October 17th to 20th
I wake up while it’s still dark in Nuqui and realize suddenly that I have yet to pay, and it being 5:15 in the morning of course the owners are still asleep. Knowing I need to catch my boat I write a note on some toilet paper and attach it to the door before grabbing my prepacked bags, leaving 25,0 Cop on the bedside table and heading for the door. After struggling to open it for a few minutes I’m out in the early morning predawn heading back towards the boat dock, trying not to get too wet in the drizzling rain.
I arrive at 530 and settle down to wait with a local young man, who, despite the early hour is blaring Colombian rap music through his phone. He offers me a seat on a stack of paint cans and I settle down to wait. Colombia is famous for Colombian time, and so far the Choco province seems to stretch that idea more than any other. Cassie arrives at 5:45 and we switch from spanish to english as we wait less and less patiently It’s 6:45 by the time Cassie and I are on board a heavily loaded motorboat full of Colombians luggage, and, i kid you not, a bmx bike.
The rain is getting heavier and I’m glad I have both my dry bag for my electronics, and my Columbia raincoat for myself. the seas are rougher today and as we leave behind a wet and misty Nuqui and head out into the waves, I try to cut down on the amount of exposed skin I’m showing to the driving rain. As the boat plunges down from the crests of the waves there is an endless cycle of bone crunching impacts.
We speed north over the turbulent waters, leaving the coast behind for short intervals, but always returning to the beaches, jungle and mountainous terrain. After maybe 40 minutes on the ocean we pull into a beach and two more gringos wade out into the waves and climb into the boat staying as dry as they can. A little water always seems to get into the Lanchas so make sure your valuables are safely waterproofed.
The boat is even more crowded with four to a row now that Josh and Julia from Germny have joined our crew, the engine fires back to life and we head back out into the ever growing swell and continue north. Twenty minutes later as we round a particularly mountainous point there is a Bang in the jungle so loud and sudden that we all duck, even the standing anchor man in front throws himself down as the captain kills the engine. Out of the corner of my eye I see a flash that might accompany a small explosion or a particularly large gun firing. Everyone is silent and holds there breath watching the impenetrable jungle for any sign of more. Nothing comes and quickly the captain has the engine roaring again.
We continue north, a little further off shore now, all feeling reminded of the dangers Colombia holds. None of us could figure out exactly what it could have been, but thoughts of Colombia’s famous paramilitary groups like Farc fill the minds of the four Gringos Of course for all we know it could have been just a military training drill.
Another fourty minutes of rough riding with our insides turning to soup sees us arriving in El Valle pulling into a sheltered little inlet and beaching the boat. We climb out and up onto a small beach asking the driver how to get to the humpback turtle, he points us in a vague direction and tells us it should take about ten minutes, a number to which Colombia time definitely applies.
We pay our fare (60,000 COP) and, shouldering our bags, we head off the beach along a small road/foot path through nature and past countless eco lodges, the most prevalent form of accommodation on the pacific coast. The Germans leave us behind, asking for prices at each place we pass but Cassie and I continue along the path which eventually is met by a small river forcing us onto an endless beach. We walk right to it’s very end hoping to find the humpback turtle before too long, since it’s already been at least 20 minutes. Still, the beach is one of the most impressive I’ve ever seen, a constant swell rolling in onto the darker sand, the jungle rising up in the background, and huge monolith rocks which explode up out of the ocean and sand alike, adding a dramatic flair to an already unbelievable landscape.
Locals smile to us and wave as we finally reach our destination. The Humpback Turtle is nestled into the jungle at the far end of the beach, a small waterfall marking the end of its gardens and grounds. We are welcomed warmly by Pacho, a local who checks us in and also offers some delicious fresh agua con panella y gingebre. The best I’ve had yet. For those who don’t know agua de panella is a delicious sweet drink made with water, cane sugar and in this case, fresh wild ginger. It’s perfection and has made the fact that I don’t drink Coffee significantly less painful in Colombia.
We spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon lounging in hammocks reading and chatting and watching as the normally empty beach floods with local kids from the school, which is apprently having some sort of party. We’re served lunch at the humpback for 12,000 COP and it’s worth every peso. A whole fresh fish, coconut rice, platanos and a tomato and cabbage salad, with fresh juice from some sort of tropical fruit. As I devour the feast as neatly as I can considering the fish bones. I find myself looking forward to my next three days here. If nothing else, I’ll be eating well.
