless sculpted shrubs.  After leaving we went to the bus station and found a bus back to Quito.  It was a crowded and miserable four or five hour bus ride back to Quito, but we watched a good movie in the bus and were soon back at our favorite hostel in Quito, and instantly asleep.

It was an amazing and action packed week.  We loved Ecuador and the variety of mountains, beaches, lakes, and waterfalls.  We only had two weeks in the country and attempted to see alot.  It was a blast, and I hope to return to the pacific coast of Ecuador with a bit more time in the future.

Week 24: Taganga, San Gil, Chicamocha Canyon

Monday June 13

This morning, we decided to take advantage of a lazy day – so obviously, we decided to go walking across the mountains in Taganga in search of new beaches. We went for a while watching fisherman, looking for a good beach for snorkeling, and seeking something relaxing. We hung out on an abandoned property, grabbed some snacks, and read a book overlooking the ocean for a while before we headed back to a potential beach.
We emerged onto a beach that had a nice restaurant and we shared some freshly caught fish. We decided to stay there and hang out. Luke went swimming and I was reading all afternoon before we decided to head back before dark. We caught the sunset on the way back and then got ready to leave that night. We reserved that hostel for the day since our bus was that night at 9:00pm in Santa Marta.

 

Tuesday June 14
We took the night bus to San Gil, a town of around 100k people located in the lower elevation mountains about 6 hours west of Bogota.  It was beautiful there with perfect climate and tons of adventure sports. We found a hostel with a nice hammock area in the back yard.  It rained all afternoon so we sat in the hammocks and read. It was perfect.

Wednesday June 15

We went to the local nature park in the morning.  It was well maintained and beautiful. Then we took a bus to Barichara, a beautiful colonial town only an hour or two away.  After visiting the church, we walked out of town and found a stone trail built in the 1800’s by a german engineer.  We walked for a few hours to a smaller town called Guane.  It was also very old, and we were told camping was allowed on the soccer field on the edge of town.  We built a great campsite, and then bought a few things for dinner.  We mixed cheese, ham, and green apple, all diced, and hollowed out the loaf of bread with a stick. Then we stuffed the bread and cooked it over the fire.  It was delicious. After some beer and s’mores we went to sleep in our hammocks.

Thursday June 16

The next morning we woke up and enjoyed breakfast in our campsite.  We hiked onward to Villanueva, a slightly larger and more modern town.  The morning hike was steep and hot, but we made it to town, relaxed, and ate lunch. We bought more supplies and then pressed onward.  The next town was far away so we were looking for a campsite. Unfortunately, the road/path we walked on was lined with barbed wire fences protecting the farm.  We saw few good options and almost settled for bad campsites when we finally found an amazing spot. On the ridge of a mountain there were a few trees, a firepit, no fences, and spectacular views from both sides.  We loved this spot and enjoyed the sunset on both sides of the mountain.  We made a nice dinner of little smokies, onions, peppers, and cheese, both skewered and cooked in aluminum foil.  It was delicious again and we were soon asleep. It rained in the night but we quickly covered our hammocks with tarps/ponchos and stayed mostly dry.

Friday June 17

Last tortuous day of canyon hiking. We woke up to an amazing sunrise, ate as much of our remaining food as we could, dried our equipment in the sun, and then began walking.  It was easy for the first hour until we reached the edge of the canyon.  It was a great view, but we knew we were in trouble. We hiked three thousand feet down into the canyon until we reached the small ghost town of Jordan next to the river.  We were very hot, thirsty, and exhausted by the time we reached the town. We met some reporters who interviewed us and took thousands of pictures.  We may be famous in Colombia by now.  we ate a very simple lunch for about $1.50 per person at the only restaurant in town.  Then we rested and rehydrated before starting back up the steep canyon wall.  The path was cobblestoned for much of the way, but it was still the most miserable afternoon of my life.  It was hot, and we were exhausted.  We stopped every hundred yards or ten minutes for a break.  There is no transportation out of Jordan, so our only way out was to hike to the town on top of the cliffs.  After what felt like eternity, we reached the top and were happy to rest.  We took a series of busses back to San Gil, and immediately fell asleep in the busses.  It was however, one of the best hikes of my life.  We followed some instructions from wikipedia and only lost the trail a few times.  The views of old colonial towns, as well as mountains, valleys, and canyons, made for an awesome adventure.

