Seemed that 6 hour journey to escape the Caribbean heat was worth the effort. I’ve been in Cartagena for a week and have adjusted to the heat, but cool mountain air just seemed so enticing. I’ve heard about Minca from a few locals and some travelers, but didn’t think to much of it. Perhaps just another cozy little village, but I’ll give it a shot.
I arrived there via 2 buses and a 40 minute motorcycle taxi ride. By the way, leaving Cartagena on this early October 8th morning was madness, there was a protest going on over the bridge that takes you out of the Walled City, so I had to walk passed the protesters and find a buseta that would take me to the bus terminal. It’s was a hot and torturous walk amidst gridlocked traffic on the road.
I arrived to Minca on a motorbike (it’s a typical, informal transit method). Minca is 600m. (~2,000ft) elevated from the sea level and only 15km up in the mountains from Santa Marta (which is a beach town). It was a rainy afternoon in Minca and I posted myself on the heavy as a rock, small wooden bench at the cafe you see right when you enter the village. In Playa Blanca (near Cartagena) I met a guy who said this cafe is the heartbeat of the the village in Minca.
After spending some time sipping tinto and watching the rain, I met with Joe. He’s a local, but when he was young he lived in the US for a couple years. He was friendly and we chatted for a while. I learned about his business here – he guides birwatching tours, tubing, can arrange mountain biking trips and coffee tours. We talked about the growth in tourism and he was keen on how he can get a better online presence.
Karolis Karalevicius 