Santa Marta and Parque Tyrona

As much as I was enjoying Cartagena it was time for a change of scene. Monday I headed four hours up the coast to another popular beach town called Santa Marta. Santa Marta is located next to a mountain range called the Sierra Nevada with spectacular speaks that rise dramatically from the sea and is much less developed than Cartagena. My motivation for making the trip was to spend some time in Parque Tyrona, which is one of the most popular national parks in Colombia because of its lush rainforests which give way to beautiful beaches. It used to be the home of the Tyrona Indians before the Spaniards wiped them out and is still home to some indigenous people.

Unfortunately when I got into town I had to take it easy for a couple of days because my stomach was not cooperating with the local food. After a quick trip to the doctor I picked up some drugs (not that kind) and spent the next two days exploring Santa Marta and some of the surrounding beaches.

Today I hired an English speaking guide named Eddy and headed into Tyrona park. I can’t tell you how lucky I am to have found an English speaking local because NOBODY speaks English around here. Eddy picked me up from my hostel at 6 am and we grabbed a local bus from the market to an unmarked stop about an hour up the road. From there we headed into the thick of the rainforest to start our trek. We hiked for two hours before turning off the road to visit one of Eddy’s indigenous friends. One of the ways the indigenous people make money is by hand weaving small bags (takes a month each!!!) which they can then sell at the local markets for $20. The day before Eddy asked me to pick up a box of sewing needles to give as a gift which the indigenous people can then use to make money. What an idea!!! After handing over the needles we sat around talking and one of the kids made us some fresh juice from one of their local fruits (Eddy told me the name but it went in one ear and out the other). From there we continued another hour to a small settling called Pueblito. This is where the Tyronas used to make their sacrifices to the gods and perform other religious ceremonies. For the most part there wasn’t too much there so after resting for a little bit we continued on to what I surely thought was going to be my death...

At this point we crossed over the mountains and were headed down to the beach through thick fauna. From here the walkway becomes much more enclosed as you’re stepping from stone to stone which have been there for centuries. All of a sudden the combination of the humidity and heat just hits you and the sweat ducts turn on. I couldn’t figure out what the hell had just happened! Did I get bit by some crazy Colombian bug that made me break out into an immediate fever and will shortly have me in cardiac arrest? On top of dealing with the massive amounts of sweat coming off my dome the footing along the trail has become extremely technical where each step must be taken carefully. As we continue on I can’t help but picture the indigenous chief chanting as he slaps my limp body down on the sacrificial stone. After about an hour and 5 mental breakdowns we finally make it level ground and all vital signs returned to normal!!! I was really feeling like a wimp until I looped at Eddy and he was just as nasty as I was.

The good news was after walking for 15 more minutes we came to the beach area. The dramatic change in terrain and weather is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. One moment I’m fighting for my life in the humidity of the rainforest and the next I’m sitting on a beautiful beach staring out at the Caribbean. There was a large camping area with campsites, hammocks and a restaurant so we grabbed lunch and chilled for a couple of hours. Eddy took a nap and I did some exploring. After an intense 4 hour hike it felt like I had stumbled upon some secret paradise that few people know about. Unfortunately as we were resting some storm clouds rolled in. Luckily, we took a much short and easier way back along some beaches because before we knew it it started to rain. It started out light and then grew heavier and heavier as we walked. Before we knew it there was thunder and lighting and the rain was coming down in buckets. The rainforest over us initially provided some cover but the rain was coming down so heavy we had no option but to run. We sprinted for a good 10 minutes jumping from place to place to avoid growing rain puddles before finally getting to the parking lot where the collectivo was supposed to pick us up. I might has rung a gallon of water off my shirt. Sitting under a hut all I could think about was how excited I was to head back to the hostel, take a warm shower and get in a warm bed but then it hit me.... There is no warm water in Colombia and my room is probably pushing 100% humidity.