Saturday June 18

Today, we decided to look around for some pricing for all the activities that there are in San Gil after going to breakfast. We looked around for a while before we found a great deal of $30,000 (10 USD) to raft down the river that afternoon!  It was my first time white water rafting and it really was a good time though a little scary! We went back to the hostel to get ready for our trip and then we were off! There were only about two or three level rapids, but that was a great introduction to me! After that we watched a few of the funny videos and pictures and headed back to the hostel.

Sunday June 19

This morning we had signed up to go paragliding and so we met up at the agency at 9:00. It took us about 40 minutes to get there, but once we got to Chicamocha Canyon it was a beautiful as I remember it from the camping before.

They gave us a quick walk-through on what we were supposed to do and then we waited! My guide was pretty amazing. He took me as high as he could and then did tricks for me. Luke saw the biggest smile on my face because I was just sooo excited and full of adrenaline! The ride home was nice but it made me realize how much I was going to miss Colombia. We spoke to our driver about eating a traditional meal before we left the area and he actually invited us to go with him and his family to this little restaurant that was packed. We had the traditional goat dish and it was sooo delicious! We were stuffed and sleepy by the time we got back to the hostel.

Week 23: Taganga, Ciudad Perdida

 

Sunday June 5

We woke up and left with just enough time to grab some breakfast and coffee before heading to our first scuba diving lesson. We learned all about the equipment and what was important about the tempered glass on the goggles, the oxygen tank, etc.

We took a very bumpy boat ride with our teacher from France towards a bay specifically used by the company. We hung out there for a little, then we went on a small dive. He taught us how to empty our goggles of water while underwater and how to clear out our regulators.

We got to see all kinds of wonderful things! The most amazing to me were the 2 squid, the eels, and an incredible amount of coral. It’s so different under the ocean than in fish tanks.

After that dive, we headed back to the beach, had an amazing lunch of meat and potatoes and rice, relaxed, then had another lesson under the water.

This time, we saw these ocean worms in a field and they would slowly crawl down their holes as we arrived closer. I have only seen those on the National Geographic channel!

After another amazing and varied dive, we headed back to Taganga to relax, shower, and rest! We hung out at our hostel some more and wandered around the city, had another round of the delicious baguette sandwiches and then went to bed.

Monday June 6

We stayed closer to Taganga on our 2nd day of scuba diving. We also had a new teacher! On that second morning, we learned about running out of oxygen and how to share our oxygen levels. I have to admit it was kind of scary to run out of oxygen underneath the water. Fortunately, having Luke and the teacher there really helped. This time around we saw a bunch of different eels. They are as creepy in nature as they seem in the aquarium!

The second time around, we saw a massive lobster – like 4 foot long. All I could think about was how delicious it would be with loads of butter! We also saw a variety of corals and fish. All in all it seemed like a very productive day!

Tuesday June 7

It was our last day scuba diving and I think we were ready to go and also to finish our testing! Turns out, that scuba diving 2 times a day can be pretty exhausting.
This last day we had our same teacher, learned how to go to the surface if all else fails, and we went hunting for lion fish since they are an invasive species that cause a lot of harm.

Luke helped our guide catch a HUGE one. He has amazing eyes to spot animals. Anyway, we ended up spotting loads of lion fish waiting around to eat little baby fishes. The second time we went diving we saw an entire cove of lion fish (like 7 or 8 of them!) They said that they would come back to get that bunch.

After coming back, we had a break for a shower and a snack. We ended up staying at the beach and eating at a local restaurant which had some great seafood. I had a bomb shrimp and calamari rice dish while Luke tried a local fish. Both were delicious!

Then we were taught about the physics part of the diving and how to tell when someone is in medical danger from the nitrogen in our bodies. The test was challenging, but we had a little bit of help and we finally passed our test! Luke only missed one question, but I missed 2.

