So as it turns out, I never had the stomach bug. BOOM. I muscled through.
Two days ago we woke up in Cartagena, checked out of our hostel, and headed for Volcan de Lodo El Totumo. It was this wild and crazy volcano which instead of erupting lava, erupts mud. Local legend has it that it used to be a real volcano until a Priest banished the devil from it. Now it is where the devil resides. Bathing in the volcanic mud was the most amazing sensation -- it is super buoyant so you just float on the surface. Your whole entire body is covered in mud to the point where you can't see any skin. Felt like an Orc being born of Mordor. But better.
After 40 minutes in the mud volcano, which is supposed to be good for the skin, you go wash up in a lake just down a short dirt road. It was a really cool experience.
We had worked out with the bus driver to drop us off near the volcano on the way back so we could catch a bus to a taxi to another bus to Santa Marta. Seriously it's amazing and hilarious traveling around here. We got dropped off at some remote gas station and didn't even wait 3 minutes before our bus showed up. That bus driver counted his money for the first 10 minutes of our journey, and about an hour later, he sort of slowed down on the edge of the highway and let some people off and flagged down a taxi driver for matt and I. Before we knew what was happening, we were in a taxi to Baranquilla (city where Shakira was born) and then that taxi driver, before arriving at our destination, flagged down a bus to get us to Santa Marta. It's funny how all the drivers around here just try to get you where you're going even if it's not what you'd originally planned. They know better than us, and they've all been on our side. It's pretty awesome.
Taxi to Taganga, the tourist destination of northern Colombia. It has been poppin'. Yesterday we did our obligatory journey into Tayrona National Park which was pretty awesome, but in my opinion too crowded, which detracted from the "natural" aspect of the Park.
Plenty more to say but must go now! Catching a 15 hour bus ride to Medellin. Chat soon xoxoox
