 |
| Me walking on the sand |
So as we waved goodbye to Palomino we were uncertain of what lay ahead at Tayrona National Park. We had been warned by other travellers about the long 2-3 hour walk in the heat and boy were they right! As we arrived at the National Park we were surprised to see just how touristy the entrance was - nothing else we had seen in Colombia had been this organised, it was rather bizarre. The hike started off pleasant enough as we were sheltered from the midday sun by the tall, overhanging trees, spotting lizards as we went. Mike and I had been stupid enough to bring a large backpack with us for Palomino and the National Park and this took its toll as the walk wore on making the person at the time wearing it sweat uncontrollably.The hardest bit (and I am sure Sophie will agree) was trekking through the sand. As beautiful as the beaches were, and as blue as the sea was, walking through the sand was a serious workout! The scenery though was undeniably beautiful as we would switch between forest, beach and climbing rocks. Almost two hours in we stopped at the scenic La Piscina beach for a break and to take in the beautiful blue sea. It wasn’t until we left this beach that we realised that we were being eaten by small black bugs. The insects from the forest and now the beach bugs had eaten my legs alive even through 50% deet spray.
 |
| La Cabo beach |
40 minutes later we arrived at the basic, beach side campsite of La Cabo. The beach wasn’t quite as nice as La Piscina but was certainly bigger, and with the tall palm trees wasn’t a bad alternative. Whilst Mike and I jumped over waves, Sophie befriended some young Colombian guys in the process of trying to break into a coconut that had moments earlier fallen from the heavens. One guy in particular took a shine to Sophie and tried to write love notes in the sand before the waves washed them away. It was rather cute really.
That night after Mike and I were searched by “security” on the beach using a phone torch we retired to our hammocks in the thatched roof building, wrapped up in our sleeping bag liners and clothing to prevent feeding any more hungry insects.
 |
| Mike writing his book overlooking the view |
The next day we made our way 2 hours back to the entrance we headed on to Minca for relaxing mountain views and Spanish lessons. The walk up to Casa Loma was hard but so worth it. Situated 50 meters above the town, the friendly hostel is effectively a tree house on one of the mountain sides and the ultimate backpacker retreat. Under the wooden tree house was a cosy communal area with hammocks, a variety of interesting chairs and 2 long bench tables for everyone to eat together at meal times. We had also entered a wifi free zone much to Sophie’s dismay (and yes, first-worlders such a thing does exist!) Surprisingly, this was really great as it meant that everyone there actually socialised and played card games in the evenings as opposed to sitting in different corners of the room on various technological gadgets scrolling through Facebook.
Whilst we were here we spoke to a variety of Americans, Australians and Europeans, and this is what we learnt about different cultures:
No matter what country you are in (UK, Oz, USA, etc) “Southerners” will take the piss out of “Northerners”
People from the UK tend to insult each other more for the purpose of jokes
FOX tv is just as much of a joke for people in USA as it is in the UK
People from the UK have more words for “Peodophile”
Men in the USA are usually circumcised from birth, unlike other countries. This came as a massive shock to the Americans. However, on the other side of the table, the guy from Bristol was equally shocked that Americans do this and crossed his legs.
 |
| Mike in the water |
 |
| On the nice bit of the road |
During our 1 and a half week stay we embarked on a number of activities such as a day of mountain biking complete with waterfall and coffee factory tour. Mike and Sophie had both been mountain biking several times before and loved it. I on the other hand had never been and it is safe to say it's been a long time since I rode my bike back at home. All kitted out we descended down the severely potholed track and I was pretty scared to stand up on the bike! Shortly after we made it to our first stop, the La Victoria coffee factory where we were taken around all the century-old machinery which still works today. We learnt how the beans were sorted, washed and dried ready for roasting. After seeing that the grade 3 beans are dried on the dusty concrete floor, we have tried to drink better coffee since! After what seemed like a short period we were back on the bikes, continuing down the hill towards our lunch stop at Pozo Azul. We encountered some large descents on the way with loose rocks which made me wobble and hate every minute. The waterfall though was another nice respite from the riding and was particularly busy with locals. Pozo Azul is one of the biggest in the area and only Mike was brave enough to venture into the cold water. The rest of the afternoon was spent making our way down to the bottom of the hill, past Minca towards Santa Marta. As the roads became normal I stopped panicking and was finally able to enjoy the final descent. Despite all the wobbles, and a brief panic attack, I am glad I tried it and made it all the way to the end, but next time I think I will leave it to the others!
 |
| The mini Roasting Machine |
We also visited another coffee farm in Minca called La Candelaria located up in the hills. Unlike the factory on the bike tour this was an actual farm and a factory all in one. Eugine the owner of the farm took us through each step from growing the coffee seeds on his farm to preparing the beans ready for drinking in his limited, but well rehearsed English. His sorting machines were impressive but none more than the alcoholic insect repeller and the mini roasting machine which he had built himself by watching videos on Youtube! After taking in the heavenly smell of roasted coffee we were rewarded with a cup of the freshly made stuff. One of the highlights of the day though had to be feeding “Tooky” the friendly Toucan who had forced himself upon the family as their pet and now spends his days being fed (and pooping) masses of Papaya chunks.
 |
| Mike feeding Tooky |
The rest of our time in Minca was spent lazying in hammocks looking out at the view, Spanish lessons (complete with homework!) and eating all the brownies at Minca’s Coffee shop.
