Santa Marta is a nice town on the Pacific coastline of Colombia. Founded in 1525 there are many colonial buildings in the center and one of the oldest cathedrals in South America.
We have enjoyed four nights here at Aluna Hostel where we met some great traveling buddies, Mark & Lori, who are from Vancouver, BC. The small hostel is quite comfortable, run by an Irishman whose Chieftains CD competes with the Colombia music blasting from many homes nearby. I have become accustomed to showering in cold water here, actually choosing to rinse off often to lower my body temperature!
Yesterday we followed Mark & Lori again, this time away from the beach up high into the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains. Our transport vehicle was perfect for the rough dirt road that winded up a curving one-lane mountain road. The ancient, but still running. Land Rover was without its back window so the four of us received quite a dusting as we gained the altitude. The temperature dropped a bit from the oppressive afternoon heat of Santa Marta though we seemed to loss the sea breeze so it was still very warm.
Once we reached the small town we took an hour hike to a swimming hole and waterfall. The water was freezing cold and the bugs were biting so we soon left the cool wooded forest for the trail back down to town. Stopping for a cold drink we decided to eat lunch there in Minca. The Menu of the Day included chicken breast, rice, beans,soup and a spicy green sauce; it was enjoyed by all.
Keith and I loved listening to the tales of these very seasoned travelers and when we returned to Aluna, we enjoyed looking at great photos of Panama and Sri Lanka, two places we plan to visit very soon! What wonderful new friends we have met on the Gringo Trail in South America! For dinner Keith & Lori went to the corner and bought kebobs from the vendor who grills right out on the street. They were yummy.
This morning we said goodbye to Lori & Mark after they kindly shared their Colombia Lonely Planet guide one last time before heading off to Medellin. We spent our last full day here in Santa Marta relaxing and reading though we did get out to see the sun go down over the water at the well-used beach in town. Families were out in full force playing in the sand and swimming in the ocean this evening.
Tomorrow we plan to move on, east via bus to Valledupar.
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