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Another day, another beach
The beach round the corner from us at Bahia SuroesteI had always planned to end my travels with some quality beach time. A chance, I thought, to relax and reflect on the last few months, or, if the latter proved too arduous, at least to drink beer and, in between football matches, sit in the sun. I also thought it would be nice to keep the gang together for as long as possible. As we travelled west through northern Colombia it felt as though our travels were leading to an inevitable conclusion on the beaches of San Andres and Providencia.
San Andres and Providencia are Carribean islands about 800 kilometres north of Cartagena, due east of Nicaragua, whose claim for jurisdiction was recently dismissed by the UN in favour of Colombia's earlier claim and many years of administration. My mind´s eye pictured a stereotypical Carribean paradise of white, sandy beaches fringed by palm trees lapped by the crystal clear seas, the epitome of tranquility.
San Andres is many things and has many good points but one thing it most definitely is not is stereotypically Carribean. The Lonely Planet had warned that San Andres town had been established as a duty free zone many years ago and is now
a thriving development that most definitely places function above any pretence towards aesthetics. To the uninitiated it seems a maze of interchangeable shops selling duty frees ranging from alcohol and cigarettes to clothes. It does though have a thin strip of beach. This combination of sand, sea, sun and shopping pulls in Colombians from the mainland and tourists from other South American countries in their tens of thousands. Outside of the main town the island retains the air of a sleepy backwater. Small enough to circumnavigate in an hour, the most popular modes of transport are the moped and golf cart.
We had four full days on the island and joined John at a friendly family run hostel a short taxi ride outside of San Andres town that felt more like a b&b. Using the local buses we made a couple of trips around the island in an effort to explore and find some of the much anticipated Carribean tranquility but were largely thwarted. Either the weather was overcast or squally or the beaches were all rocks and reefs. When we did find a promising location, complete with the requisite tv for following the remaining matches in the World
Cup last 16, it had already been commandeered by a local hotel, who wanted to levy an exorbitant day charge for entry. On this occasion we beat a hasty retreat for San Andres town, but here again had only mixed success. A satellite issue meant that we could only watch the Belgium v USA game on a screen divided into 5 sections, each showing different red button options. (Having tried simultaneously to follow player/manager-cam, real time highlights and the game itself I can tell you that this is one instance where less is most definitely more).
On another occasion Penny and I signed up for a sunset snorkelling tour to one of the several atolls just off the coast that promised the chance to see stingrays. The clear waters boded well but the numbers on the boat and on the 7 or 8 other boats offering an identical tour reduced the experience to a free for all, which was only partially redeemed by the dozens of stingray which, lured to the boat by the promise of food, swam around us.
On a more positive note when the sun did shine we spent some time on a quieter beach
San Andres - Swimming with stingrays
Mixed feelings about touching the wildlife. Lifting the stingrays to the surface is supposed to induce a sleep-like state which allows handling without distressing the animal. a 30 minute walk from our hostel. The beach featured a spit of sand that allowed bathers to wade out to Rocky Caye, another of the atolls off the coast. We also had some excellent meals in San Andres town. In particular enjoying La Regatta, which offered excellent sea food and the chance, whilst dining, to watch stingrays glide through the floodlit waters below.
San Andres was where we said goodbye to John, who has travelled on to Panama, en route to Costa Rica and from there to coninue his own trip west across the Pacific. In the mean time Penny and I caught a small twin propeller island-hopper to Providencia. Providencia was an altogether different experiance from San Andres - much closer to the Carribean ideal. Whereas we were told that San Andres has a population of close to 200,000, Providencia, although admittedly somewhat smaller, only has 5,000 residents. It also has strict controls over residency, property ownership and development designed to retain the unique character of the island. Efforts to preserve the island's environment and atmosphere are also aided by its remoteness - access is only via San Andres.
