Rodadero Beach

Today was a scorcher. 34 degrees Celsius. I decided to go to the beach.

One thing I've noticed about Colombians is that they help their fellow man. Even in the big city like Bogota, people gave up their seats for the elderly, pregnant people and kids. People routinely drop a few coins into beggar's cups and don't even think twice about it. There is more of a collective perspective instead of an individual perspective down here. And that's really how it ought to be.

Santa Marta is the oldest city in South America. I wanted to check the historic centre and the beach here in Santa Marta as well as in the touristy area of Rodadero Beach, which is still in Santa Marta but you have to take a bus or a cab there. I opted for a bus, it's much cheaper ($1200 pesos for a bus ride; $1800 pesos=$1CAD) and takes about the same amount of time.

I walked along the Avenida Libertador (Liberator Avenue) until I reached the sea. Simon Bolivar is known as the liberator of most of South America. He led the people of Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Chile against the Spanish and won their independence. Colombia has many street artists. Not in the sense that there are a lot of people on the street painting or scultping, but graffiti artists. This is what I saw as I was walking along. I also bought a tasty marshmallow type thing. I don't know what it's called. But it was good.

Wall Art

Marshmallow Thing

Santa Marta is also a port city. There is a thriving industry of transportation here. The beach in Santa Marta is not very good. The sand is black in patches for some reason. What is very good is the value you get when you order lunch from one of the carts along the beach. $3000 pesos for rice, any meat you want (chicken, beef, lamb, fish), noodles, lentils and salad. This cart doesn't look like much, but there are about 7 or 8 pots on it, each with a burner to keep the food warm. It's quite the operation!

I've noticed a lot of Chinese restaurants down here. I haven't mentioned it before, but they are so plentiful, they need to be mentioned.

Chinese Restaurant

After passing the Chinese place, I hopped on a bus to the most touristy beach in the area, Playa Rodadero. The ride there offered some incredible views! See the picture and video below.

This beach is where the Colombians go on vacation I've been told. It's a very nice beach. The water was cool and refreshing after my walk and bus ride. There was a fresh fruit juice stand on the beach with all sorts of fruits hanging from baskets attached to the roof of the stand. The lady will peel and cut up the fruits when you order and make you a freshly blended juice with either milk or water. It was delicious. There was also a guy selling treats made of coconut. Those were delicious as well. See pictures below.

The booty of Rodadero

Uhhh....the beauty of Rodadero

Juice Stand

Coming back to the hostel after the beach was interesting. The buses here literally cut each other off to get your business. It's great! You feel so important. The bus drove back through the main downtown area of Santa Marta. I've added a video to give you a feel of it. Each umbrella and yellow box is someone selling something. I made it home after a long day of travelling around the city. I hit the local supermarket and made some vegetarian food because there are no vegetables with the meals down here. It's just protein and carbs. I'm moving to Tanganga tomorrow. It's where I went scuba diving and also has a way nicer beach. Only a few more days until Carnaval!