After that, it was around dinner time. We had asked Calipso Dive Center how to sign up for the Ciudad Perdida trek, and it turns out that they could sign us up!

We swam on the beach, watched the sunset, and went back to our hostel. We had to prepare our bags for our trek the next day, and after we went to bed since I was starting to get sick.

Wednesday June 8
We got up early in the morning, left some bags and clothes at our hostel, and grabbed some breakfast before heading to the office to wait on the taxi to Santa Marta.

Turns out, our new travel companions were also in the taxi and so we spent the morning ride getting to know them! Their names we Dan and Claire and they were pretty funny.
When we arrived to Santa Marta, I hit up the pharmacy for as much allergy medicine and cough drops I could get my hands on.
After a while, we finally loaded up on our 4×4 to start our 5 day trek!
The next few days, we hiked through mountains, forest, rivers, and mud. We spent a lot of time walking up and down, sliding up and down on mud, getting rained on and falling asleep by 7 or 8. We would get up around 6 and then have a nice breakfast, hike, lunch break, hike, rest.
It was extremely challenging, but they did have nice shelters. I had to leave my sleeping bag behind because it was unnecessary and I didn’t want to carry the weight the whole time.
Finally, on the 3rd day, we finally hiked up to Ciudad Perdida.

(Check out my post on Ciudad Perdida if you want more information and details.)

Friday June 10

This morning we saw Ciudad Perdida. Our guide gave us an entire afternoon of history, cultural, and mythological lectures – I loved it!
The entire trek was way more than I expected in both beauty and size. Since we had 5 days instead of the general 4 days, we had a pretty easy going (compared to the first 2 days) hike back.

Saturday June 11

We spent another beautiful day hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains returning from the lost city.

Sunday June 12

 

Continued hiking back and visited a waterfall before lunch then ride back. Night hang out in taganga.

Upon returning to Taganga, we couldn’t get in to the hostel since the owners weren’t there, so we spent a lot of time resting and waiting until we finally stalked one of the staff members down.

After getting ready, we met up with Dan and Claire for dinner and a few beers before we went back to bed to rest. It was a really great time!

*written by Sarahi

Week 22:Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Tayrona National Park

June 29: After spencer left we stayed in barranquilla and relaxed for a day.  We mainly hung out in the hotel and watched netflix.

30 After our stay in Barranquilla, we headed to Santa Marta and booked a room in someone’s house. Unfortunately, the owner was not there when we arrived. Fortunately, Colombians are extremely nice and the next door neighbors helped us get into contact with him and we spent a good time talking with them and hanging out.

After getting into the hotel we wandered around the city for a while again. We went to the beach and planned our trip to Tayrona park. We spent the night packing our bags and then went to bed.

July 1: After breakfast, we took a bus to Tayrona park. We met another person who was going to stay there a few days and we ended up having lunch together. The park requires you to watch a safety video and it was, I believe, $42,000 pesos ($14) for each person to get in. After finally entering the park, we skipped the first campsite and headed straight to the second. The boulders and the beach and the mountains gave us a spectacular view. The walk wasn’t very hard since they created neat walkways that made it easier. This is where we discovered what I consider the “black, evil gnats”. They stay near fresh water and their bites hurt worse than mosquitos and they itch like crazy! Fortunately, they don’t stray too far from water.

After wandering a little bit more, we finally found our campsite and set up our hammocks in a shelter built for them. Our campsite was better than I expected! (I did expect some shelter and maybe one bathroom, but that’s it.) They had a kitchen, a little convenient store, showers, bathrooms, a tv, and electricity in some areas for a little bit of the day. The mosquitos weren’t bad at all!

Once we got settled in, we decided to take the 10 minute walk to the beach and oh-my-goodness was it gorgeous! We spent a good time just sitting there and watching the waves since they said that it was unsafe to swim because of the currents. The view was spectacular!

Then, we got up and kept wandering further. We found a fresh water pond right next to the beach which was a nice little scene and as we continued we found yet another beach! We didn’t go down into it, but we decided that the next day we were going to go first thing. We went home, barely making it before dark. We had a good dinner, read a little, and then we went to bed.

