Boca Chiquita

Time for our first Colombian tour...a bit of a shambles but a great day (50,000P).

We got to the port for 9am, stood in the melting sun a while until our names were called and were then crammed into a boat - I'm very glad to have short legs...nobody much taller had room for their knees. We sat sweltering and breathing in petrol fumes for a while before we set off and the welcome breeze made it all better.

We motored around some of the 27 Rosario Islands, which are all fairly small, some barely bigger than the one house which is built on it!

There was a choice between snorkelling and an oceanarium with a dolphin show. We opted for snorkelling but were told it was 35,000P extra and it didn't look that great. Despite Anna having her own snorkelling gear they wouldn't let us stay on the island without paying and took us to the oceanarium where we went in the water to cool off but there wasn't much else to do but wait. I was aware of this but Anna didn't and an American girl obviously didn't either and had a good argument with the driver.

Then we went to Playa Blanca - the picture perfect white sand and turquoise sea - where we had our included lunch of a fish, coconut rice, fried plantain and salad. I swapped my fish for Anna's rice and half her plantain. Our American 'friend', Vanessa, was furious that they'd run out of chicken as she didn't eat seafood and kicked up a huge fuss, culminating in someone having to cook extra chicken just for her.

We meanwhile sneaked off and got a couple of chairs with shade for 15,000P and leapt into the beautiful, crystal clear, warm sea. Anna had beer, I had a coconut and all was well with the world...until Vanessa invited herself into our shade and started whining how she didn't like the beach either! True, there were a lot of hawkers but most were nice and fun to chat to. How can someone be so whiney in such paradise?!

We played in the sea some more, lay on the beach and Anna went on a 2 min donut ride for £1. Just as our boat was pulling up to take us home, Vanessa decided then was a good time to hop on a jet-ski...and told us to guard her stuff! She got back just in time before the boat pulled out - I wouldn't have waited if she hadn't! After what must have been her sixth beer she seemed happy for the first time all day on the bumpy ride home. She gave us her Facebook but I don't think I'll be staying in touch. Strangely she has travelled lots and has been living in Ecuador for a few months so she should be a bit more used to local ways.

We had dinner at Kokoa, a Japanese / Thai restaurant in Getsemani. We both had Kung Pao noodles and ginger ale and it was delicious (39,000)! So nice to have some spice in our food! And hopefully the chillies and ginger might cure my cold - yes another one, it seems I am not destined to feel well on this trip :( Best part about the meal was that the bill was served in a treasure chest!Read more