Penny and I were greeted by steep
green hills, ribbons of sandy beaches, and an air of contented somnolence. We quickly settled down to do nothing much at all. There were books to be read - I´d been saving Michael Chabon´s "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" for the beach; and football to be watched - we saw Colombia´s exit to Brazil at a local bar next to our hotel, which sold the cheapest beer of our whole time in Colombia, confounding fears that Providencia might prove expensive. We ate at the one Lonely Planet recommended restaurant on the island. Braving the land crabs that scuttled for cover on our 20 minute walk up the road to the restaurant. (Providencia is famous for its land crab migration in May and June when, in order to mate, crabs make the journey from land to beach in such numbers that roads are shut. Judging by the hundreds we saw and thousands we heard in the undergrowth during our short walk the population is thriving). The journey to the restaurant was well worth it. Both times I had the fishcakes, which, served in a spicy creole sauce, were delicious. Mostly we just sat in the sun, flopping into the
pool or sea as and when the temperature required. Our hotel was comfortable if a little shabby. But then again given its beachfront setting, perhaps, like the rest of the island, it realised that it didn´t need to try too hard.
We stirred ourselves one morning to make the 100 yard walk down the beach to the local dive shop and were rewarded with a couple of excellent reef dives. The visibility was superb and the water warm enough to allow us to dive without wetsuits. In addition to the colourful coral the stars of both our dives were the local sharks. On our first dive our divemasters speared a couple of lion fish and used these to attract the attention of reef sharks (black tips). As a result we were shaddowed throughout the dive by 8 or 9 large (1 metre 50 cm) reef sharks that became increasingly emboldened swimming in and around us. It felt like quite a privilege to have these normally shy but incredibly graceful creatures gliding by as close as a couple of feet away. On the second dive we surprised a couple of grey nurse sharks, monsters over 2 metres 50 cm in
Roland's Roots Bar - a place with an unusual dress code
Alas, Swimming Trunks Man's superpowers did not extend to fire lighting. length, slumbering peacefully in the lee of an atoll.
On our final full day we completed a circumnavigation of the island - a feat you could easily achieve by taxi in just over half an hour. Financial necessity drove us to seek out the cash machine in Santa Isabel, the sleepy town at the top of the island. We were going to use this as a pretext to walk round the tiny island of Santa Catalina, which is joined to Providencia by a footbridge, but a heavy shower forced us to seek shelter and abandon our walk. Travelling on round the island we made it to Roland´s Roots Bar on the south coast. This is a reggae bar that has achieved near legendary status as a place to chill out - quite an achievement on such a laidback island. It was a little early to sample Roland´s trademark rum cocktails but sitting in the shade of palm trees, enjoying an ice-cold beer and listening to the sound system one got the general gist. We returned to the hotel with both Penny and I riding pillion on the back of a local moped/taxi - as ever quite happy to sacrifice
dignity to make sure we did not miss lunch.
We were back on San Andres in time for the first of the World Cup semi-finals and like the rest of the world watched open-mouthed as Germany demolished Brazil. Could I have been the only viewer to wonder whether a team playing in the red and black hoops of a QPR away kit have ever played so well? Or for that matter whether a team playing in what looked to me like the yellow and blue of a one-time Palace away kit have ever played so badly? (I will of course be happy to defer to those with greater experience on the last of these points.) As for poor old Julio Cesar, powerless to prevent all but one of the goals, it's back to the QPR reserves for you m'boy.
San Andreas and Providencia in particular have been a blissfully relaxed end to the last five months. It's been a great time, one that has far exceeded my expectations but now it's time to start the long journey home. Strangely, whilst I could happily continue travelling for another couple of months and don't discount the possibility of my mind wandering back to more exotic locations on grey mornings or long afternoons, I don't begrudge the journey home. It will be good to catch up with friends and family and even if common sense suggests planning another (somewhat smaller) holiday sooner rather than later, I have plenty of very happy memories to reflect on in the meantime.
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Steve
non-member comment
Can't believe your time is up already! Looking forward to catching up on you return.