I arrived in Santa Marta excited about where I would lay my head for the night, not necessarily because I was tired, but because of where I was going to stay! This hostel is an old drug cartel house which the owner graciously showed me around. The original owner of the house had 2 cargo boats on which he would ship drugs to the US. Each boat was able to carry 30 tons of drugs (some of the boats carried 300 tons!) The double secret-secret caches for money and gold are scattered throughout the house, and there was an escape tunnel in the closet of the dorm!! Thick walls that hid atrocities (as well as Pablo Escobar) have been removed and hammocks are hung in their place.
The feeling I had throughout the 24 hours I stayed in the hostel strengthened with time. I was filled with sadness and a 'presence' that I can't describe. When I walked to the areas that had been hidden rooms for many years, the feeling in my gut spread and the 'presence' of past terror filtered into my bones.
I'm glad I stayed there. I'm glad I left the next day. I must admit that I didn't want to finish this post until I was out of Santa Marta. The owner didn't believe in ghosts before he ran this hostel. He does now. I felt it. Rumor is that there is still gold hidden in those walls.
