Tuesday, April 30th, 2019.

Day 4 of Colombian Caribbean Highlights by Bamba adventures

Todays itinerary:

“Cartagena to Santa Marta

Departure Time: 09:00 – 10:00 hrs.
Departure Location: Selina Hostel, Cartagena
Duration: 4.5 hours
Arrival Location: La Perla Hostel, Santa Marta
Transportation: Shared van / shuttle by Marsol

Please be ready in your hostel lobby 5 minutes prior to departure. If your transfer is late please contact the emergency number.”

We pack our stuff, do last negotiations
at Selina hostel because of the destroyed socks and trousers. Finally I get 100.000 pesos for three pair of falke hiking socks (~30 eur) and 50 % od the laundry total costs back, because of the destroyed hiking trousers (which is 5 years old). Fair.

We go for breakfast at selina hostels rooftop.

Apple hipsters spend their Cartagena time here blogging about selina breakfast.

A driver comes to pick us up. He drives to a Marsol interchange place. The bus gets full to the last seat. I seat in front, no negotiations about air condition settings. The driver is a penguin.

We go 4.5 hours to the main street of santa marta.

Of course we do the obligatory stop at a bus company associated drink and food seller somewhere I the Nirwana.

Toilets for extra charge. Of course. We reach main street Santa Marta. The driver tells me to get off. No, drop off at hostel is paid. No way. All numbers of Marsol office are of course dead. Bamba dies ot react, too. So I get off the bus and take the next Taxi and tell the hostels name “La Perla”. He doesnot know. I show him google maps. We go there, no hostel. locals do not know either. He drives around, ask other taxi drivers. Finally we find it.

They repainted and took the sign off. I am the only guest. They have only one room with water. It is an appartment with a 4 bunkbed room. Cold water only. It stinks dramatically, but I can leave my big bag there, they do breakfast and cheap laundry. I leave them some stuff to send to laundry and go to town via the “beach”. Dirty, no human, only high houses, but like walled to the beach, no promenade to the yacht harbour. The city is not attractive, like Cartagena, too. Mostly rotten shops or food sellers, …

I go for food and have a snack at “Origin Arte Santo”. Good food.

Then I buy some water, cereals in the big Exito supermarket and walk back to La perla.

They parfumed the room but it still stinks. the aircondition makes heavy noise. Same the water pumps, which run every thirty seconds.

There is no window in the room, the place for the window is just wood, no mosquito nets.

I shower, repack my things for the lost city treck and go for dinner to Lulo Cafe. I stop by the Carulla Bellavista Supermarket. I buy some Granola and some bread, cheese, keks for the venezuelan family in front of the supermarket. then i go.

Good food.

Afterwards I go home to sleep.

Accomodation: La Perla hostel

not to be recommended. Far off city center. Behind the house there is huge building. Had no water. Stinky. Loud AC, bund beds, loud water pumps. Whatever it was I slept on, it was no matress. The people working there have been very friendly and nice and tried hard. Spoke no english, but Google translate does.