30 April 2013

Week 31 - Cabo de la Vela, Punta Gallinas, Palomino, Taganga, Cartagena (Colombia)

Our first day in Cabo de la Vela, considered the treasure of the La Guajira peninsula, we woke and jumped in the sea in place of a shower since there was no running water.  With the aim of getting to Pilon de Azucar beach, about an hour or so north of the village, and back before the midday sun kicked in we started walking around 8am.  The walk was hot, winding along the sandy tracks surrounded by miles of scrubland and hundreds of cacti.  After stopping a local on a motorcycle to check we were heading in the right direction we tackled the last dune and made it to the beach.  It was beautiful, other than a couple who were staying at our hostel in town it was deserted.  Although not a tropical beach, the desolation and golden sands made it one of the nicest we’ve been to in South America.  After an hour or so of relaxing and swimming in the Caribbean me and Rhys walked up to the view point where there is a statue of the Virgin and marvelled at the views over the bay and for miles beyond.  As it got close to midday and all shade was disappearing we headed back to the hostel leaving Tim on the beach.  Tim spent the afternoon walking to the lighthouse (apparently not worth the walk) and met us back at the hostel a few hours later.  Me and Rhys spent the time chilling on the beach outside our room, drinking beer and snorkelling a few metres off shore – plenty of fish considering it was just a clump of sea weed, we saw a ray, a plaice (we think) and lots of brightly coloured tropical fish.  That night we ate at a restaurant a little further along the beach and had the most amazing red snapper – Rhys chose large and no joke it could have fed a small family.

The next day we were awoken by a knock on the door at 7am.  We’d been told we’d booked on to a day trip to Punta Gallinas leaving at 8am.  The 4WD was already outside waiting for us.  Then as we were about to leave, the hostel owner rocked up and asked us if we wanted to store our bags at the hostel as we wouldn’t be back until the morning – a bit of a surprise but we hurriedly packed up our bags and rolled with it.  Lonely Planet had advised us we’d have to drive to a nearby bay where we’d then take a boat to get to Punta Gallinas and the hostel owner had given us the same story.  In actuality there was no boat – as it’s the end of the dry season it’s possible to just drive the whole way.  It was a bumpy few hours and by the time we got to our first stopping point we were excited to be out of the land cruiser.  Along the way we had been impressed with the road blocks put up by the locals – a piece of string across the track that gets lowered once you’ve made payment of a bar of soap.   

The first stop was Playa Taroa.  The scrubland gives way to huge golden sand dunes that run straight down into the sea.  Of course the first thing Rhys and Tim did was run down the dunes and jump into the sea (well Rhys made it to the sea, Tim stacked beforehand).  After 2 hours of soaking up the views and enjoying the sun we were back in the car to drive to the lighthouse – the most northern point of South America.  You really think they could have made more of an effort, I’ve seen more complex bits of scaffolding.  Next we were back in the car to drive to a lagoon with hundreds of shell fossils, bright blue water and mangroves.  Another beach stop and we drove back to a hostel (well a roofed area with some toilets and running water!) on the cliff overlooking the lagoon.  The view was breath-taking, in the middle of the desert suddenly there’s  this beautiful lagoon with trees of every shade of green and as the sun started to sink the colours just made it all the more magical.  We ate lobster for dinner while watching the full moon before retiring to our chinchorros – large hammocks made by the local people with big floppy sides you wrap over you like a blanket.

The next day we ate breakfast at the hostel before jumping in a fisherman’s boat for a quick 20 minute jaunt across the lagoon to where our tour guide Michael was waiting with the land cruiser.  About 2.5 hours and one speedy tire change later and we were back in Cabo de la Vela.  We collected our bags from the hostel and Michael drove us to Uribia where we jumped in a collective to Riohacha and then a bus back to Palomino.  I spent at least 30 minutes of the bus journey reading English to a little Colombian boy who was super excited to play with my Kindle.  After a 10 minute walk from the main road towards the village and the beach we managed to check into the last 3 beds in the Dreamer hostel where everybody seems to stay.  Within 5 minutes of walking in we saw Monique (who we’d last seen in Banos) and a group of Irish people we’d met in Taganga.  As we didn’t get there until 4ish we had a quick swim and spent the evening playing pool, eating pizza and drinking at the hostel before heading out for a midnight bonfire on the beach.  All three of us loved Punta Gallinas and were really happy we’d made the decision to head up north rather than go to Tayrona National Park, not only was it incredibly beautiful but there’s a smug satisfaction in knowing you’ve got off the gringo trail a little and made the effort to get to a place few people actually get to.

The following day we joined a group to go tubing – supposedly a really relaxing experience with toucans and monkeys everywhere I think the sheer number of tourists has made it a bit more difficult to see anything more than a few locals fishing and cleaning clothes in the river.  Other than a fleeting glimpse of a toucan the most wildlife we saw was a herd of cows wading the river.  We really enjoyed it though, sun burn, lost sunglasses and all.  A 20 minute truck ride with Rhys and Tim holding on for dear life and a 40 minute walk through the forest was followed by an hour and a half floating down the river to the beach, being pushed along by two guides when the current wasn’t strong enough. 

Back at the hostel we packed up and headed back to the main road to catch a bus back to Santa Marta and a taxi to Taganga.  Back in Taganga the hostel we liked was fully booked so we checked into a cheap and cheerful option next door before meeting up with Benjamin and Mathieu, the two Belgium guys and heading to a restaurant called Pachamama where we had one of the most amazing meals we’ve had in South America, the biggest steak and the most delicious fish.  After dinner we headed to happy hour at a quiet bar on the beach before me, Rhys and Tim decided to go to a nightclub to see Tim off in style.

Needless to say we weren’t feeling on top form the next morning and after moving our bags over to the hostel where beds had freed up we spent the day dozing in front of the TV, swimming and playing pool.  That night we headed out for dinner at another restaurant that had been highly recommended but that didn’t have a scratch on Pachamama – Babaganoush.  We were all pretty tired so we headed back to the hostel and I went to bed while the others stayed up on the roof for a while to have one last goodbye drink. 

Yesterday we said goodbye to Tim, Benjamin and Mathieu.  It has been amazing to have Tim with us and we made an awesome threesome, Tim is very easy to travel with and can understand more Spanish than me so made my life easier.  After they’d left, me, Rhys and Monique packed our bags and headed to the bus station in Santa Marta for a bus to Cartagena.  By the time we arrived it was late afternoon and we just had time to organise a few bits ready for our trip on the Darien Gapster.  I’ve been feeling abit under the weather so had a very early night while Rhys and Monique went out for late night ice cream.

Today has been another sorting day and a recovery day for me.  We’ve been in to town a few times but just to pick up odds and ends and change money into USD ready for Panama.  Tomorrow we have an early start to meet the rest of our travel group to head by land and boat to La Miel.

Pilon de Azucar, Cabo de la Vela. 
Me on Playa Taroa sand dunes.
The lighthouse at the most northern point of South America.

The lagoon, Punta Gallinas.

View from our hostel and one of my favourite views in the whole of South America, Punta Gallinas.

The drive to Punta Gallinas from Cabo de la Vela.

Our chinchorros, Punta Gallinas. 

Gas station on the road to Punta Gallinas from Cabo de la Vela.

Rhys tubing, Palomino.


1 comment:

  1. Palomino beaches are beautiful, but what I loved the most was tubing in the Palomino River, it was the most relaxing experience I ever had. And it was very cheap, perhaps because we did it with the Palomino hostel we were in, but the whole experience was wonderful. I have to go back with more time.

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