Wednesday June 1

The next morning, we got up and had a pretty big breakfast and headed to that beach. It was soooo nice and we met up with our friend with whom we had lunch with the other day and another guy originally from India, but living in the United States.

We talked about all the usual stuff you’re not supposed to talk about with new friends like politics, economics, etc. I honestly haven’t felt so uneducated in a long time and it was wonderful to be surrounded by people who had different opinions, but a good education. It made me want to study even more!!

After hanging out, we decided to go and get our bags and move to the next campsite, hoping that they had space! We heard it was very busy.

We stayed in line for a while, trying to check in, but after we did we discovered an even nicer camping spot.

Since boats take people to this particular spot, it had a nicer restaurant, a bigger area for camping, and a bigger beach. It also had a lot more people! We made some new friends and spent the next few hours setting up, hanging out, eating, chilling on the beach, and playing card games with new friends! We went to bed exhausted after a full, fun day.

Thursday June 2

This was our final day in Tayrona park and we had to walk the few hours back to the entrance. We took our time eating breakfast and spending even more time on the beach hanging out, swimming, and reading.

We then left to head back. We took our time walking back, but also keeping a good pace.

After getting to the entrance, we decided to stay just a little longer to check out Carnaveral Beach. We spent a bit of time there, watching the sea gulls, admiring the super long beach, enjoying the ocean breeze on top of some boulders we climbed. We only saw three people on the massive beach during the hour we were there.

After that, we took the shuttle back to the entrance and headed back to Santa Marta and back to our old room.

We showered and relaxed and that night we forced ourselves to get out of the room again. We went out to watch the NBA game at our old hostel, La Brisa Loca, then went to bed!

Friday June 3

We woke up and had a good morning. Packing up, we planned our next adventure into Taganga to see what scuba diving was all about.

It was a short taxi ride, only $10,000, and we arrived into the bay (maybe a cove?) into Taganga. We checked into our hostel and then headed to the beach.

My first impression wasn’t so spectacular, but it was probably because the first things I smelled were fish and trash and the ocean was more brown than blue. I’m spoiled, I know.

Either way, as we continued, we saw a lot of stores that offered scuba diving lessons, lots of seafood, and a lot of people.

Saturday June 4

This day, we had a leisurely morning. We had a rainy morning and spent it eating and reading at this baguette shop down the street.

After, we went shopping for scuba diving packages. Most of them are essentially the same thing: packages of $640,000-$680,000 with pictures, different special locations, and mostly the same amount of dives, etc. We chose Calipso mainly for the people, the location of our first dive, and because they didn’t talk badly about other companies in the area.

Then, we walked about 20 minutes to the other beach just over a hill. The views were beautiful even though the mountains were brown from lack of rain.

We rented some chairs and swam in the ocean before we headed back to the town. We caught the sunset and then went out to eat at a place called Tacos – they had amazing quesadillas and is located right by the ocean.

After that, we went to bed to rest before the next morning!

Week 21: Santa Marta, Palomino, Guacacha, Minca, Barranquilla 
Day 141:

Spencer, Sarahi, and myself woke up in Santa Marta and after a hearty breakfast and multiple coffees we packed our bags and paid our bill. We walked around Santa Marta briefly and arranged for a direct shuttle to our next hostel in the sleepy beach town of Palomino. We drove down a highway for about an hour, passing beach filled Tayrona National Park on the left, and the Sierra Nevada mountain range on the right. This mountain range is the highest coastal mountain range in the world and provides beautiful views and unique landscapes, namely mountains descending all the way into the ocean. We were driven down the road to our hostel which was less than a five minute walk from the beach. After checking into our hostel and relaxing a little we wandered down to the beach. It’s one of the most memorable and beautiful sights of the trip. Picturesque palm trees line the white sand beach while mountains fade into the clouds in the background. The water was fairly calm and after a short swim the sun began to set in a spectacular fashion. I had to run back for a camera and returned just in time to catch the end of the sunset. That night we relaxed and ate some of the pizza our hostel was famous for. It was delicious. That night we wandered around Palomino for a little while and then ate some more pizza before bed. 

