Arriving in Minca

Saturday, March 09, 2019
Minca, Magdalena, Colombia
On Saturday the 9th I took a flight from Medellin to Santa Marta (SM) and by coincidence was on the same flight as Thijs, a dutch guy I met in Salento. Nice to have some company during the wait at the airport. 
The flight to SM was just over an hour but the difference in climate is amazing. SM is a city on the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia and is the closest city to Minca. 
Edwin, Mision Gaia's trusted taxi driver, picked me up from the airport and we drove to meet Diana (owner of Mision Gaia) who was taking the opportunity to shop for essentials whilst in the city. She encouraged me to do the same and reminded me that there is no cash point in Minca. I was in a bit of daze and distracted by the sweltering heat so did not heed her word about the cash. Although, I did make sure I bought some oats and granola, the essentials! 
After the shopping, we made our way slowly up the mountain into the heart of the Sierra Nevada to the small village of Minca which is at an elevation of 650m. Minca is famous for organic coffee and birdwatching. More than 300 species of birds can be found in the surrounding area. 
As we drove up the winding road, with the trees getting more and more dense and the dust blowing up onto the dash board I started to get more of an idea of how rural Minca might be. Although, it is in the middle of nowhere it is a touristy place and becoming more popular every year. There are quite a few bars and small shops but the lifestyle is very basic. I have met lots of Americans, Germans, Swiss and other people that have moved here to set up small, local businesses to be able to live a more simple, natural life in Minca.  
The apartment I am living in is above Diana's house and has two bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen/living area. The apartment is for volunteers and currently I am sharing it with Annett, a lovely German lady, who has spent 6 weeks here in Minca but sadly is leaving on Saturday. 
The accommodation is basic, with no wifi and limited phone signal, no oven and without proper temperature control. Probably the most different thing is the lack of hot water, the main reason I cut all my hair off before coming here! However, I can't imagine I would even want warm water after these hot days, the cold water is very refreshing. 
One of my favourite things about Colombia so far is the wide variety of fresh fruits! I love making star fruit (we have a tree full of them just outside the house) and banana smoothies after work. The passion fruit and pineapples are also so delicious. 
Running through the centre of the village is a small river, which is low at the moment because of the lack of rain. I have been promised rainy season is coming, which maybe I will regret looking forward to when it arrives. I have to cross the river using the hanging bridge every morning on the 10 minute commute to work. At the weekend the river is the local hangout place and there are many people enjoying the water. 
My first week was not as easy as I might have imagined. It took me a few days to get over the initial shock of being in such a remote, hot, mosquito filled environment and adjusting to speaking in Spanish 99% of the time. I am still adjusting but feel better than I did in my first few days. 
The charity I am working for is called Mision Gaia and is a small organisation that works with Minca's community carrying out environmental awareness, sustainable tourism development and animal protection programmes. To support these projects they have a small shop where they sell local, organic and handmade projects as well as having a Spanish school. 
My job was supposed to be helping with the development of  sustainable tourism projects but seems to be more focused on the accounting and admin of the shop and the marketing of the Mision Gaia brand. I'm not sure how much I will enjoy these tasks but I am going to give it a go and make the most of working in Spanish and for an organisation that is at the heart of this small community. Hopefully over the next 4 months I will get the opportunity to get involved in a wider variety of projects. 
I had a day off on Thursday and took the opportunity to walk to a local coffee farm, La Victoria,  a very very hot walk. Finally I arrived, looking a lot less presentable than most people there who had come by moto-taxis or in cars. I was covered in dust from the track and very hot but the views of the mountains I had taken in during the walk were incredible. The coffee farm was interesting and I went on a tour of the factory, however I didn't enjoy as much as the tour in Salento which felt more familiar and we were shown more of the actual coffee plantation. 
On the way back I was given a lift by the Barnsley Family, an English family, travelling the world in their converted jeep for 24 months. They had some amazing stories and I thought their children, 8 and 10, must be some of the most well-travelled and luckiest children on this planet. 
Sunday was my other day off and I had to go into Santa Marta to get some cash and groceries. I took the bus which was easy and I was impressed by the driver who drove very slowly (almost too slowly but I'm not going to complain!), taking care at every bend in the road and made us wear our seatbelts (unheard of in South America). He even gave way to an iguana who decided to sit in the middle of the road and then slowly move out of our way. 
Santa Marta is a typical Latin American city with a special Caribbean twist, bustling, colourful, dusty and full of life. I couldn't really appreciate it as much as I would have done if the temperature was 10 degrees cooler! I visited Rodadero, the city's beach,  which was way too busy but I enjoyed people watching and being by the Caribbean sea for the first time in my life. I didn't bother getting in as there was barely any space in the water, figured I'd find a calmer, quieter beach another time. 
In the mornings here, before work, I am trying to go to yoga lessons at least 4 times a week. The classes are at 7am so I have to force myself out of bed but they are worth it. The take place outside on a veranda which has a beautiful view of the mountains and they are a great way to start the day, and I get to appreciate the blissful coolness of the mornings. 
That's about it for now, I have many more observations and thoughts about this place but I'll leave those for the next blog. Hasta la próxima desde Minca! 
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Comments

Carynm
2019-03-20

A very interesting and informative update. Good to see pictures of where you are living and your “commute” to work. The bridge over the river looks quite precarious-can understand why you need to carefully consider walking back in the dark! It’s a shame that so far the work at Mision Gaia isn’t quite as expected. It look such a different lifestyle there compared to Santiago. Hopefully you’ll get used to it soon and they’ll see what you are able to offer them. Fingers crossed you’ll have some rain soon. Must be strange being in the roofless church in the rainy season! Xxx

Daf
2019-03-22

Such far away adventures, a different world from what we know, seems so simple, but I guess it still has different worries! The Barnsley's sound different, but remember you're still there at the same time they are, experiencing and really appreciating this new adventure with your combined experience, and who will remember and appreciate it most in say 20 years time?, so "luckiest" I question. Careful on the commute across bridge (especially in rainy season!). Love ya! XX

2025-02-08

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