Category Archives: Columbia

Columbia: Santa Marta, Cartagena, Minca

Sunset Marina Santa Mart

Comedy of Errors and Total Disaster

Comedy of Errors.  Even the best made plans can turn into a comedy of errors. Our good friend, Wayne was coming to visit us (he is not the error). So we scheduled an English-speaking taxi driver to pick him up (with a sign and everything). He flew on American Airlines from Dallas to Bogota and then Avianca Airlines from Bogota to Santa Marta.

After Wayne landed in Bogota he alerted us that his next flight would be late (10p vs 830p). When we notified the taxi driver she offered to pick us up and bring us to the airport at no extra charge – a great surprise! We loaded a small cooler with beer and met the taxi driver at 915p giving us plenty of time to get to the airport.

We arrived early, confirmed at the counter that his flight had left, and went upstairs to the café to watch the screens for his flight’s arrival. The eateries closed, another flight arrived, but it wasn’t Wayne’s flight. It’s getting later and later. We decided to head to the arrival area, despite the fact that the screen still showed his plane in route. We asked the airport personnel and they said his flight had come in before the flight unloading now. Yikes we missed him! Our error as we should have just waited at arrivals outside.  We rushed back to the marina. Luckily, Wayne was able to get another English-speaking driver to take him to the marina and accepted U.S. dollars (both unusually rare). He had been waiting about 5-10 minutes by the time we arrived with beer in hand. Welcome to Colombia!

The next day, Matt got up early to get a much-needed haircut and swung by the bakery for morning treat.

We decided to show Wayne around town while finishing up last minute provisioning. First stop was the Mercado Publico to show off the fresh fish, meat, veggie, and fruit markets.

We picked up lots of fresh fruits and veggies, then stopped by the gas station to pick up two-stroke for the dinghy. Next, we picked up rolls at the bakery on the way to Exito, the large supermarket. We each had several bags full of items with no receipts (considering we bought them from street vendors).

DISASTER

As you enter Exito, the security guard searches your bags and tries to staple them closed, which works on plastic bags but not our cloth bags. So, I had this brilliant idea, to use Google Translate on my phone to look up “can we leave our bags at the security desk?” I asked, he said “no” so the boys jockeyed through the crowd to find an empty place out of the way. I set my bags, phone, and wallet down with the boys to go get a cart. Somewhere, somehow, my wallet and phone walked off – gone! Poof! Disaster!

The boys went searching, back tracking our steps, checking garbage cans looking everywhere while I sobbed and tried to explain, in Spanish what happened. We checked the security cameras, nothing. I was a mess, heartbroken, and so disappointed. My wallet had my driver’s license, $300, my atm card, credit card, and photo copies of all 3 of our passports. Matt and Wayne took me begrudgingly back to the boat where we cancelled the two cards and filed for a new driver’s license. We could not use “find my phone” as the phone was in airplane mode. I can only hope that it was a petty thief who saw an opportunity to give their family a better Christmas. Using the money, selling the phone (which was locked) and not stealing my digital footprint or identity. One can pray.

I was in a funk despite the boys’ effort to cheer me up. We went to happy hour where I sulked and then went to El Bistro one of our favorite places to eat. Matt even bought me a new wallet and two cute bracelets’ (all of $8) and my head still hung low.

We did manage to dig up an old iPhone5 which we tried to replicate as much as possible. The problem being we were leaving a wifi zone for a non wifi zone and anything I needed to update had to happen that night – we did our best.

Time heals all wounds and this one particularly stung!

Sunset Marina Santa Mart

Sunset Marina Santa Marta

Minca view from Casas Viejas.

Minca: Hikes, Waterfalls, and Mud

Minca was founded in 1525 by Spanish conqueror Don Rodrigo de Bastidas and is the oldest city in Columbia and South America.  It’s a small village located 650 meters above sea level with about 1500 residents.  There is one “road” that begins and ends at the quaint center of town.  This road loops around up through the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains where various hotels and hostels are located.

Most people work at the various coffee plantations and remaining villagers focus on tourism.  There are loads of hiking opportunities, waterfalls, horse back riding, and relaxing.  Most people walk up and over the muddy mountains, but you can also take a 4×4 or a motobike. Because Minca is located in the mountains it gets pretty chilly at night, but during the day it is wicked hot.

Our friends Manuel and Nadja from (sv Manado) are now sailing with our friends on Element.  They  joined us for part of our Minca adventure.  We piled into a local taxi which took us to Minca, a short 40 minute drive.  However, before we got too far, we had to stop for fuel – natural gas.

Taxi taking us to Minca, forced us out during fueling of natural gas.

Taxi taking us to Minca, forced us out during fueling of natural gas.

As we approached the entrance to the village we were stopped by the police who asked us to get out and show our passports.  Manuel was patted down, a few bags searched, and we were on our way.  We were deposited in the center of the village and headed up the mountain.  Manuel and Nadja came prepared with tennis shoes, but Matt and I were in flip flops. It was a dirt and deeply rutted road which was often thick of mud.