Day 142:

The next morning we slept in and then ate breakfast at our hostel. I took a shared taxi to the next town for the closest atm and then returned to the hostel. After checking out we walked one hundred yards toward the beach to our next hostel, Dreamer Palomino. This is a very nice hostel with a large pool and stunning garden/common areas. It’s also adjacent to the beach and the most popular hostel in the area. After checking in we rented an inner tube and took a twenty minute moto taxi ride for $5 per person. Then we carried our inner tubes through a beautiful jungle trail for thirty minutes until we reached the river. Here we met some new friends and set off floating down the river. There were a few small Rapids but for the most part it was peaceful and beautiful. Eventually the river feeds into the ocean and we rode our tubes out into the waves. After some wave surfing on tubes we walked back down the beach with our tubes and dropped them off near our hostel. As we were walking back we saw the most incredible sunset to the west and an incredible rainbow to the east. It was breathtaking and we sadly didn’t have a camera to capture it. We spent the night relaxing at our hostel pool. Spencer had lost three pairs of flip flops by this point so we went to buy him another. We found some delicious empanadas for fifty cents and ate many. Spencer met a cute girl and we agreed to go rafting again the next morning. 
Day 143:

We had a bit of a late start the next morning and by the time we reached the girl’s hostel she was not waiting and had moved hostels. We couldn’t find her and had to leave without her. The rafting was just as beautiful in the morning. We returned for our bags and walked to the end of the road. We quickly hopped on a bus and rode a few miles to our next stop. Here we took moto taxis down a dirt road to Costeno beach surf camp. This hostel was just one large building with bunks on the top floor and hammocks underneath. There was a beautiful private beach stretching from our hostel for miles with groves of palm trees behind the beach. We relaxed that afternoon and had a yummy dinner. That night it was hot and there were some bugs. The hostel did not let in the coastal breeze and someone stole spencers bunk bed. We spent part of the night sleeping on the beach. Spencer was a little frustrated by the hostel and despite a lot of potential it was one of the low points of our time on the coast. 
Day 144:

The next morning we had a good hostel breakfast. Spencer and I decided to surf while Sarahi read on the beach. We rented surf boards and carried them for twenty minutes through beautiful and deserted palm tree groves. I even rode my surf board part of the way along the coast. Eventually we reached the beach where the Guacacha river meets the Caribbean. The sand wall was broken and the river freely flowed into the ocean. I swam from the river into the ocean but struggled to make it back to shore. We heard this was the best surf spot so we decided to try it out. Soon I found myself very far from shore and had to fight to break free from the current. I didn’t catch many good waves and soon realized Spencer was floating out further than I had. I motioned for him to follow me but it was too late. He was quickly swept out to sea by the river current. I headed for shore, barely crossed the river without being swept back out to sea, and found a commotion on the beach regarding Spencer floating out to sea. A few old fishermen ran down the beach to their boats and pushed them down into the sea. I ran down the beach in time to help push the boat out and soon Spencer was rescued. I tipped the fishermen 50,000 pesos ($17) for saving the life of my best friend. We stopped to savor life and enjoy a green coconut, then headed back to our hostel. We had a nice lunch as it started to pour rain. We waited out the rain for awhile and then took a moto taxi ride to the highway and soon caught a bus back towards Santa Marta. We stopped on the outskirts of town and took a taxi to Minca, a small town on a mountainside overlooking Santa Marta and the coast. The taxi snaked up and around several steep hills before stopping in Minca. We hiked fifteen minutes steeply up hundreds of stairs. We reached our hostel, Casa Loma and had a beautiful view awaiting. Sarahi and I had a private room called the treehouse because it was built against a tree about fifteen feet off the ground, and hammocks were hung underneath. It was a wonderful cozy room with screens for walls and an awesome view of the bay. Spencer had an awesome room as well though it was a dorm and on the other side of the property. We didn’t see Spencer after arriving because when we arrived in Minca we ran into a girl Spencer had met a few days before. He searched town until he found her that night and signed up for an expedition the next day. It started raining hard that night and we worried Spencer had slipped down the stairs and was injured and lost in the dark. Luckily he returned and told us of his adventures. The hostel had vegetarian food and we had three fantastic meals there. It was great to read and relax in a perfect climate. There were no biting bugs, only black flying ant like bugs that showed up in clouds. All in all we loved our stay and were happy to have an escape from the heat and a private room. 

