Relaxing in Palomino

On my journey to Palomino, I had to take a bus from Taganga back to Santa Marta first. Thanks to my offline map and the bus driver, to whom I had previously told where I needed to get off, I knew where to get off. Due to my poor sense of direction, I didn't immediately find the bus station to Palomino in Santa Marta. Somewhere near the market. A guy was already shouting 'palomino, palomino' and there was also a bus. 'Si, Palomino,' I said and then it got a bit chaotic. I handed over my backpack, which was stored at the back of the bus. I got on the old bus, which seemed like it would fall apart soon. I sat all the way at the back. Every few seconds, vendors got on the bus, trying to sell their stuff: water, juice, mandarins, banana bread, and even knives, pasta strainers, and cheese graters. Yes, I really need those for the bus ride. Shortly after, we finally started driving. The bus was also crowded. But we quickly stopped again and huge sacks were stacked in the bus between the rows of seats. I think there was animal feed in them. A bit further, the next goods were stored. Until the bus was really full of people and goods. Then a man gave a speech in Spanish. I didn't understand much. He then handed out small bags with some kind of plants - medicine or something. Strange. You could buy that. Eventually, another man collected the money for the ride. It was 10,000 pesos. That's 2.80€ for a journey of nearly 200km. Finally arrived, I had to walk 1km to the hostel. With a heavy backpack and at 30 degrees, it was exhausting again. It was a gravel road, with hostels, small cafes, restaurants, and jewelry stands on both sides. And everything, including the people, had a very hippie vibe and I immediately felt comfortable there. Also in my hostel with a pool, delicious pizza, and a 5-minute walk to the endless sandy beach. The sea had a strong current here, so I didn't swim there. I stayed in Palomino for a whole five nights and just relaxed and ate and drank well. :-) There is a kilometer-long sandy beach with palm trees, and eventually a river where you can swim. The highlight was the dog walk on the beach. But there's a separate article for that.