Minca

25 January 2014 – In an effort to seek a bit of respite from the sweltering heat, I headed up to Minca – a town in the mountains 30 minutes from the city of Santa Marta.  Colombia is famed for its mountains that come bounding up from the ocean in an instant.  Minca sits at 600m and its amazing how the desert of Santa Marta quickly transforms into lush and tropical mountains.

Minca has no ATMs and no buses, so I came prepared with plenty of cash and ready to pay $20 for a cab ride.  I had a hunch, though, that the locals don’t pay for taxis to get to and from Minca and that there had to be some sort of microbus to get there.  I was right – it only required an 11 block walk from my hotel to the Mercado wearing my disgustingly over packed backpack to catch a ride on a collectivo. Essentially, this was just an old Honda Civic with rust on its doors that waited around until 4 people wanted a ride to Minca.  I had to wait around 30 minutes, but at 7,000 COP (about $3.50), it was a bargain!

After climbing up a dusty dirt road for a half hour, we arrived in Minca and true to form, I had no clue where I was going to stay.  I had just planned on walking around the square until I found a place I liked.  There was no square, I don’t know why I envisioned a town square.  All roads were headed up a hill and it looked as though you would be best suited to know where you were headed.  A young man offered me a ride on a moto-taxi, but I told him I didn’t know where I was going just yet.  That’s when the old man who was impatient about our departure and sat next to me on the ride up, piped in and said he had a place for me to stay and to follow him.  I figured I didn’t have much to lose.

Hangin' in my hammock

I followed him across a bridge and down a side dirt road until we got to his house.  He opened the gate and showed me to the room.  His wife was in there watching tv at the time, but she hopped up no questions asked and quickly started tidying the place up.  He said I could stay for $50,000 COP ($25) for three days.  I was planning on paying almost that for just one night, so this was too good of a deal to pass up.  He then proceeded to show me the patio with hammocks and the river that was out back.

Pozo Azul, a local watering hole

It’s funny how when you’re traveling, someone you’re crammed next to on a bus ride (or car ride in this case) can quickly turn into your host for the next few days.  Even though he and his wife didn’t talk much, they were incredibly charming and friendly people.

Minca is known for its eco-tourism and “deportes extremos” (extreme sports), so I was excited to get a bit of exercise. On Sunday, I went on a nice hike to a local watering hole called Pozo Azul.  Being that it was the weekend, the place was packed with families swimming, grilling, drinking cervezas and enjoying the day.

The main road around Minca, goes in one big loop up and around the mountains.  According to my simplistic tourist map, it didn’t appear too far and I figured I could make the loop in one day.  After visiting Pozo Azul and walking straight up a hill for another 2 hours straight I didn’t appear to be close to halfway and figured I had had enough for the day.

Day two I planned on closing the loop by walking the opposite direction.  By all accounts (me, because I’m the only one that’s talking here), this side was much more picturesque.  It had sweeping views of the mountains, the river and quaint farms all along the road/trail. 

Enjoying a swim at the waterfall

Just after I passed the first waterfall, a seasoned old farmer mosied up to me on a donkey.  He was in the mood to chat and walked along the trail passing stories, talking about where I was from and where I was headed.  It was nice to have someone to pass the time with and to keep my mind off the sweat pouring down my face and the constant climb uphill.

Then, as all charming Latin American men do, he began littering me with compliments, “Tu es una reyna,” “que preciosa,” “eres muy elegante”….the inevitable “How old are you?” and “How many children do you have?” questions came next.   I replied and to which responded, “Wow, I thought you were a lot older than that.”  Thanks buddy, you sure do know how to make a girl feel special.

Sadly, our geriatric love affair had to come to an end when I decided to stop at the next waterfall.  This watering hole and had far less people there because it was a Monday.  I took a deliriously refreshing dip in the water and collected flakes of gold in the sand.  All I needed was a pan and I’d be rich! 

After my gold mining career came to an end, I headed back up the trail hoping to at least make it to the Los Pinos viewpoint.  Boy was that a bitch.  Two and a half hours of scrambling straight up a mountain, I finally made it to the top.  My shirt was thoroughly soaked and my legs were aching from exhaustion, but the view from the top was pure gold! (Cheesy pun for your reading pleasure).  From atop the Sierra las Nevadas, I could see sprawling Santa Marta and the Caribbean in the distance.

Judging by my highly scientific tourist map and letting my endorphins do my thinking, I figured that I was about halfway around the loop and that I should continue down the road.  At five hours in my legs were exhausted and my feet were sore from the constant pounding, but my stubbornness persisted. I had several moto taxis drive by offering me a ride back for dirt cheap, even a few free ones and each and every time I found myself saying, “No I’m fine.  I’m happy to walk.”  When in my head I was screaming, “Why are you saying no?? Hop on the damn motorcycle.  Okay, you said no to this one, but the next one I’m for sure going to say yes.”

Six and a half hours later I strolled into Minca.  Stubborn or not, I completed the loop.