Day 145:

The next morning we ate breakfast and relaxed. Spencer showed up around lunch time. After eating we walked back down the stairs and took a moto taxi up the mountain to our next hostel, another hour up dirt roads. When we arrived at casa elemento we found an incredible mountain top view of Santa Marta and Taganga. On the edge of the mountain there was a great vista, a deck, and a gigantic hammock as well as a slightly smaller swing. The property also had a pool, zip line course, good food, and great local draft beer. We enjoyed the swing, perfect weather, and the view for hours as the clouds rolled in and the sun set. We ate a nice dinner of chicken skewers then watched the thunder golden state warriors game. I think we were all exhausted and asleep early. 


Day 146:

The next day we woke up and were very sad Spencer’s last day of vacation was over. Sarahi and I watched the sunrise from the swing and then went back to bed. We enjoyed a nice breakfast and then played some rumikub. We lazed around in the perfect weather and explored the ropes course. We ate lunch and then in the early afternoon took moto taxis back to Minca. From there we went to the bus station in Santa Marta. We hopped on a bus and rode the two hours back to Barranquilla as the sun set. We went back to our last place, hotel tin tan. After showering we set out late to enjoy our last night together. We ate some bad fried food in a casino in the mall because the food court was closed. We attempted to enter a club but i was wearing flip flops. We returned to the hotel to change but instead walked to a local club. It turned out to be a strip club so we wandered on. Eventually we returned to our hotel and went to bed late. 
Day 147:

The next morning I gave spencer a map of bogota and my recommendations, as he had a twelve hour layover there. We put him in a taxi, said goodbye, and went back to bed. We walked to a grocery store and made sandwiches. We decided to stay in our hotel one more night. We enjoyed the rooftop view of Barranquilla and ordered Chinese for dinner. We went to bed early again. It was a great action packed week with Spencer and we were really sad to see it end but happy to relax a little afterwards. 

Week 20: Barranquilla, Cartagena, Rosario Isles, Santa Marta
Day 134: May 14th

We took our flight in the morning from bogota to Barranquilla. We awaited Spencer’s arrival that night. We landed in a small airport and went outside to find a hot day awaiting us. Spencer had missed his flight the day before so he arrived a little late. We spent the day hanging out at a couple malls after dropping our bags off at the bus station. We returned to pick up our bags at 9 and then headed to the airport awaiting Spencer’s 11 PM arrival. We were happy to meet him at the airport and then returned the bus station to catch a bus to Cartagena. We waited nearly three hours but none of the “hourly” busses arrived. We were exhausted and decided to crash at a nearby hotel before trying again the next morning. 
Day 135: 

We slept in till 9 or 10 and then headed to the bus stop. We grabbed some pastries to go and hopped on a bus to Cartagena. Within a few hours we stopped at the terminal and took a taxi to the northern part of town. We drove through a very industrial Caribbean city before reaching the historic section near the coast. We stayed inside the walled section of the city and after checking into our hostel we walked around town admiring the old buildings. We walked around some of the 15 or so kilometers of walls and watched the sunset. That night we took salsa lessons at the hostel but it was extremely hot outside. We made some new friends and went back out to find some food. We went to bed late.



Day 136:

The next morning we slept in and then ate breakfast in our hostel. After packing our bags we wandered the city a bit longer. That afternoon we took a bus to playa Blanca, a nice tourist filled beach only an hour away. We thought this beach was close to our hostel that night but our hostel was actually on another island. We enjoyed a massage on the beach and were happy to be on a Caribbean beach! We started to stress about making it to our hostel because a local boat driver wanted around $120 to take us. We ended up paying around $50 and had quite an adventure. Three local boys took us and our backpacks on their motorbikes down a road until it turned into a path along the beach. We struggled through the sand and stopped at a farmhouse for gas. Eventually we made it to the small town where we took a rowed boat across a channel to an apparently uninhabited island. The old man who rowed us walked down a trail through mangroves and cow pastures. Eventually we found a few buildings with a private beach. It was charming and the staff was very kind. There were maybe five other guests and five staff and we felt like kings. We ate wonderful fish for dinner and relaxed that night. We played volleyball with some Europeans and played a Colombian board game called Parque with the main hostel worker named Natalia, who was beautiful and fun. Spencer was quite smitten and we would have stayed another day had we not made reservations elsewhere already. At night there we lights scattered throughout the area and it looked like a fairy tale scene. 

