Blogs from Santa Marta, Colombia, South America - page 9

Wednesday 1-8-12 I slept really well last night. I have not said anything about the sleeping arrangements at Ranchero de la Luna in Minca. We are on the top floor and there is only one full size bed that hangs from ropes in the middle of the room. Given Lance’s condition he automatically gets the bed. There is a sofa and Milton, the owner, covers it in sheets and blankets for me. It was great. I wake in the morning to birds all around the house. I can hear Milton moving downstairs. He already has coffee brewing and is cutting up vegetables. I walk downstairs. The smell of coffee is wonderful. The taste is even better. Milton is making a consume. He thinks it will be easy on Lance’s stomach. He has cut up potatoes, onions, ... read more

We awoke early this morning. After our Coco Krispies from the day before we decided to walk to Gato Negro for breakfast. It is located on the same street we visited last night in Getsemani. We were not disappointed - - a wonderful breakfast for just a little money. From there we took a taxi to Mercado Bazurto. I love to visit markets in Latin America. But this one was a real disappointment. Dirty, dirty, dirty. We stayed about 20 minutes and took the second taxi of the day to the central area. We then walked to Plaza Bolivar. Our destination was Palacio de la Inquisition. Heretics were denounced here. There is a display of “gnarly instruments of torture” and we both wanted to take a look. We arrived at 9:50 a.m. and they did not ... read more

Geo: 11.2694, -74.1913Santa Marta was sizzling today - though normally a bit cooler than it's colonial cousin Cartagena, the mercury hit 35 C, and that was only in the late morning! This called for another morning ice cream at a local joint specializing in exotic ice creams - the perfect cure for the heat, but only a temporary one.Though Santa Marta isn't the most exciting of places in Colombia, the biggest advantage of staying here is proximity to other neat locales on this part of the Caribbean coast. With a late flight to Bogota this evening, we had the entire day to enjoy, our final in the hot Caribbean, before going to Bogota's cold and rainy climate.There were two choices for day trips today - Minca, a cute little town high up in the hills above ... read more

A short five-hour ride east of Cartagena by collectivo (a small mini-bus accommodating 8 to 10) lies Santa Marta, reputedly the oldest city in South America. Like Cartagena, Santa Marta's also along the Caribbean; much smaller it has its own vibe and similar climes, though the heat is drier. In mid-December, temps averaged anywhere from 28 to 31 degrees Celsius during the day, and 17 to 20 at night. While in Santa Marta we took in the sites, including the oldest church in Colombia, and enjoyed seeing the city all decked out for Christmas. Santa Marta's a place made for wandering. It's also a jumping-off point for local day trips, including Taganga with its laid-back beach attitude, and Parque Nacional Tayrona (Tayrona National Park), a true Colombian gem supposedly 45 times larger than NYC's Central Park. ... read more

Santa Marta, Tayrona and Minca From Bogota we took a plane ride up to the Caribbean coast of Colombia, to the city of Santa Marta. As soon as we stepped off the plane we knew something had changed, the weather was hot and sticky, and the atmosphere was laid back (not surprisingly given the heat!). We spent about a week and a half in Santa Marta interspersed with a few nights in both Tayrona National Park (a spot of largely unspoiled jungle next to the sea) and Minca (a small village in the foothills), the highlights of our time in these places is outlined below. Santa Marta: a very relaxing stay in Aluna with our Irish host Patrick; set Mexican lunch at Agave Azul and fresh smoothies at Lulu’s; beach day at Rododero in a ... read more