Our flight left Bogota late Saturday morning, so we got to enjoy a simple breakfast in our hostel of fresh mango, avocado, and leftover bread. The fruit at the market yesterday was so good that we couldn't pass it up. Unfortunately, our eyes were bigger than our stomaches and we accidentally bought too much... which meant an extra mango was coming along on the trip up north. Thanks to my eagerness and fear of arriving late to airports, we had more than enough time for a couple pints of BBC (British Brewing Company) beer and a couple games of Pokemon at the bar before our short 1 hour and 34 minute flight from Bogota to Santa Marta. We flew into Simon Bolivar international airport and were rewarded with gorgeous views - as would be expected when it's one of the few airports in the world where the runway is on the beach. (VERY much a reminder of what it was like flying into Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, which you can read more about in my book) There was a noticeable change in temperature and humidity as soon as we landed, which necessitated an immediate wardrobe change into flip flops, shorts, and a tank top. (And don't worry, the mango made the journey unharmed.)
The hour-long taxi ride into Santa Marta was seamless. The sun was shining, the waves crashed against the shore, and the most delightful breeze danced through the open windows of our yellow car. People from all over often talked about the Santa Marta winds that come off the ocean to cool down the blistering hot town. And did they ever. The iconic winds of Santa Marta.
One of the places on our hand-written recommendations note was La Brisa Loca hostel. Since we were only staying 1 night before heading out again, the sole option of a private room with twin bunk beds didn't deter us, especially when the place came so highly recommended by our Bogota hostel. Although, if you're thinking of staying here, just know that before you're even checked in they give you this warning: "Just to make sure you know, we are a party hostel. Is this ok with you?" And since it was Saturday night, that meant we were just in time for their massive rooftop DJ party - open for anyone, anywhere, to join.
Ok.. game on.
We signed our sleep away, walked up to the second floor, then went behind the bar to a co-working area. There was a large pink and seafoam green room full of desks and workstations, and a short offshoot hallway of the same colour, complete with a frosted glass floor. Our room was the last one at the end of the hall. We threw our bags down in our dingy room and assessed what we had just walked into. It wasn't anything at all to write home about, unless of course you want to go around the campfire and share spooky stories from the deep. The room was dark and boasted a single window that looked straight into a common shared bathroom next door, mostly covered by a flimsy blind. The rickety white-washed wooden bunk bed stood beside a large, open wardrobe, across from a small wooden desk and metal chair. Paint was peeling off the wall, but at least a lone shelf held a small vase with a single flower that made every sad attempt it could to at least bring a little something to the room. The bathroom... well.... the bathroom left a lot to be desired. No matter. We were only a couple blocks away from the beach and there was going to be chaos on the rooftop tonight. We were unlikely to spend much time in the room anyways.
We left the hostel and walked two blocks west until we were at the beach. We still hadn't sorted out what we were doing for the next 24 hours, so solidifying some sort of plan was a high priority at this point. We walked along the water and decided that decisions needed to be made over food and drink, not while sweating our balls off in the blazing sun. We retreated to another recommendation - a restaurant called El Mexican Santa Marta. It did not disappoint and I will pass on this recommendation to you. Tacos = nom. Sangria = nom nom.
We knew we wanted to go to Tayrona National Park ASAP. In fact, the whole reason we'd flown to Santa Marta at all was because it was a common gateway to Tayrona, which was closing in just a few short days. On February 1st every year, Tayrona National Park closes for 2 weeks. This corresponds with the end of Colombia's summer and when everyone goes back to school after summer vacation (which occurs in December and January). Thankfully, we had managed to do a little bit of research before we left Canada and knew that if we wanted to go to the park, we needed to do it right at the beginning of our trip. Unfortunately, however, we had also decided that we wanted to wing our entire trip and didn't want to book anything in advance. We both agreed we didn't want to be tied down to a set itinerary and instead wanted the freedom to go with the flow and decide everything in moment. Maybe we'd meet some interesting people and decide to travel with them for a bit. Maybe we'd hear about some amazing place we'd never even heard of and want to change course to make sure we discovered that location instead. "A", having traveled for 2 years through South East Asia in this manner, and myself also being familiar with this type of travel itinerary, had agreed and were totally fine with traveling Colombia in this spontaneous way. (Although, I did pre-book our first night in Bogota well before we left Canada. I always like the assurance of knowing that even if I'm going into a new country blind, at least I know where I'l be putting my bag down once I arrive in country. From there, however, I'll figure the rest out.) The only problem with this whimsical style of backpacking though, is that it doesn't always jive when you have your heart set on something specific.
For many reasons, our initial plan wasn't panning out. We now needed to re-think our whole plan for visiting Tayrona. "A" had a vision in his head about staying in one particular beachside hut on a very specific beach, whereas I didn't quite understand the importance or significance of that one place and, in a laxidasical fashion, hadn't made any effort to pursue getting us there. So, of course, when we finally went to book our room there (the day before we wanted to arrive), everything was full. And not only was it 100% booked on every single site we could think of, but it was literally the ONLY place within miles of that beach to stay. So... we were hooped. Lesson learned - if there's something that you absolutely want to do, or someplace that you without-a-doubt want to stay, make sure you book it well in advance.
