One week turned in to over three weeks in a country I didn’t even know I was traveling to until just a few days before. Nicaragua was my initial destination, but due to cancelled flights and civil unrest, I had to change my destination very last minute. So I chose Colombia, and it turned out to be way more incredible than I had expected it to be!
My time in paradise flew by and it was so hard to leave when the day came. My weeks were spent walking, swimming, eating, working during the days, exploring during the mornings, evenings, and weekends. I ate clean and healthy (mostly), I played in the ocean every single morning, and I laughed more than I had in months, I lived, I was curious, I connected, and I even broke a few hearts. But I’ll write about that another time, because this post serves as a highlight of the two places I visited, so you can check them out when you book a last minute ticket to Columbia, too!
Rincon del Mar - what a dream! This little fishing village 2.5 hours from Cartagena was the perfect place to be for a woman traveling alone. It was safe, easy to get around, friendly, and cheap! My Airbnb was booked for a few days only, and I ended up staying for three weeks. I planned on bouncing around from Rincon, to Cartagena, Medellin, to Bogota and then who knows where, but that all changed and I chose to stay put.
Some trips are about moving, exploring, seeing as many places as possible, but this one was different. It was about staying in one spot, connecting, meeting new people and building relationships. It was about watching an old man break down a wooden boat my first week, and then witnessing his daily progress, rebuilding it with logs using a machete every morning. It was about saying hello to the old man chiseling oysters each morning and making him smile. About connecting with locals, being invited into homes for home cooked meals, and enjoying Christmas Eve with locals, drinking rum, listening to champeta, and salsa dancing into the wee hours.
I woke before dawn to say good morning to the fishermen who kept their boats right outside my place, bringing them coffee, and every day they came to get me to show me their daily catches. Building a business relationship with my loco coco man (also the town drunk), only to break up, then get back together again, and in the end have him swindle me out of 5,000 pesos. And so many more experiences like this was what this trip was all about.
I hung out with the older ladies who lived in the houses next to mine, watching the sea, watching the old boys play dominoes, and do my laundry with them the old fashioned way. I spoke Spanish the entire time I was there, albeit the week my friend Vanessa came to visit, as no one in town spoke English. It was fantastic!
I learned so much on this leg of the trip, as we all do when visiting other cultures. I was reminded of how little we as human beings need to to be happy. My eyes were opened to community, and human connection, as I watched everyone look after every child as if they were their own, as well as each other. I was reminded of how big my heart is, and how trusting I can be, and that I get to wisen up at times as some will try to take advantage of my kindness. I also learned to trust more: to trust my intuition, to trust when others are being genuine, and to trust that what I’m doing, when I’m doing, and who I’m doing it with in each moment, is perfect in every way.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain
After a thoroughly enjoyable time in beautiful Rincon, I headed to Cartagena for a couple of days and saw and did as much as humanely possible. There is so much beauty to be taken in! The narrow cobblestone streets are flanked with an abundance of flowers and greens spilling out of their flower boxes. I have a million photos of doorways and building facades that were painted all different colors. The people, the horse drawn carriages, the fruit carts, the shop windows, the parks, the smells, the lights…all were magical. The entire walled city is full of beauty that mesmerized each of my senses.
The city was bustling with people and music all through the night - it was so alive! And yet my favorite time of day (as always) was the early morning, when no one else is out and about. The cars are all off of the streets so you can fully enjoy the buildings and capture their beauty with your camera. Also, despite the wild partying that took place the night before, the streets were ridiculously clean in the morning. Not even so much as a cigarette butt in site. Amazing!
So below is a guideline to two beautiful cities I highly recommend you visit when you head to Colombia. It’s a very large country and I barely dipped my feet in its waters, but my experience in these two places was purely magic, because of what I made it out to be. Check it out!
Rincon del Mar:
Taste:
La Negrita: family run, freshly caught fish and best shrimp you’ll ever eat. And cheap!
Mar Blanco: lobster and crab claws to die for! Great beach vibe, hammocks, and beers. This is a locals hot spot daily.
Eat the street food! Salchipapa, Choripapa, and Choriperro to name a few faves.
Coconut Water Bar: cross the bridge on the north side of the beach, and you’ll find a string of gorgeous little beach shacks. $3 for a Mixta: melange of tropical fruits to tantalize!
Lorci’s Kitchen: Ask for woman named Lorci on the main road, and if she’s serving food out on her front stoop, give it a go - she, and her food, are wonderful!
Rest:
Airbnb: Look for “Tiny House on the Beach” hosted by Jeremy and Tuya - it’s the perfect little apartment on a quiet part of the beach, perfectly accessible to all, and steps to the sea.
Dos Aguas: over the bridge, this little Balinese inspired hotel is gorgeous! A bit pricy for the area, but has a chic restaurant/bar, beach loungers, and a sexy vibe all around.
Explore:
Isla Palma: get a boat and head 45 minutes out to one of the gorgeous islands in the archipelago. Crystal clear seas, white sand beaches… a great place for lovers to explore:)
Rincon Dive Center - get out to the stunning islands for a snorkel or dive! Gio & Steffi are the Italian owners, who also happened to be my. neighbors. They're awesome!
The “Plankton and Pajerro Island Tour” is worth a go. You’ll head out at sunset to see an island chock full of a million birds. Then you’ll head to a bay where they portage your boat over to a phosphorescent lake. It’s breathtaking! The boats are dodgy, and you’ll be traveling at dark but it’s an adventure to be had.
Head out on the Mangrove tour where you’ll travel the mangroves, get a tour of trees, and see sloths in the wild!
Shop:
El Kike - i picked up my fresh fruit at this market every morning. It’s also a pharmacy, liquor store, shop and hang out. Each morning the man who cleaned the fruit did a little “I love you with my whole heart” act for me. It made my mornings:)
Want a hammock or souvenirs? On the main road, at the half-point, is a shop with locally made items. There’s basically only one in town, and this is it.
Cartagena - The Walled City:
Taste:
Mirador Gastropub: Head here for views overlooking the Clock Tower, and indulge in cocktails and tapas style eats. A bit pricy, but worth the music and vista!
Montesacro Resto Bar: This second story restaurant overlooks a gorgeous park, with a balcony overflowing with bougainvillea, live music, and an incredible seafood menu. Amazing location for lunch or dinner.
Street Food: just eat it! The fruit carts, the arepas, choriperros…it’s all delicioso:)
Cafe del Mar: on the wall, overlooking downtown skyline, views of the sunset and the moon rise over the city. Head here for a sunset cocktail, and enjoy the views while breathing in the sea breeze.
Rest:
El Marques Hotel Boutique: there are hundreds of gorgeous options to stay, but this was my hotel, and it was perfect in every which way. Beautifully designed, spacious, gracious service staff, stunning pool, and live salsa music on the weekend. I know you’ll love it!
Explore:
The walled city is quite small and very walkable, so I'll leave you to your own adventure here!
As in any place, if you head here you will find your own experience, but these are a few of my recommendations. No matter where we go in life, it’s how we look at things and how open and accepting we are that make or break our experiences. I was open, my heart was open and my eyes, as big as they are were open even more. I wanted to get to know the people of the pueblo. I wanted to understand how and why they do what they do. I allowed myself the time to stay still, to connect deeper with those that I met, to learn more about a new culture, and in turn about myself, too.
Thank you, as always, for reading. I’m so glad you are here:). Below are some photos, in no particular order. I hope they make you feel like you were there, too!
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