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@almac68
Christmas Day
On our drive through Barranquilla towards the Magdalena river, we passed many squatter camps and poorer barrios segregated from the road to our right and vast commercial estates connected to large ships in ports to our left this was Barranquilla’s industrial heartland. The new Bridge construction across the Rio Magdalena is also vast and high, allowing larger ships to navigate beneath as part of the city’s trade expansion plans and probably a couple of years from completion. Over the lower bridge we went arriving in the delta area on the other side. I imagine the Mississippi River with New Orleans is it’s true opposite across the Carribean Sea. The coastal road is flat but not featureless. Raging Atlantic Coast left, ragged lagoons and swamps to our right and those vultures ever present on the look out for either roadkill or free food, as we passed through numerous fishing communities en route towards Santa Marta. In parts this looks like crocodile country.
We then swung off on route 90 towards Tayrona National Park. The road side checks are now patrolled by the Colombian Army wearing either jungle or desert fatigues. The patrols are smiling and courteous, even chat as much as the Police do. Tayrona looms in the distance, a large mountainous and impressive territory as we approached from the south. Succulent cactus trees break the lush tropical bushes in shades of lime and deep green, the undergrowth carpeted in sandy coloured grass, it is hot around 33 deg C. The villages here you will find barbers and nail bars trading right on the roadside under canvas. Our destination is a 2 night stay at a Cabañas Retreat just outside the park. The weather here is more bearable with fresh sea breezes, rivers and streams nearby to keep the heat away. A clear night produced alot of stars but not quite the Milky Way. The sky was also filled with bats and flying insects at night. It is great to escape the rumbas and chiva party buses of the city. The night was very peaceful just a hum of insect activity and the fan whirling in our room. The flat black centipedes or millipedes about 2 inches long on the white tiled floor look exotic wriggling as they walk in search of food. whisky nightcaps downed, we are asleep at 9pm and covered in insect repellent
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