We stayed at El Mexican Santa Marta way longer than intended. But a few hours and a pitcher of sangria later, we had our next couple of days planned out. Roughly planned out at least. And it involved an incredible early departure the next morning. Feeling better about the upcoming days, we left El Mexican and decided to do a little exploring around town. As it turned out, we didn't need to head very far as we were already on Carrera 3. Carrera 3 is the trendy pedestrian street full of cafes, restaurants, and bars and it was already getting busy. The sun had set but the area was fully lit with string lights running from building to building and through the tree-filled park across the street. Rooftop bars blasted music from massive speakers and flashing lights and disco balls light up the skies. Staff from the bars and restaurants were out in full force trying to lure you into their establishments with the promise of happy hour drink specials. We walked the strip, got the lay of the land, then decided on a corner bar with a street-side patio right on the corner of Parque de los Novios. It wasn't our first choice, as we really wanted to take in the scene from a roof, but since none of the rooftop bars opened until after 9pm it was the next best location to people watch. Loads of people were walking around, coming from every which way. Kids running around, parents pushing strollers, couples out on a date night, vendors selling everything from puppets to cigarettes to flowers and flashing balloons (and I'm sure a whole lot more underground specials hidden under those display stands). We stayed for a few drinks and a bit of impromptu live music, then made our way back to the hostel in time for our welcome drinks, which oddly they only allow you to have between 8:00-8:15pm.
The welcome drink on special for the night was a "caprilulo" - lulo vodka, simple syrup, soda water, and muddled lulo fruit. Lulo (or Naranjilla) is a fruit native to northern South America and looked like an orange tomato. It tastes a bit like a kiwi, orange and pineapple all mixed together - tart and citrusy, but also sweet. Oh man. Sooooo good (especially when eaten raw with a little sugar on top). We sat up on the rooftop of La Brisa Loca, took in the views, and sipped our drinks. There weren't many other people around yet, so we took a drink to go and went back to the room for a quick bag pack up to save time in the morning.
It wasn't long until we were drawn out of our dungeon to the sound of bumping bass. An hour or so really made the difference. Walking out into the second floor bar, things were busy. People were crowded around tables under the large "wheel of fortune" style spinning wheel up on the wall that held "prize" options like "body shot", "beer race", and "remove a piece of clothing". Around the corner a table was set up where women were offering corporeal bedazzling for a small fee - affixing gems and jewels to people's body's, with the most popular appearing to be silver gems glued to either foreheads or on the lateral aspect of eyes. One floor up on the roof, things were even busier. The roof was two levels, and each one had their own DJ set up spinning different beats. The main, larger roof had an open center courtyard that looked down to the circle of dorms below. The perimeter of the roof had benches and tables crowded with people drinking, laughing, and dancing. The drinks were flowing from the bars, and the dance floors were packed. Hundreds of people packed the roof, shoulder to shoulder. My drink of choice that night were more caprilulos cuz damn... fizzy with a unique sweetness. BUT, they must be shaken not stirred, to ensure the exact level of needed frothiness was obtained.
A few drinks and numerous dances later my stomach was rumbling. It was long past kitchen closing time at the hostel bar, which meant it was time for a field trip. Our hostel was just a block off of Carerra 3, so we popped around corner and made a beeline for the outdoor nightlife.
Pizza. The most loved food on drinking nights out. So pizza we found. A little hole in the wall restaurant, run by an Italian expat, with the most delicious margarita pizza. He'd only been in business for 3 weeks, but it looked like business was doing well. I even went back for seconds. Highly recommended.
In the wee hours of the morning we finally crashed. Hard. Or at least until I was woken up with one of the most painful migraines I've ever experienced (to be fair I've only ever had 3 migraines in my life... but holy man.) It hurt to lay down, it hurt to sit... I was in so much pain. Pain that had me nauseous and throwing up. My ADVIL liqui-gels did absolutely nothing. I willed myself to sleep, but it just wouldn't come. Instead, I suffered... until I finally drifted off to sleep and woke up hours after we had planned to be up and on the road.
Shit.
Ok well... time for a new plan.
Santa Marta - Video Recap
TRAVEL TIPS
Pro tips learned from and for Santa Marta:
Looking for a party? La Brisa Loca. It's not fancy, but it's got charm and a small pool on the main level. It's located in a great location right next to a main nightlife street and two blocks away from the beach. A solid, but simple breakfast is included with the rate, and they host some pretty epic rooftop parties. Do NOT, however, stay here if you're interested in comfort or a good night's sleep. It's rated as one of the top party hostels in Colombia for a reason.
El Mexican Santa Marta Cute open air Mexican restaurant with chill vibes on Carrera 3. You must try their tacos and Sangria (and make sure you get the pitcher - la jarra).
Mr. Slice Pizza I have to give a shout out to this authentic Italian take-away pizza place (owned by an Italian expat). It's cheap, it's delicious, it's sold by the slice, and it's open late. What more could you want?
Don't come here for the beaches. It's well known that the best beaches in Colombia are not in Santa Marta itself. I mean, sure, you could spend a day on the beach here and probably enjoy it just fine, but it's likely not going to be what you're searching for. They're busy, there's no white sand, there's a shipping port almost right next door (not very picturesque), and right behind you is a busy main road. Santa Marta is a great stopover city to transit onwards, but no need to linger.
Uber is not active in the area Although illegal in Colombia, Uber is incredibly safe and one of the most trusted sources of "public" transportation by both travelers and locals alike. (You'll just have to sit in the front seat and, if stopped by the police, pretend that you're the driver's relative.) Unfortunately, however, for reasons unknown to me it's not active in the Santa Marta area. You'll have to substitute with local taxis and moto-taxis instead.
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