Welcome to the Jungle

After completing scuba diving certification, I left for Tayrona National Park on Thursday. I almost didn’t make it there due to my lack of knowledge regarding transportation in Colombia. I took a public bus from Taganga to the Santa Marta Bus Terminal. There I proceeded to multiple ticket counters asking for a bus to Parque Tayrona. Everyone kept telling me no buses leave for Tayrona and something else I couldn’t understand. After visiting about five ticket counters, I finally made out that they were telling me the big bus lines don’t have service to Tayrona and I needed to catch a bus outside. So I go outside and see an area for the buses to pull into. I waited there and watched several buses go by, but none were going to Tayrona. I finally asked an employee who was outside where I can catch the bus to Tayrona. He tells me that I just have to stand on the side of the road and I’ll find a bus there Now, this wasn’t just a normal road. It was more like a state highway and there wasn’t a proper bus stop anywhere. So I’m just standing on the side of this highway looking like a hitchhiker. Fortunately, I blend in well and don’t look like a gringo until I start speaking. Otherwise, I would have been a sitting duck for FARC. Anyhow, I get tired of waiting and walk down to another spot on the road where I see two guys on motorcycles. I ask them where the bus is and they proceed to tell me how far the park is from here. I’m like, I know it’s far…that’s why I’m trying to figure out where to catch the bus. It turns out they didn’t know, but while I was speaking with them this big bus rolls by and one of the conductors yells something. One of the guys on the motorcycles yells something back. He then looks at me and says that’s the bus…Hurry! Not knowing the words that were just exchanged, I run and get onto the bus. In the back of my mind, I’m like….OK, where exactly am I going and what’s my plan if this bus takes me some place other than the park. As I’m formulating my plan, I doze off. Shortly after I awake, one of the bus conductors yells “Tayrona”. I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized I actually made it!

Once at the park, there’s a hike to get to the campsites and beaches. There’s a guy in a jeep offering a ride to get closer to the campsites. I read online that the hike to the first beach is about an hour. I was in the mood for some exercise, so I skipped the jeep ride and begin to walk…alone…in the jungle. This city boy whose never been camping decides to hike…alone…in the jungle. What was I thinking? The closest I’ve been to being a boy scout is when I buy girl scout cookies! Oh well, I start the journey…alone…and in the jungle! I’m on a paved road so I’m thinking it isn’t that bad. I walk for about 15 minutes and then I start hearing the sounds of nature, and they don’t sound friendly! I begin to wonder if the sounds are code for attack the girl scout cookie buyer. I then start seeing these huge spiders and ants. The ants were like the huge red ants from the new Indiana Jones movie, except they were smaller in the movie! There must have been millions of them at various parts of the trail. Now Da Kid is getting nervous and is thinking every overhanging branch is a snake in disguise. “Where the hell is that Jeep now!?”

Fortunately, a motorbike rolls by and asks if I need a lift. “Hell yeah!” So now I’m on the back of the motorbike and am thinking this is the way to travel…forget that hiking stuff! But as you already know, it’s never that easy for Da Kid. We ride for about two minutes and reach a stopping point where the paved roads end. The driver stops and points to the REAL jungle and says I need to go that way for about 45 minutes. Holy Snap! I thought I was home free! I couldn’t even manage to hike on the paved road and now I have to hike on just a dirt trail…alone…and in the jungle! I suck it up and start to walk. After 400 yards I’m deep in the jungle. All I needed was a machine gun and I would have been Rambo #5: Rambo in Nikes! Now thinking logically (not thinking scared), it’ not safe for me to walk alone just in case I get a cramp or fall and sprain an ankle. Logic (not fear) tells me that I should go back to the drop-off point and wait for more hikers…for safety reasons, of course. So being the logical (not frightful) person that I am, I go back and wait. ☺ A couple of minutes later, Sophie from the UK and Jamie from Australia pull up in the Jeep, and together we make the 45-minute trek through the jungle.

