I woke this morning and took a brisk walk around Cartagena. By the time I returned, around 8 am, my shirt and shorts were fully drenched from sweat. Cartagena is situated right on the doorstep of the coastline and is surrounded by a very massive and thick wall originally constructed to protect it from incoming threats. It´s a cute town, but this morning I was feeling a little too tourist laden. So with that, I grabbed a taxi to the bus station and hopped the first bus to Santa Marta with the intention to connect to Tayrona State Park.
The roads here are pretty much small etchings along a very massive region of jungle, mountain and coast. The ride may have been a tad on the bumpy side, but the views were breathtaking. The vegetation and terrain reminded me of a cross between Fiji and Costa Rica. From all angles it was an absolutely breathtaking ride and I met some great locals along the way.
Once in Santa Marta I was informed that Tayrona had closed for the day. This, I was later told, was incorrect. So, that leaves me in a small little hostel about three blocks from the beach in Santa Marta. I spent the afternoon taking a swim with some local kids who refused to believe that I was not fluent in Spanish, perused the local markets and enjoyed some pretty epic Colombian fare in one of the local squares with a fellow back packer. I was a little frustrated with not reaching Tayrona, but all in all it worked out well.
Three of us are heading up north tomorrow and my intention is to be laying in a hammock, listening to waves slapping on the beach by eleven in the a.m. Bring on the playa!
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