If you want to see action in Santa Marta, it certainly won't be on a Sunday unless you are a local and go to the beach, a Catholic and attend the masses at the local church or take a a stroll down Carrera five.
It is so quiet! I messed around this morning in the apartment because I had such a bad nights sleep as it was so hot, that I didn't get moving until 12.45. Elsa suggested that I buy a couple of simple children's books to get used to how the vocab and grammar fit together. The book shops and the office suppliers are mostly located in Plaza de Cathedral. So off I went and was just in time to see the shutters go down. I am thinking siesta as most shops close from 12 -2 but no, mañana señora , mañana. Cerrado ahora. Tomorrow Madame, closed now.
At least Lulos was open and I consoled myself with a strawberry and coconut smoothie, addicted! Also make good panini. Jugos naturales are a big thing here using whatever fruit they have or you want, it is blended with water ( or milk if you want) and ice and sometimes strained depending on how well the fruit is peeled or pipped, I love it. Usually mango but mixed with strawberry and coconut is fantastic.
The plazas and streets are deserted, only the street cleaners who are always around picking up the rubbish that the Colombianos chuck into the streets in Centro. I decide to have a stroll to see what is happening along the front promenade which is also called the Malecon ( but it has nothing on the Malecon in Havana) or most commonly called Carrera Uno.
Mi Casa. Calle 21 3/88 enter 3 y 4
The roads in Centro are divided into Carreras which run roughly north south and the calles that run east west and are smaller one lane affairs. Most of the streets are one way so the traffic runs very smoothly if somewhat erratically and fast at times! Calle 22 is more of an Avenida ( avenue and has 2 way traffic, it seems to be the boundary of Centro Historical). I live in calle 21 between Carrera 3 and 4. Actually a very good spot as only a few blocks walk to get anywhere. There are private vehicles on the roads but the traffic is dominated by the buses which sit around 15 people and the taxis which are quite small Suzuki type cars. I love the buses, they are usually jammed full, all trips cost 1200 pesos which is 50-60 cents and they stop anywhere, just call out or tell the driver when you get off. If you don't have the right money the change gets passed back to you by the passengers in the front. Men jump on and off trying to sell chocolates and sweets and the conductor , if there is one hangs off the door and helps the old ladies on and off. Happy they haven't offered to help me yet! I at times get involved in simple conversation and the ladies are very forgiving of my poor Spanish and talk despacio for me and correct me!I digress, back to the beach. I think every Santa Marta resident is there today. All the beach shelters are full, little umbrellas everywhere, not a piece of shade under the palms untaken. Kids are happily playing in the filthy, polluted black sand and families splashing and swimming in the murky water. To the right of this beautiful bay is a refinery and port and to the left is the marina which was built before a study was undertaken on the effects that it would have on the water movement and tides. Bit late now as they discovered that the water is stagnating and not clearing hence dirty black sand and algae in parts. Such a shame as history indicates that this was one of the most beautiful and safe beaches on this part of the coast.
Private enterprise has discovered that this bay is untouched in the hurricane season and have built the marina as a safe haven for all the craft in the region who wish to dock their boats safely during the storm season. At a price to everyone else of course.
Once again I digress! I decide to walk close on the inner path to see what everyone is doing and it is a riot of fun. Vendors are pushing carts up and down with different types of foods, drinks, ice creams, souvenirs, all for the locals. This spot is not set up for the tourists. The food is traditional and smelt pretty good. I don't recognize any of it except for the coconut rice which I did try yesterday and it is good. There is prawn ceviches which I would love to try as it is a typical food of the coast. I believe it is marinated in lime with herbs but I have only seen the signs and not the actual product. I want to try it badly but am scared to buy it from a street vendor. There was what looked like chorizo in a tomato salsa served with rice. I know it was tomato salsa as I heard them call out quires salsa tomatae?? You want tomato sauce with that???
Every street corner has a pharmacy on it and it seems every third shop is a shoe shop! The height of some of the heels would give you a nose bleed but I have succumbed to some rather gorgeous wedge espadrilles. When in Rome...........
The food in the supermarket is comparable if not sometimes more expensive than in Australia. I find this extraordinary as the wages are so much less. The shelves are well stocked and it is very busy. I usually buy my water there and have to stagger back with my 5l of water ( in a plastic bottle obviously) in my back pack. This morning I was completely out as it was so hot last night that I had drank all my supplies.
Last Saturday the new tenant of apartment 1 arrived. He is a Dutch man of around 30 and is a very keen cyclist. He is here to learn Spanish for 2 weeks and then is off on a cycling oddessy of South America. A nice guy and we had a hot date at the launderette last week! It was nice to have some company actually and he knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to join him for a drink so we talked about but not in!!! Spanish and about bikes and cycling. He has 2 x 2 hour Spanish lessons a day and like me his head is done in and just wants to go for a coffee and not think about it in between!
When Roland goes next week I am going into that apartment as it has a decent kitchen and more natural light.
As I said, school was washed out Monday, a holiday on Tuesday so finally got there on Wednesday. We went around and put up posters advertising the new classes for beginners, which was supposed to have been done the week before but this group is very disorganized as the director has gone away I have discovered for 1 month and left 2 young people who have been here for 3 weeks! I am not criticizing them as they are doing what they can but I don't think good enough really if something like this is to be successful.
There is only myself and Suzanne teaching at our venue and at our time. I have no idea where the others go and what they do but it is with kids! The school house is up a treacherous lane way and I live in fear of sliding down it. The school house is just really a brick room with absolutely minimal facilities. No teaching aids except a small white board and we only have 7 students. Suzanne has only been there a week and so between us we will do the best that we can. I get a bus there which takes around 30 minutes and the class is from 4 to 5.30 but nobody comes on time and then they don't want to go so I get back around 6.30 pm. Works out well with the Spanish lessons as they are 8 am to 10 am , then I do some domestic stuff , my homework if I can , have lunch, a little rest then off to school.
