well i made it to cartagena, and its beautiful. but really really hot. lots of fruits being sold on the street and yummy cold limade. my first meal was incredible, pork medallions with roasted red peppers and parmesan cheese, plantain chips, coconut rice salad and a frozen lemonade with brown sugar. the hostel is very social so i made some friends and went out to go dancing. turns out the live music on the street was way more fun to dance to. just like me, i had to make my way to the ocean to touch the carribean sea under the moonlight before heading home. the next day i was off to playa blanca, in the blazing heat, with 2 backpacks. one bus to the market, another bus to the canal, crossed the water to a motortaxi. i didnt think it was going to be possible with all my stuff but it worked somehow. although i held on for deal life as i tried to enjoy the beautiful scenery. soon we were at the beach, where i found the first place to camp and put down my stuff. quickly changed and ran into the crystal clear blue and green waters of the carribean. I FOUND PARADISE. palm trees. coctails out of coconuts. soft white sand. hammocks. oh ya and women coming up to you offering massages. i couldnt say no. thus a 1 hour massage by two women was thouroughly enjoyed. many of the tourist boats leave around 4 and the beach becomes even more tranquil. i had a great time that night hanging out with the colombian guys who work there, drinking aguardiente and learning about their culture. the late night swim underneath millions of stars in the warm waters wasnt bad either. it was too hot to sleep in the tent, so hammock it was, which was actually very comfortable. woke up and lounged, swam, tanned, explored some caves with bats, went for a jetski ride, took a nap in the hammock. oh and i ate a whole fish, and i actually liked it! went to sleep early after a long day in the sun. woke up to that incredible view, i still couldnt believe where i was. went for a run, which felt so good since i havent exercised in months. went for one last swim before heading back to cartagena.
this afternoon i went to this...mud volvano? it was strange and amazing its this hill rather that has this incredibly thick mud. its actually very deep but there is no way to sink in it. it was one of the strangest sensations. there are guys in the mud who give you a massage, then you just hang out in it for awhile. then you go down to the river where women clean you off. my skin feels amazing after!
the locals are so nice, warm friendly and open. but wow their accent is sooooo hard to understand!