Day 137:

We woke up early and took the paddle boards out for an early morning adventure. We saw starfish in the water below and had a good time. We ate breakfast and packed our things. We caught a boat to isla grande, another of the Rosario Islands, a group of at least twenty coral islands in the Caribbean. This boat ride cost only $2 a person, an awesome deal, but the driver did not know where our hostel was. Luckily it wasn’t too big of an island and after an hour of walking we met some locals who led us in the right direction. We had been close to walking to a side of the island with no connecting trail so we were saved. There was no road, only trails for motorbikes and foot traffic. We reached our hostel by 10 in the morning and rented some stand up paddle and snorkel equipment for free. It was windy and choppy so we weren’t able to paddle board very well. The hostel was one of six hostels in an old hotel compound. The hotel was built in the mid 80’s by a rich emerald dealers wife but abandoned for years. It was bought and repaired and features two pools, a bar, restaurant, private beach, and lagoons connecting to the backside of the property. Our host was a young guy from Medellín and we liked him a lot. We went to an awesome restaurant that serves fresh fish. We ate barracuda and enjoyed our view of the beach. We relaxed on the beach during the afternoon and ate at the onsite restaurant for dinner. We met some cool people and enjoyed our awesome location. We were exhausted by the time we went to bed. 
Day 138:

The next morning we borrowed two kayaks and paddled through three mangrove lakes and connecting channels that were just tunnels through thick mangroves. After the third lake we broke into the ocean and paddled back toward the hostel along the beach. It was an awesome experience. We returned for some more delicious fish at the beachside restaurant (and only restaurant on the island) for some awesome fish. That afternoon we relaxed and talked with new friends. That night we hung out around the pool and drank beer with some Coloradoans and some hostel workers. 
Day 139:

The next morning we ate breakfast and leisurely got ready to leave. Spencer was sunburnt so I took a kayak solo to an area with good snorkeling. I saw some cool stuff and then returned to the hostel. We packed up our bags and hopped on a boat with the Coloradoans and a few other guests. We were promised a direct trip but instead made multiple stops at the aquarium and then the beach. After a couple hours we finally finished the choppy ride back to Cartagena. We were hot and sunburnt and had to walk to an ATM and grocery store for much needed water. Then we took a taxi to a hostel and ate at the adjoined taco restaurant. We arranged for a bus to Santa Marta and an hour later we were picked up. We stopped by a beach and walked around while waiting for the bus to fill up. Then we all napped on the three hour bus ride to Santa Marta. We arrived at our hostel by 9 or 10 at night. Our hostel had an awesome bar on the top floor as well as a sports bar on the second floor. It was full of young travelers and had an awesome view. We showered and were ready to enjoy our awesome hostel. There was a DJ on the top floor and we partied until the sun came up. 
Day 140:

We slept in the next day before eating some great food from our hostel. Then we played some risk with a few new friends. I lost miserably but we had fun. It was already late afternoon by the time we finished playing and ate lunch. We made more friends around the hostel and didn’t leave the building all day. It was Saturday night and the party continued. People come from all over town to enjoy the rooftop bar and dancing and we felt special to be sleeping at the same place everyone wants to party. We ran into William from Holland who we met in Manaus and visited in Medellin. It was his birthday and we were happy to see him for a little while. Once again we stayed up talking with newly made friends until the sun came up. 
It was a really fun week full of beaches, beautiful views, and lots of new friends. Spencer helped us to be outgoing and have a fresh excitement for traveling. It was exhausting but we had a great time.