...And so our journey continued (sorry for getting a bit behind with the posts!).
After our day in Minca - next stop was Parque Tayrona, a protected park near Santa Marta that encompasses part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Our mission ... to do a hike, lie on the infamous beach Cabo San Juan (used on the front of the lonely planet guide) and sleep overnight in a hammock on the beach.
We started our journey trying to get the bus to the park entrance from Mamatoco (the suburb near The Dreamer where we were staying). After half-an-hour realising that most of the buses didn`t say they went to Tayrona but actually did we boarded and embarked on the adventure.
Niklas immediately sought friendship with a particularly attractive Colombian who he was fortunate to sit next to - sharing conversation and chocolate. While he seemed content the rest of us tried to cope with cramped conditions, blazing heat, erratic driving and a double glazed door in the middle of the bus.
Forty five minutes later, journey over, we were in. It was only then we realised we had chosen the hottest time of day to do the 45 minute hike to our campsite perhaps wasn`t the best idea, especially for Morgan who had a 10 Kilo backpack with him.
The walk while tiring was worth it though and we saw some stunning scenery and wildlife. The place itself is like something out of a movie and definitely one of the reasons you go travelling.
On reaching Arricefes, the first beach where we were staying we set up camp (or rather our hammocks), had some lunch and chilled. The sky looked ominous but Martin, Mike and I decided to head for Cabo San Juan to check it out before dark. We only got half way and ended up at a small beach called La Piscina where you could swim. The water was warm and lovely especially after our hike. We headed back early though to avoid the thunder clouds we heard rolling in. Niklas and Morgan weren`t so lucky! When we got back to camp we realised they had tried to catch up with us and gone all the way to the beach. As the thunderstorm raged (and I mean raged) over head we stared to get a bit worried. They made it back, only just, in one piece about half an hour later.
Sitting in the pitch black in a cafe off the beach as lightning hits it is definitely an experience. After dinner (us and tins of tuna the other boys) we opted for the only thing possible - another game of shitman. Then came the hammocks. Needless the say the night`s sleep wasn`t too comfortable.
The next morning after watching the sun rise, and then falling asleep on the beach for a few hours we headed to Cabo San Juan. A day of lazing and swimming ensued and we even caught up with some other guys we had met in Cartagena.
Sadly it was to be the parting of ways in the afternoon and the breaking up of our group. Morgan was to stay another night in the Park, we were heading to Costeno beach surf camp and the Swedes back to Cartagena. As we said our goodbyes to Morgan and headed out of the park, feeling very sorry for ourselves we slowly came to realise that we had taken the wrong path and along with pending nightfall and thunderstorm, started to worry. We trusted our gut, `follow the shit`(that is the horse poo on the track) and kept going. Luckily we reached the exit just before it got dark and headed back to the hostel for some dinner and a rest.
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