We headed to our hotel, Casas Viejas which was estimated to be a 2.5 hour walk.  On the way, we stopped at Pozo Azul which is a natural formation nestled in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains.   The “walk” to Pozo Azul from the center of town, is stated to be 31 minutes but it took us almost an hour traipsing through the mud and checking out the views. The water is frigid , but fresh and has a great variety of flora and fauna.

We saw a variety of wildlife along the path.

We found a “shortcut” through a natural reserve called Faunal.  Although it looked vacant, a lone man came out as we approached the small building.  They sell day and night tours through the forest, along with water, and fruit juice.  But more importantly they had a “short cut” up to our lodgings.  The caretaker told us to take the Toucan loop which is a bit longer but we would have a chance at seeing some toucans.  This portion of the walk would take 20 minutes to the main path, then another 35 minutes to La Victoria.  Once in La Victoria, it would be another 35 minute hike to Casas Viejas.  Unfortunately, the toucans were not being friendly and they evaded us.

The Toucan trail becomes a true “hike” through the mountain.  It was dry, for the most part, and took us through a lot of amazing views!

La Victoria provides the only access to our hotel, Casas Viejas, and makes for a convenient resting spot.  La Victoria was established in 1892 and is located in the Northern slope of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.  Situated on 1223 hectares, they dedicated 217 of them to the cultivation of Arabica coffee and 300 hectares for porters.  The surplus balance represents the forest reserve strip an dthe foundation of the water star of the San Lorenzo peak, which has been maintained in its natural state to date.  This lovely location is a coffee plantation with a small brewery.

This La Victoria finca is special as it still uses the same equipment as when it started up in 1892. We visited during coffee-picking season which provided lots of activity.  Coffee beans are hand picked and dropped into one of 20 large basins which carries them to the plantation.  Workers get 30k pesos to fill the large basin, 12k pesos for the medium bin and 6k pesos for a small bin.  Typically, each worker can fill 4 large bins a day.

Over 200 kilos of coffee is produced each year.  They grow small coffee plants in farms, and replant them on the mountain. They only let the plants produce for 7 years and then they cut them down because they can no longer reach the beans.

Top image is one of the 20 basins used to deliver the beans.  The green bin in the front is the “large bin”, the orange is the “medium” and the green on the left is the small bin.  The image on the lower left is the tube that transports the beans to the plantation.  The center lower image shows the baby coffee plants, and the right lower image are the coffee beans.

La Victoria small water falls with the brewery in the background.  Beautiful flowers, the brewery, and the bistro.

The hike from La Victoria to Casa Viejas is supposed to be 20 minutes but I am wondering if that is in dry weather.  It was a very challenging, up hill hike on a very muddy trail and we arrived just as it started to rain.  The main building houses the reception, dining area, bar, and a few accommodations.

Image below: Main house (upper left pic), lounge area around a fire pit (upper right), dinning area (center left), our private room (center right), our private bath (lower left), public men’s room (lower right).

Yep, I took a photo of Matt peeing!

There were breath taking views from Casas Viejas which showcased Santa Marta in the distance.  In the afternoon, the fog would roll in covering all of the surrounding mountains.  Below, is the view, the fog rolling in, property flora and pics of one of our breakfast and dinner meals.

On our first day we walked 7.5 miles which took us a little over 5 hours including stops at Pozo Azul, Faunel, and La Victoria.  We were all exhausted and dirty.  After a few beers, we showered and enjoyed some rest on the rocking chairs.  Matt and I had the only private room & bath in the facility.  The remaining 26 people shared 2 bathrooms.  Dinner and breakfast were absolutely amazing and very tasty!  Who would have thought the food would be so good at a hostel?

The next day we were prepared for a HUGE hike.  Yes, bigger than 7.5 miles!  We were told that the hike would be “gentle and easy” which was perfect as we were a bit tired from the day before.  Look at the map below, find the feather on the left hand side – that is Casas Viejas.  Our plan was to hike to El Campo, to Los Pinos, to Cascada de Marinka, to the hidden falls, and end up in Minca.  A “short 4-5 hour” walk, but alas this was not the case.

Image below: Los Pinos (upper left), view from Los Pinos (upper right), view along hike (center left), coffee farm (center right), Manuel and Nadja horsing around (lower left & right).

The hike from Casas Viejas to El Campo is all up hill on yet another muddy road, but it was cool and we were in good spirits.   Using our trusty Maps.me app we easily found Los Pinos which is where we found 5 indigenous pine trees.  Shortly thereafter we came upon Casa Elemento which brags about having the largest trampoline in the world.  At this junction, we missed our turn and continued on the same path we’d been on for the last hour.  Unfortunately, that did not get us to our destination and as a result we had to back track a mile.  Teach us to not pay attention to Maps.me!

We found Cascadas de Marinka and had the entire place to ourselves.  It was another beautiful waterfall surrounded by trees and fauna.