The rain, which vanished before we arrived has come back but I decide I’m done waiting for it to clear, and, donning my bathing suit, I head out onto the beach, still full of kids and teachers surfing, playing soccer and generally enjoying the day. The people of El Valle are no less welcoming than those from Nuqui and Arusi and soon I’m tumbling out into the surf, rough waves crashing over me. With the first wave I’m brought back to my youth in Nova Scotia, body surfing the waves of the Atlantic in Martinique and Lawrencetown, and a grin takes my face. Even though it’s raining both the water and air are warm enough to make it a pleasant experience, and I quickly find I actually love swimming in the rain.
After maybe an hour letting the pacific throw me around like a rag doll I head back up the beach and to the waterfall behind the Humpback turtle which serves as a cold but perfect natural shower to wash the salt from my body. After drying off and reading a little more Cassie and I take a walk out further towards the point, with Jeff an Aussie friend of the owner and three dogs, including the always rambunctious chocolate lab named Brownie who has quickly become our best friend.
The sun is quickly fading behind the clearing clouds and the rain has stopped. We amble out along the beach towards the rocks which mark it’s end and encounter three young men playing volleyball in a natural pool, drinking from fresh Coconuts. They smile so in my slightly broken spanish I ask them where they got the coconuts and if it might be possible for us to get one too. They grin and lead us around some rocks to the edge of the jungle. One of them hoists a massive stick and prods at the coconuts in the palms above. Three tumble to the ground and I quickly retrieve them as the boys show us how to crack them open on the rocks. The water inside is absurdly delicious and we all smile and pass them around, enjoying the refreshment and taste.
After Cassie snaps a photo or two we continue out along the beach and the boys go back to their game. Jeff heads back to the hostel but we continue on past the sand, and the lover’s pool, a waist deep sheltered pool between some rocks where the water’s apparently quite warm, making it a popular place for… well, lovers and love.
The sun starts to paint the sky some beautiful hues or fire as we clamber out over rough rocks towards the point. I quickly find myself wishing I’d brought my shoes as my feet are aching before long. Nevertheless we continue on, eventually having a bit of a photoshoot and finally relaxing under a lone tree and watching the sun dip behind the low clouds just above the horizon.
The rest of the night is spent reading, chatting with a lovely dutch couple and reading. When it’s time for bed I try to get comfortable in my dorm bed but find the low mosquito net a bit of a problem so I stumble out into a hammock and fall into a deep sleep under the jungle like canopy of the hostel’s grdens. Brownie curls up beside me not long after demanding a little attention from a very sleepie gringo.
The next day we wake up to rain, wondering if we’ll be be able to do the walk to playa larga and a few waterfalls as we’d originally hoped with a chilled out jungle guide named Saool (Spelling) who charges us 35,000 COP each. He shows up a few minutes after the agreed upon time and as he does, the rain seems to magically stop. Sadly only Cassie brought her camera and with my computer down for the count, photos of this walk will come later. Shortly thereafter we’re headed back towards that lovely point and continuing on past it, ducking in to the jungle and following narrow winding and very muddy trails which barely merit that name. Saool has cut us each a walking stick which is probably the only thing that keeps me upright as we climb up and down the lush but soaked jungle hills before emerging onto another untouched and very beautiful beach. Like all of them on the pacific it’s filled with crabs of all sorts, including countless hermit crabs.
Here Saool leads us back into the jungle, following a narrow stream which trickles it’s way into the ocean It quickly grows bigger and deeper, and maybe ten minutes later we’ve arrived at a small but stunning water. I’m covered in sweat so it takes me only a few seconds to peel off my shirt shoes and socks and plunge into the perfectly cold water, swimming up under the falls and relishing the sensation of the water crashing over my shoulders and neck.
Soon I’m joined by Cassie and Saool and we spend longer than expected just relaxing and climbing and taking photos. Eventually though Saool suggests we should keep moving and so reluctantly it’s back to the beach and on into the jungle again.
After wading around a small point in knee deep ocean water we reach another beach and our friendly guide points up at a coconut trees and asks us if we’d like some. Cassie and I both nod, so Soaool quickly scales the cocunut trees using little grooves cut into the tree. He reaches out and dangles precariously from the top as he works to knock down some cocconuts, which I quickly retrieve. Minutes later were gorging ourselves on the sweet coconut water, and then since these coconuts are older than the ones from the night before eating the incredible fruit itself. I have developed quite a love for Coconuts in that past 4 years or so, but these were far and away the best I’ve ever tasted. I even tuck a chunk away in my belt for the walk ahead.
Another half hour or so sees us drenched in sweat but at our destination of Playa larga, the location of the second waterfall. It i much the same as the first and we enjoy being perfectly refreshed and at peace all over again, so much so that we forget to take any pictures. After maybe 45 minutes in paradise we head back and explore the sprawling completely empty beach for a short while before turning around and heading back, only breaking briefly at that same coconut beach long enough to gorge on more coconuts and for Cassie to climb up the tree herself. Saool gets too nervous to let her go all the way to the top but I’m still pretty impressed.
