Great sail from Aruba to Santa Marta in Colombia. The wind was perfect in just the right direction and we sailed all the way. Did some fishing on the way, and although a couple got away, we did manage to get a couple of tuna and a large dorade which we have been eating daily since! Approaching Colombia, the coastline was beautiful, much more mountainous than I had been anticipating, although in truth, I had no idea what to expect. 1st impressions - lots of loud music from the morning onwards, and everyone is very friendly.
We have decided to stay here for a month, so that we can do a few trips inland.

Have just returned from a 5day trek to the lost city. What a fantastic experience. It started with a 1 hour drive to a place called Machete and from there it was walking. The first afternoon was along a track which was also used by scooters, and wasn’t the most interesting part of the trip, but after a while the scooters couldn’t go any further, and we were into proper trekking country. The first nights camp was beside a river, and we all got our own individual bunks with mosquito nets. The food was very good, lots of rice and carbohydrates which is ideal for walking. Bed was early, as we were to be up at 5 for breakfast and an early start. This was to be a regular pattern, as the guides wanted to try and get us to the next camp before 3 because at that time, without fail, it would start to pour with rain. And I mean really pour! To be honest I think everyone was happy for an early night. There certainly wasn’t much chit-chat going on! The next day was a full on trek to the bottom of the steps to the lost city itself, and the day after that we crossed a river and started climbing. It was absolutely amazing at the top, and our local guide gave us a great talk on the history and culture of the place. A very special experience. There just remained the walk back, which was along the same path. We had decided to stay for an extra night at the last camp before descending to Machete as we were in no hurry and so we stayed with a Colombian couple from our group - Oscar and Anna - who had decided to do the same. There followed a very entertaining afternoon of Spanglish conversation, with a lot of google translate involved!

Then it was back to the hustle and bustle of Colombian roads, and their totally mad driving! Not for the faint hearted, and I certainly won’t be hiring a car to drive around here!