Colombia's Caribbean Coast

From Bogota we flew to Santa Marta, on the northeast corner of the country. Our first impression was poor as it seemed dirty, with not a very attractive beach and TONS  of construction. Let's face it, once you've been to Mazatlan, everything is pale in comparison. Our simple hotel (Hotel Nueva Grenada) had a small pool and comfortable facility which made things more enjoyable. Then we discovered the great eating places and things looked even better. We caught a local bus out to the small but lively beach village of Tananga, and from there took a launch to another beach around the corner, Playa Grande. We arrived at 11 and there were lots of people there but as time passed the crowd grew quite large. Wall to wall people but everyone was having a super time as most Latinos are good at doing. Plus this was still thick in the Navidad season and how the paisas love to hit the beach. Swimming was great and not too many folks beyond waist level. A good day! Three days was plenty in that area and we were happy to head 45 minutes into the mountains to the small town of Minca. Took a local collectivo jeep which dropped us at our hotel in the center of town (only 700 people), then we took off hiking up the dirt road to Pozo Azul, where there are large pools along the river for terrific swimming. Yes lots of locals. Beautiful! On both the way up and down (about 1.5 hour each way) we stopped at Heidrun's little eatery for refreshments...her German waffles and a lemonade. Had a super dinner at a great place called Lazy Cat where we enjoyed Mojitos and yummy food. Next day we went the other direction to the Cascadas, a waterfall/pool area also full of fun loving Colombians and other tourists. This time to get there we took the local mode of transportation- riding on the back of a Moro. My driver, Jesus, was thankfully very safe as we wiggled our way up the dirt road. On our walk back we stopped at a similar stand, this time run by a Swiss woman and her Colombian husband for drinks and sandwiches.as we neared town, we noticed how crazy busy it was, and at the main intersection there were wild traffic jams. We learned that just two weeks ago the new paved road opened up and now, in the high holiday season, everyone is heading to Minca. Prior it was only for 4x4s and now any vehicle can make it. This amazingly beautiful and peaceful place may never be the same...sadly! We enjoyed another meal at Lazy Cat, this time with a German couple. If there is a next time for us in Minca, we will definitely head out of town to one of the coffee farms that rents rooms...now we know. Onward the next day on a 5 hour bus to Cartagena. This beautiful walled city is full of culture, history, narrow streets and lovely buildings, lively plazas, and LOTS of tourists! But it was super hot with high humidity and the beaches are unattractive, so we quickly became bored. We stayed 4 nights and wished we'd only planned for two. Once again, we were comparing it to our lovely Mazatlan, and nothing can compare. We stayed in a tiny boutique hotel (Makondo) in a super location, but we were lost without internet in our room. We spent time trying to beat the heat and enjoying the many great restaurants... Some hits and some misses. We were happy when Friday morning rolled around and we could catch our plane to Medellin. We were hoping for cooler weather and really looking forward to experiencing the vibrancy and energy that so many people claimed Medellin was full of.