The Dreamer Hostel, in Palamino
Out with Friends
An international crew about to head out into the Taganga nightlife scene
Rain Rain Go Away
A picture from a bus ride in a storm. This is what happens without storm drains.
Rocky Pier
Where Cartagena meets the Caribbean
Selfie
Sitting at the coffee shop
The Hostel Pets
"That bird is staring at me again, isn't he?"
Early Business
Fruit sellers in Cartagena
The Clock Tower
El Torre Del Reloj, the entrance to the old, walled section of the city of Cartagena.
Blue Sky
The view from the hostel skylight
Lady and the Tramp
A Colombian chica from Bogota out for a ride in Cocora
Walking out of the Valley
The beautiful valley of Cocora
The Palms Trees of Cocora
Given the fact that Cocora Valley is both high up (about 2300m) and hundreds of miles from the ocean, the existence of these famous wax palms doesn't make a lot of scientific sense. Nowhere else in the world do palm trees grow at such a high altitude, to say nothing of their incredible, largely unnecessary, height. The best explanation I've received is that this area, long long ago, used to be a sea-level jungle. Over millions of years the mountains and hill raised and much of that sea-level jungle vegetation was replaced by competing fauna. However, these durable palm trees survived and are still evolutionary predisposed to 'thinking' they need to compete for sunlight in a jungle environment, i.e. grow very tall. That kind of height is no longer required for survival, obviously, but it does result in a surreal landscape. You'll be walking along an empty field only to encounter a lone, 180 foot tall palm tree, surrounded by nothing but grass for hundreds of yards in any direction - quite a sight!
Backpacker Wall
A common sight in the traveling life, the names and thoughts of those who came before...
Cafe
Traditional coffee preperation
Local Tunes
Jammin' in front of the church
Let's Go
Waiting on some slow friends