Pati’s Weekly Bite # 15- Recharged and Ready to Move On!
I stopped for a little bit to recharge. And I needed it.
It feels like the first part of my Colombian journey has come to an end, and as I stopped I had enough time to take the balance of the last couple of months.
The plan was to travel along the whole length of the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Visit all the best mainland beaches. Small towns, big towns and places you couldn’t really call towns at all. I made this plan for a couple of reasons.
Firstly I just love beach life and travelling along the coast sounded very exciting. Secondly, for my blog purposes, I wanted to become a ‘Colombian coast expert’ with few posts in mind and digital nomads guide to wrap it up with.
With that expertise, I’m hoping to take my Colombia posts and this section of my blog to the next level soon.
Yet, as I arrived at the furthest corner of Colombia, I felt a bit run down. Both physically and emotionally.
I felt like I don’t belong anywhere, my body was tired, and nutrition deprived, and I just could not settle my mind back to peace and happy bliss it was enjoying not that long ago.
So a bit doubtful, I asked myself a question, honestly – did I have enough? Is this not for me? Do I want to go back? And the honest answer to all three of those questions was – No. I didn’t have enough, I didn’t want to go back (I wouldn’t know where I need to go back to anyway, lol), and I simply don’t want this journey to end.
Therefore, confused and with conflicting feelings, I decided to stay put for a couple of weeks.
Thus I dropped the anchor in Santa Marta, and with one short weekend trip to Minca, I basically didn’t move much. I stayed in the same hostel for two weeks, made friends and even went out clubbing which was great fun!
I took care of what I eat, supplied my body with endless amounts of electrolytes and stuffed it with avocados and broccoli. Oh, and the most delicious watermelon too!
I met an old friend for lunch, bought a couple of new pieces of clothing, took some walks and started feeling like I really know Santa Marta. I started to feel very much at home.
And this is exactly what I needed.
If you travel indefinitely and don’t have a set end in mind, knowing that you are going nowhere and coming from nowhere can be a bit daunting and even give you some kind of anxiety.
This well-needed break made me realise that once in a while, I just need to settle for a little bit. Recharge my body, mind and soul. Make friends, go out and focus on work.
I made a short weekend trip to Minca, and it was the most peaceful, grounding and healing few days. This place is magical, and the hostel I stayed in was like a balm for my battered soul and heart.
As I am writing this, I still have four days left in Santa Marta, but more and more, I feel like I am ready to move on.
With only Cartagena and Rincon del Mar left from my Caribbean journey, I will move south towards Medellin and Coffee Region, which was advertised to me so often that I honestly cannot wait to get there. I will be very sad to leave the coast though.
It feels like the significant chapter of my trip has ended. Partially, because I have learnt a lot about myself. I feel as when I leave Santa Marta on Thursday, I will leave a different person.
And I have a feeling this kind of transformation is not the first one during this trip – there is many more to come, and I am very excited.