Santa Marta, Columbia

The World Cruising Club had organised a half day trip to Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino (death place of Simon Bolivar) and the Museo del Oro Talirona (gold museum). Our knowledgeable guide was passionate about the country and its culture and, through her, we learned so much about the area, the traditions of the indigenous tribes and of course, Simon Bolivar, ‘el libertador’ of many south American nations.

Our second trip took us inland to the small town of Minca. Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, it was a perfect place to discover the flora and fauna of Columbia. Here we had a guided walk through the rainforest, a visit to a small family run coffee plantation, a local lunch and an hour or so at Jungle Joes for an informative talk on native species and chocolate making and tasting. It was a long day and, by the end of it, our feet were aching and our heads were bursting with information, but the sights that we saw made it so worth it.

Our final trip was out to visit Fundehumac Step by Step Program. This is a local community project supported by the WCC.  Through art and studies, the project aims to release children, women and men from different kinds of abuse and help them to gain back their self-esteem. In the last 10 years, the project has worked with over 800 children and educated 61 professionals. Many of the adults return to their communities as teachers or lawyers to pay back the support that they have received. We were welcomed by a sea of smiling faces. The children (aged 1 to 18) enthusatically shared with us their traditional dancing and helped us to create a memory of our visit with a painting.

Sadly, before we knew it, our short visit had come to an end. We were disappointed not to have been able to stay longer in Columbia and explore further afield, but Santa Marta and its people left its mark on us and it is definitely on our list of places to return to.