All, please click on the colored hyperlinks to see any of the 12 captioned photo galleries of my last 6 weeks here in Santa Marta Colombia. Underneath, the links are embedded in a short narrative paragraph. Please post a comment id so inclined. Big LOVE, Don
I have been here in this fascinating place called Santa Marta for almost 6 weeks. For one month I attended spanish school every day for 3 hours. The entire time I have stayed at the hotel Miramar on Calle 10. Many know about Calle 10 in Santa Marta through a book about the cocaine trade called The Fruit Palace. The title of the book refers to a fruit stand of sorts that used to be down the street from the Miramar. Colombia is filled with contrasts. Most Colombians are incredibly nice and welcoming but there are places where you will find hostility directed at you. An ongoing civil war of more than 50 years rooted in the glaring social problems created by a relativley small number of people controling the vast majority of the wealth, (many will tell you that 25-30 Colombian families own pretty much everything) makes it a fascinating an important place. The Miramar has quite a Cast of Characters and the local family who run the kitchen represent all that´s great about Columbia. Foreigners are advised not to visit the community a short walk from the Miramar called San Martin because of safety concerns. Parque Tayrona nearby is situated on the coast with mountains rising sharply up from some of the most beautiful and unpopulated beaches imaginable. In Tayrona you can hike into the mountains to visit the ruins of a Tayrona village called Pueblito, or the "The Mini Lost City", referog to the capital city of the Tayrona that many pay $250 to go on an organized 6 day trek to visit, and from which 8 foreigners were kidnapped by guerillas a few years back. A short distance from Tayrona is a place where the Buritaca river meets the sea and provides an idylic beach setting. Closer to the city is the enchanting Playa Grande. Santa Marta is one of the first cities settled in the America´s. It is where Bolivar died and was buried for many years. I visited a locals house two times who is starting up his own restaurant in his front yard. Young Carlos is a young man that I met who plans to be lawyer and journalist. His Uncle is a well known writer and he has met Gabriel García Márquez. He wants to go the United States to study and I see him as the hope for a better future for this oppressed country. I also visited the university with my spanish teacher and saw hope talking with them.
To watch a very intersting movie called "Colombia, Would you take the Risk?" , click here please make sure you watch the entire 8 minutes or you will get the wrong impression
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