Cabo de la Vela

Trip Start May 2006

Trip End Aug 17, 2006

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Flag of Colombia Santa Marta, Colombia
Thursday, August 17, 2006

We pass the village of Cabo de la Vela on foot, pass an artificial reef wasted on the beach. They look like giant concrete whiffle balls. The road heads inland, but we continue along the coast, along the part jutting out into the sea. Brush and cactus and copper dyed earth dominate. As we leave the bay, the waves increasingly release their stored energy onto the shore and the landscape loses its softness with the contrast between turquoise and brown overwhelming. Goats appear out of nowhere, munching on the spare plants, and frightened of us. The Cabo is marked by a promontory with a faro (lighthouse) and we ascend up to it. A security guard is present. The lighthouse is a basic red and white metal structure surrounded by bees, probably attracted to the sweet garbage people have left. The desert Caribbean vista is unreal, the lack of growth here adds to the feeling of timelessness. Further along the coast is an paridisical beach cove, uninhabited, with mild waves. Fernando stays and I wander further, despite the midday heat and lacking any provisions

Beached Boat

. The spell of wanderlust is strong.

On the walk back, like a mirage, a pretty girl appears. She asks how far is it to the lighthouse in a manner and accent that gives it away she is Argentinian. Two guys follow behind her. After lunch, I spend the rest of the afternoon reading, swimming in the pool like bay, and digging holes in the sand. Fernando didn�t wear his shirt for some of walk and has turned into a searing lobster, an experience everyone has to have once.

That evening we talk to a local. He has no strong desires in life. He�s content serving tourists, fishing, playing soccer. The village is a 100 years old and it seems that the majority of it is made up of people who he is related to. Our ride out of town tomorrow leaves at 4 and I catch a few hours of salty dirty sleep, as their is no fresh water, just the small plastic packets to suck through your teeth.

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