While Cartagena de Indias, Colombia is a beautiful city with lots of history and plenty of beaches to walk along, it can be a bit chaotic with all the tourists. This last Saturday, I boarded a high-speed boat with about 20 other people and escaped to the small island of Baru to a beach named Playa Blanca (White Beach).
I arrived at the boat terminal around 9 am and boarded at 9:30. I noticed a guy in front of me drinking a beer, so I thought the guy in charge of the boat was selling beers, so I asked him how much it cost and he just handed it to me. He said he brought the beers himself and wouldn't accept the money. Any time he saw that my beer can was empty, he was quick to hand me another. This is the kind of hospitality and generosity that Colombia is known for. Needless to say once I was on the island, I bought him and his family cold beers to reciprocate.
After about 1.5 hours, the boat arrived at an aquarium in the middle of nowhere on a very small island (no more than 1/4 mile around). There, we disembarked for an hour of dolphin shows and the opportunity to watch sea turtles, sharks and other aquatic life in their natural habitat.
Finally, we boarded again and arrived at Playa Blanca. Unlike Cartagena, the water is crystal clear and the sand is as white as could be. The temperature of the water was ideal - not too warm and not too cold. After a traditional lunch of fried fish and rice made with coconut juice, I squeezed in time for some jet skiing and swimming. Before you knew it, the captain was shouting for us to return to the boat for the return trip back to Cartagena, but giving us enough time to stock up on beer for the ride back!
Click here to see more photos from this idyllic island.
No comments:
Post a Comment