A new personal record for the longest time spent camped in one spot! As regular readers can probably surmise by now, we found a mountain town (Minca) with enough good restaurants and coffee shops to keep things interesting, and a nearby water source in which to cool off (cue “These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things”). Following the busyness and heat of Panama City and Cartagena during the shipping process, we were more than ready to find a spot to chill and get reacquainted with life in a camper van. What really made our time in the area special, however, was sharing it with friends: our container buddies!
Despite being a four-hour drive from Cartagena, both camper couples had independently identified Minca as a potentially decent camping spot after receiving our cars from port due to its elevation; an absolute requirement this close to the equator. The town is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, the highest coastal range in the world. Despite promises of cooler weather, however, we almost didn’t make it. S & P left Cartagena a few days before us, but had a tough start to their Colombian adventures. On their way to Minca, they were pulled over by police officers who cited various infractions and only released them after an hour of hassle. Arriving in Minca, they found the town expensive for campers, with narrow streets limiting parking options to a few overpriced hostels. Plus, they informed us that it had a “little bit of a hippie, magic mushroom vibe,” with all of the good (coffee shops and restaurants) and bad (touristy and expensive) that came with it. Our initial experience was the same. We got pulled over by the same officers - who found different infractions and wanted a cash payment to proceed - and discovered we could barely navigate the streets in town in our big van. All of us were considering ditching the area entirely. But, as things often do on this trip, everything came together perfectly at just the right time. Our friends talked to some locals who offered to let the two cars park at a beautiful mirador overlooking the Caribbean; just far enough away from town that it wasn’t overwhelmingly busy, but close enough that we could walk in whenever we wanted groceries or to go out to eat. We arrived less than an hour later to greatly improved moods and an excitement to reunite with both each other and van life after a long week and a half in shipping limbo.
Our days quickly developed a routine. S & P registered for a Spanish school that they attended for several hours every day. Vrinda had an online lecture to deliver at the end of the week, so she took advantage of the more stationary lifestyle to work on her slides and delivery, slightly nervous after being out of practice for a year. And, with a deadline coming up, I likewise spent several hours a day writing and revising a scientific paper that was a long time in the making. When the sun reached its peak and the heat finally got to us, we would retire our laptops and walk a few minutes down the road to a beautiful and secluded river where we could relax, cool off, and play fetch with Arya in the water. We returned to spectacular sunsets and pleasantly cool air descending from the mountain as the stars began to pop into existence. Life’s pretty simple sometimes.
In addition to our work, we had plenty of time for fun as well. We visited plenty of restaurants and cafes in town, and did a fair amount of window shopping to boot. We went for several hikes in the area, with the highlight being a three-mile loop that ended at a picturesque waterfall and swimming pool; we were grateful that we left early enough to be the first ones there and ready to leave by the time the crowds started to roll in. One morning we all piled into the Swiss van and drove down to the much larger city of Santa Marta, where we filled our grocery bags to the brim with fresh fruits and veggies. For Vrinda’s birthday, she and I took a salsa and merengue class where we felt wildly uncoordinated but also had a lot of fun!
By far the highlight of our stay, though, was sharing it with friends. After more than seven months on the road with (usually) just the two of us, it was wonderful to have a shared campsite where we could come home at the end of the day and feel at home with someone - other than each other - to share our days with. Sometimes we would cook meals for each other (a real treat!), others we would troubleshoot problems that arise during van life. Vrinda borrowed their razor, and S showed her how to cut my hair (not a bad job for the first time, but you never want to hear your barber announce “I’m bored now” halfway through the cut…). Our friends found a finca selling local honey and jam and shared it with us; of course we all returned later in the week to get some more! We often ventured into town together and took equal pleasure in the wonderful coffee shops and the interesting people-watching that comes with the territory. And we commiserated about the bugs, just about the only negative thing we could say about the place. On our last evening, we took in another gorgeous sunset and then built a bonfire under the stars, cherishing each other’s company for one more night before it was time to say goodbye. Until next time!
