I awoke at sunrise and took a few minutes to walk the beach in the orange glow. After enjoying the rising sun, I retreated back to my tent for another hour or so of sleep.
Awaking for the second time, Chris is now up. He shows me a picture of a giant palm branch that fell from the tree above his tent and flattened it. Luckily he had just got up moments before or he would have had a headache. It certainly wasn’t the cocoanut I was expecting.
We packed up our stuff and prepared to leave the campground. I went into the ocean again for a few minutes and then had a cold, outdoor shower while Chris passed on it. Not sure if it was the temperature or not wanting to stand naked in the middle of the campground.
The campground driveway is incredibly steep, with chunks of strips of pavement missing and some pretty large holes. Going down in to the campground was a tricky ride, but getting back out was really tough. I had done it the night before and almost not made it up the hill, so I was happy to make it up this time without incident. I dismount the bike and go to the top of the hill to help guide Chris up, but when I get there I see he has already crashed exactly on the part that tried to bite my tires the day before. Because of the hill and how the bike landed, we have to get two of the campground guys to give us a hand pushing the bike up the hill. Chris, for the most part none the worse for wear, straightens things out and we are on our way.
We head down the road to Tayrona National Park. An oceanside park where the jungle meets the sea. At the entrance, we have breakfast, before paying our entrance and heading in. We are surprised to see virtually everything is open on Christmas day, but I guess days off in developing nations are a luxury few can afford.
The park is gorgeous. We walk quite a ways through the various jungle paths before reaching the ocean. We pass on the hike to the main beach as it is 5km each way in the jungle heat. We pass an area with alligator warnings, so I stay ahead of Chris and ready to bolt at the sight of one. We don’t see much wildlife in the end, except some lizards and quite a few birds.
After leaving the park we head on to the beach town of Taganga, a small village right next to the large city of Santa Marta. The town is packed. Lots of people go to the beach for Christmas day here. It’s an affordable option for some family time, if they are the lucky ones who aren’t still working for the day. We find ourselves a nice little hotel with a friendly host and unload our bikes before waking around town. We settle in for our Christmas dinner and Chris has a large plate of fish while I settle for the pizza. We are a day ahead of our original plans, so we are considering a full day in the town. Maybe a boat ride to a remote beach.
Overall, not a bad day for Christmas. It is always very tough travelling in particular on Christmas day, as you miss family and would love to spend the day with them. I for one am very lucky. I have a wonderful spouse (who lets me bolt off on trips like this) and 2 kids I couldn’t be prouder off what they have grown up to be. I am also blessed (no, I don’t like that word, too religious, let’s go with grateful ) that both my parents and Carolyn’s parents are here to share not only Christmas, but also our lives with us, so I with I was there with them all at least for this day.
At the same time, you also realize how privileged we are to be able to travel and see the world. Only about 5% of the world’s population can afford to travel, and less than half of that statistic even take advantage of the opportunity. Most people in the world may only ever know of an area a few hundred kilometres from where they live, so we are truly lucky to have been born where we were, and with all the benefits that came with it, earned or not. TTheyjeggoal
The goal when using this privilege should be to always leave a positive mark on all you come across. A smile and a little respect go a long way towards making yourself an unofficial ambassador of Canada, or motorcycles, or whatever you may represent. Each of your actions also affect how people will treat the next traveller, so wear it well.
Colombia Motorcycle Ride 