The bus ride which was meant to take about 12 hours ended up taking almost 24, namely due to the delapidated dinosaur of a bus which we boarded in Maricaibo, thinking we'd save a few dollars. After every stop we´d begin a painful accelerration and lumber away in a cloud of dust and exhuast fumes, serenaded by a chorus of angry horn beeps from drivers unfortunate enough to be caught behind us.
We finally got to our destination that night - the little fishing village of Taganga. After a shower and some well deserved beers and food, we thankfully collapsed onto our bed. Next morning we were awoken by the sounds of tropical birds, and looked out of our window to see a beautiful blue sky and the sea!
Taganga was a great little place. During the brief walk along the road from our hostel to the sea front you´d bump into donkeys lazily chewing on crap, goats with their young nervously wandering around, chickens pecking in the dust and dogs playing and dozing in the shade. Children played in the sun, flying home-made kites in the ever-present forgiving breeze. The locals were really laid back and friendly, and you could buy amazing fresh fruit juice everywhere for $1. The fruit in Colombia is amazing, our firm favourtie being Maracuja (passion fruit). You cut the skin open to reveal a clump of sweet, delicious slime, which smells as amazing as it tastes, despite looking like yellow frogspawn. We spent a few days checking out the beaches nearby, which were horribly overcrowded due to it being Colombian holiday time and reading James Lovelocks' 'The revenge of Gaia'.
Went diving and it felt amazing to be underwater again. Had 4 dives and saw a few fish I'd never seen before, their names escape me now, along with Morray eels, a few different species of angel fish, and the highlight, my first Hawksbill turtle and on Christmas eve!
Met loads of great people, many of whom we'd met earlier in Venezuela and began planning Christmas festivities. The Colombians actually celebrate Christmas at 12 midnight on the 24th. The atmosphere was great throughout the town and we prepared for a night of serious rummage. They seem to love these ridiculous giagantic blow-up nativity scenes out here, every town we visited had them. Giant virgin Marys looking like somewhere between a monstrous smirf and the Michellin man, towered above huge cribs and ill-looking giant donkeys, all lit up with christmas lights. They're truly tac-tastic. To add to the tac, everywhere you went you were serenaded by the sounds of an awful medly of singing Christmas lights, playing the same mini 'mega-mix' over and over again, until you couldn't help imagining taking a rock and pummeling them to smitherines.
Christmas eve passed in a haze of cheap rum, and Christmas day was a rite-off as I suffered the most hideous hang over I've experienced for some time. I eventually sprang back to life after electrocuting myself trying to plug some Christmas lights in (that´ll teach me to curse the lights and we got started on a belated Christmas dinner, which wasn't very traditional but delicious all the same.
Boxing day saw us heading to the nearby Tayrona National park where we camped for 4 nights, next to the beach. At last, the tent had been errected!!! After more than 2 months of lugging the damn thing around, we actually put it to use.
The National park was gorgeous, amazing beaches and rock formations, and plenty of jungle walks, including one to a Pre-hispanic settlement called Pueblito, which is
still inhabited by Tayrona Indians. Saw a troop of amazing little monkeys but the
Toucans remained elusive. Loved cooking over an open fire once again, so satisfying, even with the hot smoke seering my pupils and lungs. And the stars! Frogs and toads sang their nocturnal chorus, glow worms flashed here and there, and a scan over the river with the torch would reveal the amber eyes of small Caimen lying in wait of passing fish.