We cooled off and headed back to the main path toward town.  The Hidden Falls were so well hidden we nearly walked right past them.  We could not access this waterfall, so we took it all in and kept moving.  Six hours and over 12 miles after we left Casas Viejas, we eventually arrived into the village of Minca.  We walked into Lazy Cat, extremely exhausted, super dirty, and ridiculously sweaty.  Despite our appearance, and smell, they seated us on their lower patio with a view of the falls.  After another delicious meal, we had to say goodbye to Manuel and Nadja as they head back to Santa Marta.

Matt and I decided we had tortured our bodies enough so we hopped on motobikes to take us to our lodging.

It took a nap, a shower, and dinner and two drinks to make me feel human again.  Shortly after we crashed and slept for 10 hours.  We had to regroup as we signed up for a 3 hour hike around the coffee plantation on our last day.  You think we are crazy and I’d have to agree!

This was the most difficult hike for me as I was tired from our previous two hikes (logging over 20 miles), had a group of strangers to keep up with, and fought with my flip flops and the muddy trails.  I did my best to keep up, but it was tough – every bone, joint, and muscle in my body was revolting!  On top of that, we had our backpacks with us as we did not plan to return up the hill to Casas Viejas.  We met some lovely back packers from all over the world, found 2 waterfalls, got a little history on the coffee plantation and enjoyed some majestic views.

The tour ended at La Victoria and I had intended on taking the coffee tour, but my body was not having any of that!  So, we rested a bit, hopped on two motobikes into town and caught a bus back to Santa Marta.

Sorry for all of the collage photos but we took so many photos I did not know how else to post them all.

Here are a few more standout photos:

Small waterfall on one of our hikes.

Small waterfall on one of our hikes.

Beautiful view from Casas Viejas

Beautiful view from Casas Viejas

Matt found a Country Pub.

Matt found a Country Pub.

Welcome sign at Minca.

Welcome sign at Minca.

Sunset Marina Santa Mart

Life in Santa Marta

The oldest city in Colombia, romantic Santa Marta is fringed by delightful beaches and the stunning mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta range.  Santa Marta is a beautiful little seaside town filled with shops, eateries, bars, discos, malls, and lots of street vendors  It is easy to navigate around, exceedingly clean, and very friendly.  The marina, an IGY marina is very large and provides several amenities including showers, laundry, mini-market, security, WiFi, and good customer service.

At 1800 there is an impromptu happy hour where the cruisers gather to share their stories and watch the sunset.

Sunset from IGY Marina Santa Marta

Sunset from IGY Marina Santa Marta
The XVIII Bolivarian Gameswere being held Santa Marta during our stay. It is a multidisciplinary sporting event that takes place at a regional level every four years among the Bolivarian nations, between November 11 and 25, 2017.

Santa Marta Olympics and their mascot.

Santa Marta Olympics and their mascot.

Athletes from 11 countries compete in 34 sports disciplines.  Competition in golf, volleyball, tennis, mixed equestrian, diving, weight lifting, sailing, soccer, rugby, baseball, boxing, judo, and karate.

All water sports start and end at our marina.

All water sports start and end at our marina.

Gorgeous Tall Ship with teams on the rafters singing!

Gorgeous Tall Ship with teams on the rafters singing!

Across from the marina are a lot of eateries.  There is a bank of cafes right as you exit the marina and then across from the marina is a handful of other tasty treats.  We decided to enjoy sunset from the rooftop bar called “Sunset.”

Santa Marta. Sunset at Sunset's bar.

Sunset at Sunset’s bar.

Along the streets of Santa Marta you will find a lot of vendors selling their wares, but you will also find many fun street performers – everyone is trying to make a buck.

Yikes, bad photo, but these guys were amazing street dancers!

Yikes, bad photo, but these guys were amazing street dancers!

Our friend Barry, from Adventures of an Old Sea Dog even got into the action – here is performing one of his original songs.

INSERT BARRY VIDEO

Barry took us to one of his favorite street vendors.  It was down a dark alley with a few other food carts.  We stopped at the first one and had burgers (I had a chicken burger and they had beef) along with cheese fries and it was amazingly tasty!  All for 8,000 pesos ($2.50).

Matt and I are stocking up before we head to the San Blas Islands where grocery stores are non-existent.  Food is very cheap in Columbia, but you do have to shift your thinking.  They don’t have the same brands or types of foods so you must improvise.  In fact this grocery store, Jumbo is located inside Ocean Mall.  Always fun pushing a grocery cart through a shopping mall.

1 million 300 hundred thousand pesos later - our grocery run of staples. ($400). Shopping at the largest market which happens to be inside a mall.

1 million 300 hundred thousand pesos later – our grocery run of staples. ($400). Shopping at the largest market which happens to be inside a mall.

Some basic staples to fill the bilges for San Blas islands.

Some basic staples to fill the bilges for San Blas islands.

Life in the marina includes:

  • Daily walks to fresh fruit and veggie market.
  • Easy access to loads of restaurants with tasty, cheap food.
  • Close proximity to many cruisers which creates an instant community.
  • Most noteworthy, nightly happy hour.
  • Daily showers.
  • Laundry twice a month.