A detour to paradise! - El Valle

19/02 - 23/02

Since we have been mostly traveling on well-trodden tourist paths in Colombia so far, we longed for the opposite: a place about which we didn't know much in advance. We chose the small village 'El Valle' on the Pacific coast of Colombia.

This is located in the Choco department, which consists mostly of rainforest and is the only department in Colombia bordering both the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea. El Valle can only be reached by plane. It is correspondingly expensive and relatively cumbersome, which is why the area is not found on many must-visit lists of backpackers. It is precisely this fact and our curiosity that drew us there!

So in Medellin we boarded the smallest plane we have ever flown on, with a total capacity of 20 people. The ten other people on board - not surprisingly, the flight was not completely booked - each had both aisle and window seats, as there was only one seat on each side. The pilot was also the flight attendant and performed the safety briefing. He only asked us to read the safety brochure as opportunity arose. During the flight, we could look over the pilot's shoulder, as there was no door to the cockpit. The plane was so small that it was accordingly loud and every slight breeze or the slightest change in pressure was clearly noticeable. Although we have flown a lot by now and I don't really have a fear of flying, the 30 minutes in the plane were a nerve-wracking experience for me. The view from the propeller plane was a welcome distraction. When we started the approach to the Pacific coast, we flew over an untouched bay. We could hardly decide whether to admire the seemingly endless green rainforest on the left or the azure blue Pacific on the right.

After the short flight, we landed safely in 'Bahia Solano', the nearest 'city' with an airport. Well, if you can call it that - because we landed next to inhabited wooden huts and grazing cows. The airport building could have been a sparsely furnished barn. Our luggage was handed to us directly from the plane and the security check was a joke: we had to pass two policemen who only performed very superficial checks on the luggage. One of the two policemen wanted to search my big backpack, but his colleague obviously didn't feel like it and smiled and quickly gestured for me to continue. I thanked him and quickly continued on my way...

When we arrived at our hostel in El Valle, Julian picked us up with a mototaxi. The ride took us a good 45 minutes on dirt roads with huge potholes. We hardly encountered any other vehicles along the way. I already noticed that we would hardly meet other travelers in this area - much to my delight!

When we arrived at the hostel, the owner Monica welcomed us and showed us around the accommodation. Already in the first few minutes I realized that I would feel very comfortable here. But when we entered our room and discovered the view, Luki was also captivated - the folding windows in our room revealed the Almejar Beach in all its full and deserted splendor. So we had the sound of the sea in our ears around the clock in our room, maybe that's why we were so relaxed all the time! :)

A little later we also met Monica's husband Yupi, who warmly welcomed us with hostel dog Lucas. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in the hostel and enjoyed a hearty dinner right outside the front door at sunset. Yupi grilled some big pork ribs on his barbecue. In addition to the host couple, the other two guests - a German-Dutch couple - joined our little dinner party.

During our stay, we learned more about how Monica and Yupi ended up in peaceful El Valle: Monica is a native Colombian and lived near Medellin. Yupi was born in Brazil and spent half his life in New York. Three years ago, they were on vacation in El Valle and discovered the 'For Sale' sign on the property where their B&B is located today. They had no intention of emigrating and starting their own business, but out of sheer curiosity, they asked about the selling price. It immediately appealed to them, so they spontaneously decided to buy the property and build a hostel or a small B&B on it. They have been living in the house for two years now, running the hostel on the side, and over the years they have acquired 5 cats and the dog Lucas. The cats are like their children and although I am not a big fan of cats, I took a liking to one of them: the hammock-loving 'Shy'. It is the only cat that likes to relax in the swing for hours. Even Luki, as a gifted cat whisperer, quickly made friends with one of the kittens...

Unlike the previous destinations, we didn't have any specific plans for what we wanted to do during the three days in El Valle. Already on our arrival, Monica explained which excursions can be made in the jungle or to neighboring beaches in the area. But since these tours are very expensive and we were not really in the mood for full-day activities, we simply decided on conscious and active doing nothing. We spent the days sunbathing, reading, learning Spanish, or listening to music in one of the many hammocks. Finally, Luki could use his travel hammock, so far he had carried it unnecessarily and hardly used it. We could also borrow boogie boards from Yupi, with which we - especially Luki - had fun in the perfectly tempered sea. Boogie boarding is a simplified form of surfing, saving you all the effort of standing up. Luki lovingly called it 'surfing for the freedom impaired'. The conditions during our stay were unfortunately not suitable for real surfing. Since we were the only people on the entire Almejar Beach most of the time, we could also safely take our GoPro camera and cell phones with us to take some photos.

Unfortunately, this carefreeness led to Luki's somewhat unnecessary carelessness on the last day. He wanted to film the boogie boarding and attached the GoPro to his forehead. The force of the first wave he took by surprise tossed him around like in a washing machine. The GoPro was immediately swallowed by the sea. Of course, despite a half-hour search, we had no chance of finding it in the turbid and turbulent water. Angry and disappointed at the same time, we ended the bathing fun and went back to the B&B. Fairly, one must say that this loss was the worst thing that has happened to us on our entire trip so far, I think we can cope well with this material loss, although of course it is very sad about the camera!

Beside our B&B, there were only two other hostels along the beach. In one of them, the Eco Lodge about 10 minutes walking distance from our accommodation, there was the most delicious fish soup imaginable. We ate lunch and dinner there several times, where in addition to the soup, there was also fresh fish. Especially at sunset, the terrace of the restaurant offered a fantastic view of the sun sinking into the sea - with a cold beer in hand, it is the perfect end to the day in paradise! :)

Conclusion:

The days on the Pacific coast were neither varied nor exciting - but for that very reason, an incredibly beautiful time. The hostel, the beach, and the whole atmosphere of this place left a lasting impression on us. On the day of departure, I was really sad to have to leave it. If we had a few more days, we would definitely have explored some of the surroundings with its diverse flora and fauna. However, it was simply an extremely welcome rest for body and mind.

We will most likely see El Valle again, but then at the time (June to October) when the humpback whales are drawn to the coast to give birth to their offspring. At that time, you can not only admire the landscape from the hostel room, but also the whales! For me, the place had a lot of what I imagine as a 'paradise': deserted, untouched, and tropically hot! :)

Hasta pronto!

E&L

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