After the La Guajira tour, we were deposited in the laid-back beach town of Palomino. It was bursting at the seams with Argentinians and Colombians visiting for an annual music festival, and I was lucky to find a bed after two hours of searching. The highlight of a couple days there was floating down a lazy river in an inner tube. I drifted from a monkey filled jungle to the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, a tropical twist on a favorite pastime from the hottest days of an Oregon summer.

Next was Santa Marta, a transportation hub I expected to give no more than 24 hours. By all accounts, there is nothing to do or see there, which turned out to be exactly what I needed. I found a great hostel with a rooftop pool and bar, and spent three days barely leaving the terrace. As usual, good food, great people, and one fun night of drinking and dancing was more than enough to keep me happy. I was tempted to stretch the nothingness a bit longer, but the mountains were calling.