Last Updated on November 4, 2024
As you can see, I was jumping with joy this week when I finally arrived at the beach! I admit, it’s not my best jumping photo, but I tried 🙂 It was probably right then when I was jumping around, frolicking in the sand when my bungalow in Palomino was broken into, in bright daylight. Luckily I didn’t lose much, but I am still shaken up by the experience of returning to all my belongings strewn across the floor of my bungalow, thinking how different this could have ended (we assume the burglar was interrupt and had to flee). I will talk more about it in my monthly round-up, but here’s a short version of what happened.
Other than that, this past week has been amazing. I hiked in Tayrona National Park, where jungle forests stretch along the Caribbean coast, tempting me into a 5-hour jungle hike. I also went to Bahia Concha, a beach that also belongs to Tayrona, but wasn’t part of my sweaty hike. While most of the beaches in the National Park are not great for swimming (the current is insanely strong), Bahia Concha is located in a bay, protecting it from the wild waves. And then there was Palomino, where this photo was taken, which was the stop furthest east on my trip up the coast.
This little beach town is popular with the backpacker crowd, but doesn’t get many Colombian tourists, unlike Bahia Concha which was filled with Colombian families when I visited. The chilled vibe made me want to linger there for a few more days: there was even a vegetarian restaurant (a rarity in the places I’ve visited so far!) and several places offered yoga classes. Because the waves were rough here too, you couldn’t go into the ocean for more than a quick dip, but a nearby river was perfect for tubing – my first time ever! Slowly floating down the lazy river was the perfect way to calm down after the bungalow break-in, and I hope there won’t be any more incidents after this (statistically, I should be good now, right?).
