“Memories of Tayrona” Hostel

This post is for both Oct 20 and 21. Oct 20 was mainly another all-day travel day getting from my Airbnb in Cartagena to a small hostel 200 meters from the entrance of Tayrona National Park. As I mentioned before, the park is actually closed to preserve the plant and animal life. However, I learned that there are many other cool towns and beach spots nearby to explore.

The trip started with an uber from the Airbnb to the bus transport terminal near the actual center of Cartagena. This place was extremely busy with over 50 busses going in and out at the same time. It was a massive operation and quite difficult to find where I was supposed to go. I finally found the bus company that I bought tickets through and found that the bus was an hour delayed. I used the time to grab some cheap eats and coffee in the terminal. The bus itself was a very comfortable charter-bus style transport. It went from Santa Marta to Barranquilla along the coast, picked up more passengers, and finally ended in Santa Marta. There was one small section of road that I thought was really neat. It was very narrow and had ocean on both sides. I’ll attach a map pic of this stretch at the end of this post. The ride overall took about 5.5 hrs for 220km. It was interesting too that people would come on and off the bus at different points to sell snacks and drinks. I was always fed.

At the Santa Marta bus terminal, I bought a second bus ticket destined for a small town called Palomino. However, my stop was on the way and I just told the driver where I needed to be dropped off. This ride was only 45 minutes. The driver dropped me off at the hostel entrance and I went to check in. The establishment is a small, family-owned business that has about 7-8 chalets of various sizes. I got an entire room to myself for $102 for the 6 nights that I will stay here. However, I could not pay yet because the wifi was out.

After settling in, I went to find some food. I stumbled upon a cute little restaurant called “Vicky’s” where I was greeted by a nice guy named Wilson. We talked for a while as he cooked me a fresh burger that was HUGE. After dinner, he went to a nearby shop and came back with a 6-pack of Aguilo cervezas for us. Over a few beers, we talked about our background, families, and dreams. I learned about his family and how they moved from Venezuela, and about his little daughter Victoria who he named the shop after. He gave me control of the Spotify playing over the speakers and I put on some Hindi party music for us to enjoy.

As I was walking back to the hostel around 10pm, I noticed that the front gates were closed and locked. I stood there for a few seconds contemplating what to do. I was not made aware that this was gonna happen. I think the few beers I had gave me the courage to find a sturdy part of fence, jump, and climb over to the other side. Not going to lie, I was feeling pretty good about myself, until the dogs came BARKING at me. I bolted to my room and closed the door with a sign of relief. What a way to end the day.

Today, at 5:12 in the morning, the chicken outside my room was cocka-doodle-doodling so loud that I just had to wake up, so I explored the little town of Tayrona stationed outside the park entrance. There are plenty of stores, restaurants, and fun people here. The hostel offers breakfast included, but not your Hilton Inn complementary breaky. The hostel owner literally asked me what I wanted and cooked it for me. I got to read in one of their hammocks and even found a little gym nearby. Even crazier, I found a poison dart frog roaming around too. For lunch I went back to Vicky’s and Wilson’s wife cooked me fresh pasta with veggies and chicken and Maracuya fruit juice to drink. It is fun to build relationships with new people and genuinely connect. Plus, they let me just sit here at their restaurant and use their wifi to write this blog 🙂 Also, the picture of the tall pink building is actually another hostel up the road. It has like 6 floors. However, because the park is closed, all the hostels are pretty much empty, including mine. I guess I just get more attention.

I think being alone for this long is starting to weigh on me a little. I am missing home and familiarity, but it’s all part of it! It’ll just make my bed at home and home-cooked Indian food that much better.