Swimming

I unexpectedly met up with a few old friends here: Candy floss and toffee apples. I chanced a toffee-apple despite the state of my teeth and it was perfect; a thin crisp sweet glaze over a cold sour apple. Priceless. A few of the tastes here have really taken me back to childhood. Much of the vegetables here taste so much better than they do now in Europe. The potatoes here are fantastic and to be honest I haven't really encountered anything I didn't like. Although a few dishes have been challenging to say the least.
 All afternoon it was an endless procession of vendors, most of them selling food. These are not the insistent variety of chaps that you meet in Africa who are not deterred by anything short of a slap on the back of the head. Here a simple "No Gracias senor..." is enough to send them on to the next prospect. In many cases though the food was so irresistible that it turned out to be "Si senor..." The shrimp and oyster man was the first  receive attention, He mixed up a concoction of shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce with finely chopped onions that was to commit murders for. Next came the man with the fresh fish; He had a full tray to choose from and we took them all, he went back to a little hut away from the beach and transformed the fish into a series of dishes that fed the whole family. The lot for the price of a single Big Mac menu. By the time that food had all gone down it was time to hit the chiba. Back up to 'Butlins' to cool off the kids and then a breezy ride back to Barranquilla, Samba music blaring and a smile on every face. I even bought my first souvenir, which is a Christmas present for Elkie. (But don't tell her).
Today has really given me a taste for the Atlantic and Carribean coast. In my mind I'm already planning visits to Cartagena and Santa Marta and the Islands of San Andreas and Providencia. If the luck and the money hold that is. I will have to add them to the ever growing list that started with Cali, Mendellin, Venezuela and Ecuador if possible. It's starting to look a tad ambitious and I fear there might have to be a little thinning out to be done.