It’s in the name
As soon as I got here the first time, I could feel the connection. Maybe it was because we share the same name, but Santa Marta has my heart. It’s beautiful and the right amount of busy.
I spent about 12 hours in the city before making my way to Minca to volunteer but I knew that there was no way 12hrs would be enough. So I returned and I am so glad that I did.
City adjacent to the sea with a boulevard to chill and people watch are it for me. A key example of this is Thessaloniki. I visited my good friend there for the first time in 2018 and it was instant love and feeling remained the same when I returned last year to attend her wedding.
There was no point at which the boulevard was not jam-packed with people. Street vendors, children swimming in the sea, people using the park gym, loved-up couples and of course JW approaching me in the smoothest way ever.
I had to tell Melly that they’ve found me!
To unwind from volunteering, I went on a sailboat trip to one of the beaches of Tayrona. Me, my kindle and a bunch of strangers. I am starting to get the hang of this Airbnb experience thing. It was really relaxing to spend the day on and in sea. I think the last time I swam in the sea was in 2019 in Sardinia. That is such a long time and it’s not as if I haven’t been on beaches since. Maybe because this was the Caribbean Sea, I thought how could I not.
I snorkelled too. Haven’t done that since 2015 in DR. It took a while to relax myself and breathe solely through my mouth. Just as I got the hang of it, the coral reefs started to freak me out as they looked like giant fungi. One thing about me, I’m terrified or fungi. Nevertheless, it was still cool to do.
I didn’t not have enough of the seaside so I took a bus to the neighbouring area of Rodadero to people watch on the beach. It was packed!
What I loved about the beach is that you literally did not have to move any inch to get anything you want. Vendors come to you.
I saw on Facebook that Santa Marta is quite an up and coming expat destination and to my luck an expat night was being organised for travellers and expats to gather and mingle. I decided to let my clothes speak for me and wear my African attire (a casual one) as the ‘where are you from’ question is bound to come up. My accent also tend to throw people off. If you want to know the answer to that question.. catch up on Ep8.
This meet-up was such a great experience and little did I know that I would be leaving making friends as I was invited to a home cooked meal the following Sunday.
Poached salmon with tuna spaghetti and sautéed courgettes. This meal made me so happy because I’ve been eating out so much without really having access to a kitchen. So any home cooked meal is welcome.
We went for a sunset walk and had drinks and a dance afterwards. There were four of us in total. At this point we were beyond the basic get to you know questions and took it a step further with round the table questions:
What would you like to do in your life right now?
What is your favourite childhood memory?
What is a significant moment that has shaped you today?
What is your relationship with clothes and shoes?
You’d be surprised (or maybe not) that I could write an essay on the last one.
Going to Santa Marta without visiting Tayrona is almost criminal. Especially if you like nature. However, when I was volunteering in Minca, visitors often told be that despite the sweat and crazy insect [bites], it is definitely worth a visit. And an overnight stay. After battling insects in Minca, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to subject myself to that.. but I bit the bullet and went.
They weren’t wrong.. it was absolutely worth it.
I took the public bus from the public market to the main entrance then a shuttle to the start of the trail. It is approximately a 2hr hike to Cabo San Juan, the main beach. [Pun intended]
As soon as I arrived, a couple from the south of Colombia asked me to take a picture of them and they ended up being my Tayrona buddies, as I spent the next 24hrs with them. One was really knew his stuff with regards to flora and fauna and the other was just full of life and together they were excellent company.
They really tested my Spanish listening skills because spoke about pretty heavy topics where I couldn’t rely on context to get the words I didn’t understand nor could they be glossed over with sí and a head nod. It made me realise that I shouldn’t be scared to say that I don’t understand something fully. It undermines the effort of the person who is speaking or in case sharing with you as they want you to understand what they’re saying.
I spent the night in a hammock at the beach. Falling asleep to the sound of the sea was really soothing but for some reason I kept having the strangest and somewhat intrusive dreams. I don’t know whether being that close to the sea had something to do with it. And the darkness.. it was something I’ve never experienced before and for a moment I genuinely felt scared but I managed to fall asleep again and wake up in time for the sunrise. Which was breathtaking by the way.
Sidenote: I funnily enough did find not find this information on travel blogs, but there is no service in Tayrona, which was actually really nice.
This week was the first time where I intentionally visited a friend I made at another location. For me that was pretty something. Because it was an invitation I accepted and also a display of genuine effort to foster a new a friendship. Despite the motortaxis overcharging like crazy, I am really happy I went. The hostel she’s working at is absolutely beautiful with a heated pool and finally a dormitory that doesn’t have bunk beds.
I also learned a lot about the Wayúu people (indigenous people from La Guajira) in terms of their laws, religion, trade, societal ranking and matriarchal structure. I didn’t really plan to visit indigenous communities on this trip, but I am not ruling it out.
The following day I arrived at the public market of Santa Marta. The vibrancy was truly giving me life. Colours everywhere, fruits, vegetables, clothes and flags. And of course street vendors and hustlers. Where else can you get your lashes done on a plastic stool in the middle of the street. Hygiene issues aside, that’s actually insane.
Santa Marta was a vibe. One of things that really stood out to me was the kindness and pride of the Afro-Colombians towards me. Whilst there are darker skinned Colombians at the coast, those who are black (not mixed-race) are often street vendors. When they saw me, I would be greeted with a massive smile. That ‘mi color’ hit different. It was said with so much pride. I think it has to do with them seeing one of their own as in the position of a consumer and not vendor.
I was looking for a a taxi and an avocado seller flagged one down and was telling the driver to take good care of me . ‘That’s my race! That’s my race!’
The learnings of Afro Colombian life continues in Cartagena.
