Unfortunately we only spent a few hours relaxing in Parque Nacional Tayrona before we hiked out that morning. Kirby did some reading and writing on the beach and I walked around exploring the beach and rocks checking out crabs, jellyfish, and more crabs. They had a little café/bar on site and we had breakfast there overlooking the beach. They had a couple parrots that hung out accepting food from the tourists. We packed our day packs, turned in our hammocks, and headed out.
Yesterday was cloudy and misty without any sun (which gave me some trouble getting good pics). Today was sunny and hot that made for a sweaty hike out through the mud. We didn’t see much wildlife hiking out except for all the ants. Although I did spot another chiguiro. A couple mules trotted past us and Kirby talked with the guy who was leading them. He didn’t actually lead them he was walking behind them yelling out verbal commands. He seemed to be a nice guy and gave us some insight on how the park was run. He’d pull out his machete on occasion to clean his finger nails. We also met up with a gal from Switzerland and hiked with her for a good portion of the way.
Once we got out to the main road at the park entrance we were going to wait for a bus to take us back in to town. A taxi was parked there and offered to take the three of us for 30,000 pesos. We denied him because the bus trip is 4,000 and comes every 15 minutes. A few minutes later he offered 20,000 pesos. And then right before he took off he offered 15,000 pesos. We should have taken him up on that because it was only 1,000 more for each of us compared to the bus and he would have been able to take us wherever we wanted in Santa Marta. Our Switzerland friend was set on waiting for the bus so we hung with her. While Kirby waited near the road to flag down a bus me and my fellow pale companion from Switzerland sat in the shade. A bus came before too long and it was a large bus as opposed to a buseta which goes in to town. We hopped on, they guy charged us 5,000 each after first telling us 4,000 and Kirby didn’t argue (1,000 = $0.42).
At the first checkpoint the police made us all get off while they searched the bus for drugs and checked our IDs. They pulled a few things off the bus to examine and we stood around for awhile. Meanwhile, two more buses pulled up behind our bus. They basically checked their IDs and sent them on their way with only a few minutes of delay. We kept waiting for the cops to finish with our group. It appears they mess with people indiscriminately and let buses pass on through if they are busy. They hassle the locals if they don’t have IDs. They pretty much ignore us gringos. After awhile we decided to ditch our current ride and jump on the next mini-bus that passed by. Somehow the three of us managed to squeeze in a small van type bus packed with locals. Kirby sat on my lap. Of course the next checkpoint the cops stopped us and had everyone get out. We were thinking that luck was not on our side but they just checked our IDs and let us on our way.
When we traveled eastbound the previous Sunday the police would just poke their heads in the bus at checkpoints. Going westbound on Tuesday and today they would often make us exit the bus, check all IDs, and go through the luggage. We assume this is because most of the contraband travels eastbound along the Caribbean coast from the remote areas to the more urban areas or ports of exit.
Back in Santa Marta we checked in to Juan’s Hotel Costa Azul again and relaxed for the day. We had dinner at a small local place away from the waterfront. A common local dinner came with a large bowl of soup and a main dish of chicken/fish/beef, beans, rice, and plantains for 5,000 Colombian pesos ($2.12). Kirby skipped the meaty soup and had the fried fish while I had the chicken. There was a small cat who was very interested in my meal. We think that cats and dogs pretty much fend for themselves in Colombia regardless of if they have an owner or not.
After dinner and after the sun set we walked along the beach and sat for a bit on some rocks that served as a surf break perpendicular to the beach. All along the surf break there were little minnows jumping out of the water all over the place. They must have been avoiding the larger fish. A dozen would jump out of the water at the same time. We stopped by an internet café we liked but it was closed so we found another nearby. Internet cafes were all over the place but usually with only a few computers along with a fax, phone, and copy service. It always takes some time to get used to a foreign keyboard and a foreign version of Windows.
We decided to check out the club next to our hotel. This is the source of the outrageously loud music we hear each night while staying in Juan’s hotel. The place was decent with artwork inside and a good group of people near our age. Kirby was feeling good after a rum and coke. After a couple drinks we explored the roof of our hotel for a bit.
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