So after 45-minutes, I’m drenched in sweat. We reach Arricefes, the first campsite/beach. Jamie and Sophie decide to camp there for the night and I continue on my track. I walk along the beach and it’s truly a site to see. The waves are way too strong, so swimming is not permitted here. I walk to the end of the beach and come upon another trail. Now it’s getting close to sunset and logically, it makes sense to just stay in Arrecifes for the night instead of starting another hike…alone…and in the jungle. But I press on. I hike for about 15 more minutes and come to another beach known as La Piscina. This is a small beach that is sheltered from the strong waves, so swimming is actually permitted. I understand, it’s great for snorkeling as well. There aren’t any accommodations at La Piscina, so I reach the end of the beach and start a new hike…alone…in the jungle. Now it’s really getting close to sunset and the jungle is a little denser here, so it’s starting to get dark as the trees hide the sunlight. I put a little pep in my step. I have a flashlight, but Da Kid would not make it through the night in the jungle! In another 15 minutes I reach El Cabo - Another beach with a campsite. There I rent a hammock for 12 mil pesos ($7). This place is packed with backpackers and I didn’t expect this size crowd in the park. There are about 50 hammocks set up around a small restaurant. There’s a larger area for tents. In all, there were probably about 200 people just at El Cabo. I knew I would be staying in a hammock, but I didn’t know about the crowd. There’s actually a less populated cabana with about 15 hammocks that sits atop a hill in between the two beaches. I checked it out and would have preferred to stay there. It was a lot quieter and there were some nice views from up there. However, they did say it got a little cold at night and you needed a proper blanket and all I had were T-shirts. So I stayed packed like a sardine in the hammock area on the ground. The hammock was actually quite comfortable. I just had to spray myself with several coats of bug spray and I had a pretty comfortable night. I woke up the next morning and took a “shower”. The showers were community showers that were open. There were about 4 spouts and you just got wet with your bathing suit on. Knowing, I would be here for only a day or two, I just packed the bare essentials. I had no soap…only a toothbrush and toothpaste. So, I should say I woke up and sprayed myself with water instead of I took a shower. Afterwards, I did a little more hiking. There was a 10-minute hike to another beach…The Nudist beach. I don’t think it was a “nude” beach, just called the Nudist beach. Although, there were so few people on the beach, that going nude would not have been a problem. I spent the rest of the morning swimming and laying on the beach at El Cabo. The park was really nice and the concept of hiking through the jungle and sleeping in a hammock was cool. The beaches were really nice, but I have to say that I've seen others that were better. I think the real beauty comes from the fact that the beaches seem untouched. Outside of the campsite beaches and depending how far you wanted to hike, you could have been by yourself. There weren't any beach chairs, vendors, jet skis, boats, etc, so you could really feel isolated in your own little paradise. That was the part I really enjoyed.

During lunch, I contemplated staying an additional night, but decided I wanted to get a jump on the next day and decided to leave. I was really looking forward to getting back to Cartagena for my final weekend. I heard about a boat that leaves the park and will get you back to Taganga. So instead of going through the ordeal I had getting to the park, I went with the boat option. I just didn’t know it was a little one-engine vessel that seemed more life a lifeboat. The ride was a bit unpleasant at times. Let me just say that it is not for those who suffer from any type of motion sickness. I felt ready to lean over the edge and we hadn’t even gotten out of the bay yet! Once we actually got out to the open sea, it just got rougher and rougher. It was more like a roller coaster ride than a boat ride. There were several times I got airborne. And being the inexperienced boater I am, it took me a little time to realize I was sitting improperly on the beams. I straddled the beams, so every time I went airborne, I was coming back down on my “Legacy”, much to the amusement of the other passengers. After an hour-and-a-half of that, we made it to the beach in Taganga. I retrieved my things from the diving school (they were nice enough to offer to allow me to store my things with them while I traveled elsewhere. I highly recommend Aquantis diving school), checked back into the Bayview Hostel and got a good night’s rest before my trip to Cartagena the next morning. At this point, it really started to hit home that I only have two more days in Colombia. I fought hard to keep the tears away! ☹