I have eaten in a lot this week, always breakfast here of fruit, yogurt and come cereal that I found similar to special K. Lunch usually a sandwich and I have become the Queen of the microwave cooking pasta with bottled sauce which is better than nothing. Sometimes I am just too tired to get showered, dressed and go out to eat. I normally shower and put on my PJs! Tonight I am eating with Roland as on our launderette date we found a chicken rotisserie and he is in charge of buying a chicken tonight while I arrange salad! Sounds good to me with a shandy or two!
Friday was another downpour as I was on my way to the bus but thought well I don't have anything else to do so may as well go to the school and can always just come straight back if no students or the roads impassable. ( longest I have waited for a bus is about 1 minute, they just keep coming, no timetable)! Suzanne didn't turn up and there hadnt been any rain in Barrio Fundadores so the students came. They all laugh because they say they get the rain first and because they are in the foothills it all runs away down to Centro. They dry out and the water just sits and floods the town as the drainage can't cope!
Anyway, I did have a short activity organized for the lesson but obviously had to teach the whole thing. I explained that my classes were all going to be in English only and even when I know the Spanish I would not use it. I explained they could stop me when they wanted, I would talk slowly and simply and use language similar to the Spanish words so they would understand. Well I thought they were all going to walk out of the door. The look of anxiety on their faces! I started, they responded and it went off very well and when I got out my activity of food word bingo, they were delighted! I taught the vocab, they practiced it and then we played and they wouldn't let me stop! It was such a lot of fun. After the class, one of the young men walked me to the bus stop, Oscar told me that all the class were scared but said they loved it and want to only learn in English as they got to practice the language more than usual. I was chuffed!!! After such a crap week thinking I was wasting my time here I finally felt that I had done something. I must say thought things need to improve for me to stick it out the 4 weeks. There is really no support or guidance so what I do may never get continued on.
School house. Barrio Fundadores Santa Marta
During the week I went to the Oficina Touristica which was as helpful as tits on a bull seeing it was in a run down building with no brochures and they only spoke Spanish. Not helpful for an independent traveller. Seems if you are in a hostal that you get much more assistance. Came out with absolutely no idea!Finally found a private tour group that between their inglese terrible y mi Espanol terrible I got myself booked on a tour to Tayrona National Park for the Saturday. The bus is to pick me up at 9.30 am, we go the park, visit several beaches, eat lunch at own expense and return. All for $40. Fine by me. As I'm leaving the office he tells me, by the way, there is a 3 kilometer walk involved but it is very prrrreeeety and no difficult! Liar, liar, pants on fire.
They turned up at 9.30, the bus was good with air conditioning and we set off. I didn't understand the first bit of instruction when we stopped at the park gate. I had a bottle of water and had been told food was available in the park. Everyone gets on the bus with arms full of food and drink. I think, shit! 8 hours and 1 bottle of water. We watch a DVD of the park and that was subtitled which was great. Park the bus and off we go. Me with back pack and 1 bottle of water. Everyone else looked like they were going to set up shop. We walk, and we walk, and we walk! I am happy to starve as they are all burdened with plastic bags or bottles of drink. We are climbing up rock paths, slipping down steep slopes, dodging horse poo and mud. The longest 3 k I have ever walked and to think, we also have to walk back! It is getting hot and we are all stripping off, fortunately all have bathers on under our clothes so an unbuttoned shirt is OK today!
We finally arrive at this gorgeous camping ground where they sell drinks and food. YES!!!! And I didn't have to carry it. BUT we can't swim here, over 100 extranjeros (us outsiders) have drowned at this beach, very dangerous. So we walk, and we walk and we walk along this beach with coarse sand that you sink into. OMG, my legs! Finally get to a little haven, swimming beach, beach restaurant where we can order our lunch, pick our fish ( always dubious about that one but I pick a snapper) and are told the next beach is better. It is called the Piscina. Another clamber over rocks and boulders and sandy slippery paths. When we arrive we are told that there is actually an even better beach not so far just follow the path. Why didn't I stop while the going was good. So I set off thinking so would everyone else but no, just a handful of us and I soon loose them as my knee is getting more painful by the minute. After 30 minutes I arrive, you know when you are heading somewhere for the first time and don't want to turn back because it may just be around the corner? That is what happened! The beach was gorgeous, there was a camping ground, dirt soccer pitch for the back packers, hammocks you can rent to sleep on for the night, tents for rent and a restaurant. Peeld off my sopping wet clothes and went into the water where I found myself up to my neck pretty quickly. Cooled off and then had a lot of trouble getting out because of the undertow and sand shelf. Must say I was a bit anxious. Didn't stay too long as I knew I would be slow returning but stopped at every beach for a dip. Had a very nice lunch of my fish, salad, coconut rice and plantain fritters. Had a paddle and told the guide I was going to head off back as I needed to walk slowly and I would meet them at the bus.
Anyway, back home at 6.30, exhausted, sore swollen knee but a good day all in!!!
So my first week is up. I am thinking that 4 weeks is a long time here and things will need to improve for me to stay for the duration. Planning to go to Cartagena next weekend and will probably make it a long one as I don't have the commitment of my own class now and I have been let down by the organization so will now do what I want. Have been recommended to visit Islas de Rosario's , a 2 hour ride off the coast, just up my alley I think!
Time to download some photos and post this LONG blog.
Hasta Luego mis amigos y familia.
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