Around Town Santa Marta

Santa Marta has been a great stop for us. Here are some of our favorite photos and places to visit.

Christmas in Santa Marta. Our little Christmas tree we purchased before leaving Aruba. All dressed up

Downtown Santa Marta

Christmas Eve dinner at Agave Azul. American owned and operated. Great food.

A bit of rain but at least it is warm

Soaked to the skin Christmas Eve

A few days later, great weather so Steve goes up the mast for some maintenance work

Great view of the coastline

City view Our favorite trip here was to a small mountain town called Minca. We stayed at a cute little B&B.

Locals flock here for the holidays. Cool temperatures and great family time along the Minca River

Soup is a local favorite. Anything and everything goes into the pot

Local bridge crossing

Catepillar

Hanging out at Sierra's Sound. The couple who own this B&B are also the owners of the Crock Farm

Next door is Dona Ana's kitchen. Excellent local food

Color is a big part of decor

Beautiful flowers grow wild

But just in case you need some delivered just call 1800 CARLOS

There is some great hiking in the mountains. A beautiful waterfall at the end makes the hike even better......even if it is a looooong hot hike

Along the way Along the way

Our guide spoke only Spanish. He was with us for the 4 hour hike. We learned some Spanish and in the end we paid him $10 and gave him a beer. He was a very happy guy

At the top

At the end of the day a well deserved rest and cold beerOur patient guide trying to teach us the Spanish name for the large Bambo.

Can you say "guadua".

A little dancing in town. The local men love Roxanne

A pato

Local church

Steve and his mustache are very popular here in Colombia. These men ran out of a bar and remembered seeing Steve a week ago in another town. Best friends now

And ofcourse that meant a dance with the wife of the man with the mustache

The Colombian tamal is fantastic. Made with banana leaves instead of corn husks

Lunch on the Minca River

Another favorite trip was to the neighboring village of Taganga. A real bohemian seaside village filled to capacity with vacationing Colombians and backpackers from all corners of the world Snowman at the seaside

Dugout canoe, still used for fishing

Taganga is a vacation spot but also a fishing village

Treehouse for rent

Hiking around the hills of Taganga. Next cove over is another popular beach

Taganga from above

Sunset over the Caribbean Sea

Friendly local

Back in Santa Marta, the streets are very safe and we walk every morning, soaking up the sights. Our favorite coffee vendor...see how popular Roxanne is

Feeling oppressed?

Working across the street from the Santa Marta cemetary

The best mojito, frappe style

Need some booze? Local marketplace sells just about anything

Trading in coal, using the rail for transport to the seaside....picture tells the whole story

Restored residence in old town Santa Marta

Sorry to disturb you

Las flores para la venta (flowers for sale)

Pescado para la venta

The chopping block

This hat or that hat?

Small but very sweet once they turn yellow. You can buy the whole stock for almost nothing. That's alot of banana bread

Peaceful, clean and quiet early in the morning

Boat kitty for Sid and Manuela?
Up late on New Year's eve
Good friends, great places
This has been a great stop
See you on Sunday in Cartagena.

Anne and Steve

S/V Fine Line