Taganga, Colombia

Taganga is small fishing village in the north of Colombia. It sits on a beautiful bay, surrounded by mountains and is on the edge of Parque Tayrona, one of the most popular national parks in Colombia. It sits an amazing bay, looking out to the Caribbean. There’s a marina (really just a dozen or so boats and pangas moored or beached and another few dozen unseaworthy vessels strewn along the beach) on one side and the beach on the other. Lots locals, backpackers and hippies hanging around. The hotel I planned on staying was full, I stayed next door. It felt like I spent the night in a Colombian jail. It was an empty concrete room. Nothing inside but a bed and a fan, wall crumbling and it had one window that looked out to a stone wall. But it was cheap and it was about 15 yards from the water. The next day was spent looking for ac. I spent the next night at a nice hotel on the hill….excellent ac and an amazing view of the bay and town. Not bad for about $20 us.

Spent the day walking around town, setting into the vibe, going for a swim in the bay. The night was more of the same….walking around, talking to a few locals and other travelers. On my walk back to the hotel, I had to go through the “marina”. It’s mostly deserted at night and pretty dark. I hear a motorcycle coming up behind me, it’s the federales. I can’t understand much of what they’re staying. One stands guard while the e tarts searching me. He immediately takes all the money in my pockets. About $25 us.He continued to search me…all my pockets, waistband, etc.. All I have is the money in my pocket, so they give it back to me and tell me to have a good night. They ended up being somewhat polite and , in the end, made me feel somewhat safe that they weren’t just looking to shake down a tourist. I was pretty nervous, though, standing in the dark with two Colombian federales.




I met an American guy who had been living in Baltimore, traveled for a few months and just bought a hotel here in Taganga. He just took over the place a couple days ago and was just about to open the restaurant. Five days into my trip and I’m already working. I’m helping him cook and run the bar in exchange for a cheap room and some free food/ beers. Last night was the first night. We basically threw a party/ bbq and called a restaurant. Everyone staying here seemed psyched to have somewhere to hang. So now I’m living about 10 steps from the beach in Colombia, helping to run a restaurant and hotel. Pretty funny.



Life here is good. I wake up, take a stroll down the beach, drink some strong Colombian coffee, get a fresh smoothie (for less then $1 us),. A swim in the bay for a workout. Lunch at one of the stands on the beach…they bring you a tray of fish, right out of the ocean, you pick out what you want and they cook it up. They serve it with soup, fries, salad and the best rice I've ever had. They cook it with coconut milk….it’s sweet, savory and unbelievably delicious. Then a siesta, more coffee and start hanging out, I mean working, at the restaurant. I really can’t complain. Todo bien.