Part Two of a Five Part Series.
Day 2 (Friday):
| My first morning in Colombia and plans have already been made. We woke up to more home cooking and my first time having arepas. We got ready and headed outside to catch a cab out on the main street which was less than a block away. David pointed out something to me and told me to get out my camera. I had to look twice, but there was a donkey crossing the middle of the street! David wasn’t kidding around about the stories of El Burro. |
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| We made a pit stop at the hotel Marcelo’s family stayed at and waited…and waited. One thing I learned (and was told) is that in Santa Marta, you wait. There’s no sense of rush, hurriedness or “on time” for having a fun. It’s what made the vacation much more relaxing and laid back. After everyone was ready, we walked a few blocks to the Rodadero beach front to catch a boat ride to the actual beach, Playa Blanca. |
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| We all hopped on the boat and put on our life jackets. They had a horrible stench of old ocean, but we had to wear them. Not too long afterwards, we arrived at the beach. Right after we got off the boat, vendors from all over came selling candy, seafood, drinks, toys and much more. They kept following us and tried to sell us anything and everything they had. We bought a few beers from one guy and he just left the igloo there for us to pick at. After some playing around, swimming and catching some sun, it was time to eat. I ordered what everyone else ordered: bowl of soup and the catch of the day. It was delicious. The soup was jam packed with all kinds of seafood and tons of flavor. The plate we had was a fried fish, some plantains, and some garnishes. After a few beers and finishing up the food, we got ready to head back home. |
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We went out to visit La Quinta, the main market street in Santa Marta. This place was awesome. It had tons of small vendors, and we stopped at a juice place. I was introduced to zapote zapote drink that had a unique, but very good flavor. |
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| We got back to the house and rested up. I laid out on the hammock with a couple beers. The other neighbors were having a party and their music was blaring. I ended up passing out from all the events of the day. By the time I woke up, the front yard was full of family and friends. I passed out again for a bit and finally decided to wake up. Little did I know, they were planning a serenata for Marcelo and Leah! The band came in through the park and into the front area. Music was blasting all night from the band, it was great. After the night died down a bit, Daniel and his friends wanted to take me out. Apparently, according to Daniel, I’m a party boy. |
We went to the a small narrow street filled with night clubs, people, and cars. Ironically, it was really close to South America’s oldest cathedral, built in 1766! After checking out a few places, we ended up at the Rodadero by the port for some food. David and I walked over to a cart and the smell alone made hungrier. It was a mixture of all the insides of a pig and a huge frying pan. I was digging this big time! David had the tripes and I had some blood sausages. Time to go home and rest. We got locked out, so we jumped the gate and knocked until someone let us in. |
***Updated 5/19/2008: David clarified and corrected. Memories are beginning to blur now.