Cartagena is also known for its hot temperatures. What to do on a hot day? Go to the beach! We did...but it was an ugly one.
Since enjoying white sands and clearblue water wasn't going to happen, I started walking the beach, looking for a kitesurfing school to rent some gear and practice a little bit. It's been since beginning of October on Aruba that I kitesurfed. I'm afraid I'm going to forget!
Luck was not on my side that day...no wind! I seem to have troubled the weather gods in a way, I don't know...
Our first host in Bogota, Jose, told us about Isla Barú. We had to go there, he said! Some people from the hostel had been there and they were all very positive about the quality of the beach. It should be the most beautiful beach around Cartagena.
You can get there by boat or by bus. I know it's confusing... You might ask yourself how you can drive a bus to an 'isla'. It's actually a peninsula...
Although the busride would have cost half the money we've spent on the boatride, it's worthwhile to get dropped off on the beach. And if you have been travelling for 3 weeks by bus, you want something else for a change.
Getting on the boat was an adventure itself. We first bought a boatticket from a lady on the street and additionally we had to pay harbor taxes in another place, otherwise they wouldn't let us go dockside to catch the boat. Make sure you don't buy a package from these people on the street. Some include lunch and other activities, but I've heard and read that they sometimes scam you and you have to pay again once you get on Playa Blanca. Be careful! We were lucky that someone we had met the night before in our hostel, Alfredo, was also going to Playa Blaca. He's Peruvian of origin so he speaks Spanish. Otherwhise we might have been scammed...
Another important fact: you always buy a roundtrip ticket for the same day. They don't sell one-way tickets. If you want to spend the night on Playa Blanca and prefer to return the next day, you'll have to buy a new boat ticket. This one is cheaper tough, because you don't have to pay the harbor taxes any more.
We booked a night in a hostel that was recommended to us. It was the most expensive and the farest one on the island. Everything on the island was expensive actually...but I have to admit that the beach was very beautiful!
Our hostel was just a hut actually. Back to basics: no running water, shower with only 6l of water that you had to purchase, no electricity before 6pm and when it got dark you'd better take a flashlight with you if tou go searching for food!
It was a really nice day! I could catch up on writing in my diary, reading my book, just chilling and sunbathing. And drinking some mojitos! :)
...and posing for a crazy picture.
At night - around 7.30pm - there is a very cool activity you can do up there. With regret I have to say that I have missed out on it... swimming with fluorescent plankton! You go by boat into the sea and they drop you in a spot where there is plankton. You can swim, snorkel or just do whatever you feel like. You could try and film it or take pictures, but I have been told that this is very difficult to capture.
I have missed out on it because we met some people from a previous hostel - roommates of ours from Australia - and we decided to have dinner together. Time flew and we didn't get our dinner in time to still be on time for the plankton swimming. We told ourselves we would spend another night on the 'isla' and do it the next day. The next day I had a bad day (I slept badly) and I couldn't handle the heat or another day in sticky sandy circumstances without proper ( and cheap) food and hygiene.
After doing some research, I found out that in some spots in Thailand you can do a similar activity. So, that gave me some peace of mind.
Next: Santa Marta - departure city for the "La Ciudad Perdida" trail
Labels: adventure, Colombia, Travel
