5. Stop: Taganga

Upon the suggestion of a Scottish woman, I decided to stay in Taganga, a small fishing village 10 minutes north of the big city, instead of Santa Marta, and take a diving course there.

As picturesque as a 'small fishing village' may sound, it wasn't very nice there. The locals are quite poor, and besides diving schools and hostels, there is not much there. However, the beaches and the underwater world are very nice.

I decided to take a three-day 'Open-Water Course'. There is a lot to consider in this sport, I had been living under the misconception that you can just dive up and down as you please. However, that is not the case, for example: the deeper you dive, the higher the pressure becomes. One of the consequences is that you cannot hold your breath when resurfacing, as the air in your lungs expands due to the lower pressure. So there was a lot to learn, I even had homework assigned. And I got to know a new type of people: the relaxed diving instructors, sun-kissed and always in a good mood. On the free afternoons, I visited Santa Marta.

So a beautiful life! In the hostel, I met a group consisting of an Austrian, a Swede, an Englishman, and a Frenchman. I went to a beach party with them. A beautiful beach was just 10 meters away from the stage! We danced until 5 in the morning, and after 2 hours of sleep and a long journey, I embarked on my last dive, and then made my way to Minca, or so I thought!