(Day 86 on the road) Not further accelerating climate change can be hard. Faced with the choice between a for 20€ or a flight for 35€, I admit that I opted for the plane. Thus, leaving Bucaramanga in Central Colombia, I soon found myself in the northern, somewhat shady city of Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast. It felt like being in a different country.
For to the central parts of Colombia, the northern coastal area seemed poorer and less developed. Power cuts were frequent – if there was electricity at all. A number of places I visited relied entirely on diesel generators. Maybe prices for most things - especially & food - were higher (not just in some remote areas, but also in the bigger cities). The culture was also very different. Whilst the interior of the country is certainly bustling, it manages to feel almost subdued at times, whereas the Caribbean coast is much louder somehow: Music blasting, hustlers trying to sell you stuff, the traffic is more aggressive (and certainly less organized). Somehow, everything was just a little more in your face than what I had seen so far in
Also, the heat (and the humidity) was oppressive. Often the weather app on my phone told me 34 degrees - feels like 42. And boy, it did. And even more if you werent in the shades. Luckily, most late afternoons were marked by rain, cooling everything down nicely. Sometimes just a normal shower for an hour or so. Sometimes torrential rain like the world was going to end. Pretty cool actually - I witnessed some awesome thunder and lightning.
One of the highlights of my time in the north was the trek to Ciudad Perdida – the Lost City, also known as Teyuna by the indigenous Kogi tribe . Ciudad Perdida is an ancient city founded around 800 CE (some 650 years earlier than Machu Picchu), and was literally lost and forgotten for centuries. It was only discovered again by looters in 1972. Nowadays, the looters (and the paramilitary groups) are a thing of the past, and the Lost City is safe to visit.
The only way to reach this ancient city of 169 terraces carved into the steep jungle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is on foot. And it surely was
an adventure. While the trek itself would not be overly difficult under normal conditions, there certainly are no normal conditions here. It was hot, it was humid, most afternoons it was raining, which in turn made the steep path extremely muddy and slippery. In the evenings, mosquitoes were added to the mix. Nights were spent in fixed camps used by all hikers, before getting up at 5 am for breakfast, starting to hike at 6am every day. However, finally climbing the 1.200 steps that lead to the Lost City on day three, and laying eyes on this magical place, was absolutely special. I dont think that pictures can capture it fully. And of course, the sheer effort and adventure of reaching the Lost City adds a certain layer as well.
After the strenuous hike in the jungle, it was time for some beach therapy. I went to the backpacker haven of Palomino and found a tranquil hostel directly by the ocean. I spent a blissful week doing almost nothing at all. Every day started with an 8am yoga class offered by my hostel, on a wooden porch directly overlooking the ocean. The setting could not have been more perfect.
The rest of the days were satisfyingly uneventful: Sampling the many restaurants. Reading my book. Taking lazy naps. Doing sweaty but rewarding runs along the beach in the late afternoon. Maybe watching a movie at night. It was good to take a little break from constantly being on the move.
With recharged body batteries (and after visiting a pink flamingo colony along the way), it was time to move further I was debating with myself if I should travel to Punta Gallinas or not, due to the strenuous journey to get there. But I figured I would regret not going later. So I went. And it was the right choice - it was the second highlight of my travels along the coast.
