November 15, 2011 - Silvia, Colombia

A short one-hour drive from Popayán, we set forth to the small town of Silvia known for its Tuesday markets. To our delight, the market was bustling with friendly, local indigenous people dressed in their beautiful, navy blue and fuchsia clothing. They are the Guambianos and every Tuesday, they gather in Silvia to sell local produce, freshly slaughtered meats, and artisanal merchandise. Amongst the colorful rows of freshly farmed vegetables, we saw many different varieties of potatoes; some of which we had never seen before. Lucky for us, the friendly Guambianos were eager to share information about each type, and sent us home with a sampling.

After shopping, we followed the river upstream to a small Trout farm where we enjoyed a leisure lunch of smoked Trout. The owner was gracious enough to show us the smokehouse and demonstrate the process. Both of us agreed, it was one of the best trout we've eaten.  The river, the luscious green mountains and the surrounding farm lands made it one of the most memorable and magical destinations. For a moment, we both dreamed of owning a small farmhouse and living our lives here.

November 13, 2011 - Popayán, Colombia

We arrived to Popayán around 6pm. Finding a hostel late on a Sunday evening wasn't so easy. The hostel, Park Life, was booked for the evening so instead we stayed at a nearby hotel. The next morning, we headed back to Park Life, where we were fortunate enough to book a beautiful room in one of the best locations. From our corner window view, we enjoyed seeing locals gather at Plaza Mayor, Parque Caldas. Known as "The White City," Popayán is an enchanting town with white colonial buildings, churches and narrow streets. We instantly felt safe and at home. So much so, that we stayed a total of five nights in between trips to Silvia and Tierradentro. Popayán is on our top favorite list for its tranquility, cleanliness and overall beauty. Same goes for our hostel, Park Life, and to Luisa and Borja.

November 10, 2011 - Santa Marta, Colombia

After Tayrona, we still had a few nights to kill in Santa Marta before resuming our journey to southern Colombia. Having spent enough time in the Historic district, we decided to lodge in a safer, quieter part of Santa Marta called Mamatoco. For the next three nights we stayed at a hostel appropriately named "The Dreamer." It was the perfect spot to rest, catch up on our blog, meet fellow travelers, and take in more sun. We also had a chance to visit Simon Bolivar museum which was a huge bonus.

November 9, 2011 - Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

 Parque Tayrona

Playa Cañaveral

Arrecifes

Our tent

Sweaty but happy

Night in Cabo San Juan

Playa Piscina

Playa Piscina

Map of Parque Tayrona

Trekking through mud

Red ant super highway

Almost there...

Made it!

"Where the jungle meets the sea," we arrived at Tayrona National Natural Park, approximately one and half hour bus ride from Taganga. From the moment the bus dropped us off at the entrance, we were on our own. Not knowing what to expect and slightly sick of beaches, we started our three hour trek through the jungle to arrive at the famous beach of Cabo San Juan. On flip flops and Steve Madden sandals, we trekked through mud, rocks, sand, red ant super highways, and horse shit to get there.  One of us, without mentioning any names, started to lose HER temper. For the first time on this trip, things started to suck real bad. Bitching and complaining our way through, we made it to Arrecifes, known for being the best base to explore the park. Exhausted and barely speaking to one another, we sat down and chugged an ice cold Aguila. Having time to relax, we finally realized where we were and who we were with, and resumed our journey hand in hand. On the last leg of the trek, we started noticing that most travelers were literally in the same "shoe" as us and some without. When we arrived at Cabo San Juan, we set up camp. It was a hard night. A crappy tent, heat, mosquitos, and our sweaty, stinky bodies prevented a well-needed night's rest. We were tired and uncomfortable, but as the pictures show it was all worth it. We would do it all again in a heartbeat.

November 7, 2011 - Taganga, Colombia

Taganga

Shade of a tree.

Heading back to Divanga

Happy to leave Santa Marta for a few days, we headed to Taganga, a small fishing village near Parque Nacional Tayrona  We decided to treat ourselves by staying in one of the more popular hostels, Divanga. Though pricier than other hostels, it was well worth it so much so that we decided to stay another night. On our budget, having a pool is one of the few luxuries that is hard to pass up. One of the days we took a quick boat ride to neighboring Playa Grande. Lucky for us, it wasn't too packed and we were able to swim and relax under the shade of a tree.

November 4, 2011 - Santa Marta, Colombia

Boarded a bus to Santa Marta, Colombia, approximately a four hour drive from Cartagena. Despite its long history and reputation as a tourist destination, we found the city to be the least appealing thus far. Granted, we did stay in one of the more dangerous areas of historic center, however, the hostel itself was very accomadating and the owners incredibly sweet and welcoming. We would recommend Casa Familiar to anyone but warn against staying too long in Santa Marta.

November 1, 2011 - Playa Blanca, Colombia

We took an early boat to Baru Island for an overnight stay on the beautiful white sand beach of Playa Blanca. The clear turquoise water and the emptiness of the island reminded us of the Blue Lagoon. At night we stayed in a hut made of palm fronds surrounded by the sounds of the crashing waves and the humming of insects. Waking up early in paradise is easy, specially when all that awaits you is sunbathing, swimming, fresh seafood and drinking cold Aguilas with the one you love. True paradise.