See you later Colombia (Salento-Taganga-Palomino)

I'll get straight to the point. Salento was the absolute highlight of this trip. A super beautiful little town, little traffic, little partying. But you can easily hike up to 5200 meters. However, you would need time for that and since there were only two full days between my arrival and the next departure, it was unfortunately not an option for me. Since I didn't manage to get out of bed at 6 o'clock as planned on the first day, I decided to do a hike around the town. Past coffee plantations, meadows, cows and small farms to a few small waterfalls and the occasional impressive viewpoint.

After 16 km, despite a short refreshment in the waterfall, my well-deserved dinner and a little shopping tour in the many small beautifully decorated shops, I was glad to be in bed.

The next day, I really set off for Cocoa Valley at 6 o'clock. Tourists are driven up here by jeeps and buses. Since I knew that, I took the first jeep and walked the 14 km circular route the other way around.

So in the morning I was almost alone and could enjoy the cool morning air.

On the way there was a small 'Hummingbird House' where you could strengthen yourself with a coffee or chocolate and then watch the countless hummingbirds that flew within a few centimeters.

It continued up to about 3000m, then downhill, until after 3 hours the first viewpoint came. Here you already had a first view of the up to 60 meter high wax palms that only grow here. The second and third viewpoints were only interesting to me for taking pictures. At the last viewpoint, which can be reached on foot from the parking lot in ten minutes, people have now almost trampled each other to death and patiently waited in line at specially prepared photo spots for a great photo opportunity. 🤦🏼‍♂️

Finally, I jumped on a horse, somehow I felt like it after our ride on the Azores. We only walked up and down the path at a walk, but the landscape was more attractive than on the Azores :)

Then it was back to Salento by jeep and after a refreshing shower, I took the last bus to Pereira, because my next flight to Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast was from here.

Taganga

For the next flight (the 6th of this trip) I had to get up on time, as the plane already left at 7 o'clock, so I was already in the hostel in Taganga at 12 o'clock. By the way, the bus journey would have taken over 20 hours...

Arriving in Taganga, I had to realize that I had imagined it quite differently. The beach full of fishing boats, motor oil and dirt. The 'swimming beach', which was located secluded on the side of the bay, was full of garbage. I knew that people come here more for diving, but I still expected a little more Caribbean flair.

Anyway, the 2 dives with refreshments on a big boat only cost 65€, a bargain (even more insane that we had to pay 400€ for less than 4 hours in Cartagena). In the evening, I had a cheap cocktail in a nice atmosphere with a beautiful sunset.

Again, I couldn't sleep in, that's still work here, but now I'm going on the boat all day :)

Well, not the whole day, but at least from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. I had informed myself beforehand, so I'm not particularly disappointed that I couldn't see so much underwater here. One thing is clear, it doesn't always get better, farther, higher, and more interesting. I just wanted to dive regularly so that I don't need a refresher course, done.

The funniest thing was that I was the only non-diving certified person together with a Colombian woman. So the most interesting thing on the first dive was actually the other people and not the fish. Everyone waved their arms and legs like crazy, obstructed each other, and ran out of air quickly. It's amazing how much you have developed after 30 dives.

Accordingly, the second dive was better because we were assigned differently and now had our own guide. Apart from moray eels and a few lionfish, there wasn't much to see. The rest of the day I spent at and in the pool of my hostel. Tomorrow I will continue to Tayrona National Park.

For once I was able to sleep in before taking the bus back to Santa Marta to change buses there. I got off halfway to Palomino to get to my hostel, which is located in the middle of nowhere and can only be reached via a small dirt road. There are two hotels next to the hostel, otherwise it's quiet here.

You shouldn't expect a Caribbean beach here either, the rising sea level has already left its mark here too. The beach is only cleared of garbage, everything else that is washed ashore is left lying, I actually like that because it has something natural about it.

What I didn't notice yesterday, there were sand flies/sand fleas on the beach, I sat in the sand for a beer and woke up with 25 bites today. The annoying thing is, the itching is much worse than mosquito bites. It's a good thing that I have such good self-control, at least when it comes to itching bites.

So far, I had mosquito bites pretty much under control, in the apartment I had a few and then not a single new one until Taganga, where I briefly lay in the air-conditioned room (generally, mosquitoes are not so active in air-conditioned rooms), but here it's different, the little buggers bit me 7 times in a few minutes. Maybe I'm a bit overly cautious after dengue fever, but I definitely don't need that again. Well, 'lesson learned' and from now on spray 4 times a day instead of 3.

After a small breakfast, I went to Tayrona National Park, it was supposed to be just an easy 1 ½ hour walk. Should... At 35 degrees and over 80% humidity, I sweated lightly, the sweat ran from my neck, through my T-shirt, through my swimming trunks, and dripped into my heels, delicious! I can't remember ever sweating so much outside of a sauna. Of course, the same thing happened on the way back, but it was worth it, I saw monkeys, iguanas, spiders, giant crabs (here I had my Koh Kradan moment - Lippe, Tim, and Jessi will remember 😅 ), and various butterflies. The two beaches were also a dream. With my sparse mobile phone flashlight, I walked the last meters through the dark jungle.

Next stop: Palomino, even more beautiful and nicer. A small town without paved roads, but several small cafes and restaurants, the beaches are also undeveloped here and except for a few people, you also have peace and quiet. If you get bored, you can paddle down the river in a tire, go hiking in the jungle, learn to surf or ride horses. My hostel is top notch! Too bad I only have two nights here, I could stay a little longer here :)

I decided to spend 3 full days at the beach. Today I was able to gain my first experiences on the surfboard, which was already fun. The rest of the day I listened to music, lazed in the sun, strolled along the beach, and drank the occasional Cuba Libre in between.

After another surf lesson, I already returned to Santa Marta in the evening. It's hard to believe that I was just traveling in the jungle with a completely non-roadworthy bus and in 30 hours I will already be back home in my own bed.

Three weeks are already over, tomorrow I will start with flight No. 21, 22, and 23 (in 2023) via Bogota, Madrid, and Amsterdam back to Bielefeld. I won't win a climate award with that anymore, but vacation away from home is simply better, more relaxed, more interesting, and warmer than at the North and Baltic Sea ;)