We make it back to the humpback covered in sweat, all cured by a quick swim in the ocean and wash in the waterfall. We feel fully refreshed and enjoy a late but delicious lunch of more fresh fish. Back home in Canada I don’t even like fish, here though it’s a different story.
A few hours of chilling later, and after one more swim Cassie and I head out across the beach to where our friends Josh and Julia ended up staying, pitching there tent on the balcony of a newly opened eco lodge focusing on yoga and meditation, run by a lovely half spanish half colombian couple. We’re followed closely by two of the dogs who even come in to join us for our planned dinner; vegetarian, so I’m naturally suspicious.
It actually ends up being highly delicious with a grated coconut salad and fresh Colombian potatoes among some other things, all served alongside tantalizing freshly squeezed lemonade with panella added. From there we head back onto the beach and meet up with Saool and Jack for a bonfire on the beach under the incredible stars. There is music, lots of rapping, (My interest and ability fascinates both locals who are incredible beatboxers) smiles and happy talk mostly in spanish. Finally, exhausted from the walk and everything else Cassie and I head back across the beach and back to the humpback turtle, where after such a good sleep the night before I choose to stay in the hammock.
Our third and final full day in El Valle is spent mostly focused on relxation. I wake with a swim which feels utterly divine and soon Cassie and Jack are doing Yoga’s together on the beach, I take some photo’s and play some fetch with Brownie before we all decide to head into town. Ever since arriving we’ve heard ringing endorsements for Rosa’s restaurant so today we head into the surprisingly sizeable town of El Valle alongside Jeff and Jack who show us the way. On the way we run into three young men with a bucket of fish who kindly pose for photos before continuing out along the beach.
By the time we get there Rosa is sadly out of the fishhead soup that made her famous, but the rest of the meal is still delicious and the beef soup that serves as an appetizer is also divine. Definitly one of the best meals I’ve enjoyed in Colombia so far.
From there we spend a while wandering through the happening and very full streets of El Valle, meeting lots of smiling young kids, many of whom ask us to take photos of them much to the delight of Cassie and myself. Deciding dessert is in order Jack leads us to a place that makes homemade cocnut ice cream near the back of the town for 500 COP each. It’s incredible and the perfect cap to the afternoon.
As we head back a half dozen soldiers saunter past us, smiles on their young faces but semi automatic guns hanging off of them too, the two things make an odd combination. Geoff informs us that he’s seen more and more military arriving because recently the Oceans have been full of cocaine. No that’s not a typo, in fact it’s one of the main jobs for people along the pacific coast. Locally it’s referred to as the White Marlin, and most fisherman now spend most of their days searching for that elusive fish.
Basically the ocean is a popular smuggling route and under Colombian laws if the police catch you with nothing on your boat you’re free to go, even if they see you dumping copius amounts of coke into the ocean. For this reason, it’s not entirely unusual to find huge water proof packages containing several kilos of cocaine floating in the water. The locals here bring it back to shore sell it back to the cartel for 20-30 thousand us dollars and then live however they like for a few years. It’s fascinating but also kind of depressing and definitely causes some problems, like alchoholism, in the local communities. By no means are these packets found daily, but Geoff tells us there’s been one every few days for the past week or two, and he suspects it’s because of that more military men are arriving. He also notes that even if one of us caught a white marlin, we’d be unlikely to be able to figure out who to sell it to.
Together we make our way back to the hostel and reluctantly pass up the opportunity to go to a release of baby turtles in town. It sounds cool but also very touristy and costs 30,000 COP just to watch. Looking back maybe I should have gone, but sometimes relaxation is an easier option and i suspect i may find more opportunities for this same thing in other places along this trip.
At any rate, we play cards late into the night, enjoy a final incredible dinner at the humpback and head to bed. I sleep in the hammock again and probably could have saved some money by choosing that option at first, instead I’ve paid a still quite reasonable 25,000 COP per night for a dorm bed.
The next morning I again wake up to the fresh air, Brownie beside me, and head down the beach and into the ocean right away, the energetic chocolate lab demanding some fetch as we race down the beach and into the ocean together. One final cleanse in the waterfall is followed by quickly packing up my day turned week pack and then we’re headed back down the beach to catch the lancha to our next location, Juruvita. We try to stop in at Rosa’s for the soup but sadly it’s not ready yet so instead we grab some delicious baked goods and I buy a bracelet and necklace to remember my time here. Then we’re boarding the Lancha and enduring another very rough ride to my final home on the pacific coast, Juruvita
