Minca, Colombia – June 27th – 29th, 2017

After several impatient hours squashed in an SUV, we made it to Santa Marta, where we grabbed some cash from an ATM before hailing several different taxis, attempting to get a decent price for the 30-minute ride to Minca. At this point, we were all exhausted and my patience with scheming scamming taxis was even lower than usual (which is seriously saying something). After several failed attempts with drivers charging over double the fair rate, we finally got a taxi and were dropped off in front of the moto-taxi station in Minca, a mountain town known for coffee and chocolate production and R&R – exactly what the Dr. ordered.

Unfortunately, the chocolate/coffee plantation B&B we had booked was several miles away leaving us the choice of hiking another hour and a half (not an option after finishing the Lost City trek that morning) or hiring exorbitantly priced moto-taxis. After failed negotiations with the drivers, we hired a motorcycle each and piled on with all of our bags. The 20-minute drive was TERRIFYING! Little did we know, that the “exorbitant” price was justified since the road (also known as a death defying trail) up to the plantation was steep, deeply rutted, and treacherous. In transit, riddled with fear and chatting with my driver, I said, “My poor mom, she’s going to kill me.” To which he replied, “I’m sorry.” The road was so steep, that at times, my motorbike was not capable of hauling the driver, me, and all of my crap up the mountain. At these moments, the only option was for me to bail from the back of the bike with my backpacks, jump over the deep rut while avoiding the cliff, and walk until the trail leveled enough to get started again. Did I mention it was terrifying?! When we finally arrived, Andy and my Mom were waiting. To my astonishment, Mom had the biggest grin on her face. She LOVED IT! Meanwhile, Andy and I were still attempting to refrain from shitting in our pants.

After regaining my composure, we hiked the last 15 minutes up to the plantation just as the sun was setting over the distant ocean. It was stunning! The plantation was also incredible! We were the only ones there, it was clean, the family was local and extremely friendly, and the outdoor toilets / showers looked out over vast green mountains to Santa Marta and the coast. The only downside was the cold showers and persistence of bugs which continued to attack our already battered bodies. Also, although wifi was available, we were not granted access to the password and instead were asked to use the owners extraordinarily slow laptop to make travel plans. This situation was easily (yet not morally) remedied by looking up the wifi password on the owners extraordinarily slow computer.   

The view from the plantation in Minca.

Over the next two days we soaked in the peaceful ambiance and recovered from the Lost City trek. We also partook in a chocolate tour, where the owner explained the process to produce chocolate. From growing the plants to picking the chocolate, extracting the nibs, roasting, and creating delectable Colombian chocolatey goodness, we learned the process and enjoyed sampling the products made by the family. At the end of the tour the owner gave each of us a chocolate facial, which was splendid until the bees discovered our tasty faces and we were forced to wash it off or risk being stung in the face.

Chilaxin' at La Candalaria B&B in Minca. The upper-right photo was taken in the shower - quite the bathroom view!

Chocolate tour. There's a bee on Andy's face in the bottom-right photo. 

We were hesitant to leave our plantation sanctuary, but nevertheless after 2-days of bliss, we forced ourselves to walk down the treacherous death defying trail (notice how we avoided the moto-taxis this time…much to Mom’s disappointment) into the town of Minca. We wandered around the cute little town for a few hours, indulged in a local bakery and tried to find a masseuse willing to rub out our sore muscles. Eventually, we gave up on the massage idea and made our way back to Santa Marta via a colectivo which dropped us off in the wrong location (which to be fair, we originally thought was the right location) to catch a bus to Riohacha.    

More from Minca including the 50+ bug bites on Mom's leg.