Colombia: Capurgana

Travel: WOW! We thought the journey was over after we had departed the Darien Gapster but it had only just begun.

We took 2 small boats to Capurgana through some pretty large waves. Until one gets to Turbo there are no roads in or out of any of these towns so boats are the only mode of transportation. During this season there are usually high winds and in return large waves. Yet the scenery is awesome because the jungle butts up right against the ocean, and for the most part the boat is more exhilarating then scary.
The roads in Capurgana are made of cobble stone and there are no cars. Everyone walks or rides horses or mules.
I would love to love this town, but as much as the place is incredibly charming it seems to have an dark side which our group experienced.

First, I'll give you the good. Kate and I were walking through the streets with nothing particular on our mind when we ran into a house with recycled cans on the outside creating pictures of butterflies, birds, and trains. This woman and her husband have been recycling goods into art for over 30 years. She allows free tours of her house. Her pathways were old television screens, her tables were made of drink crates as well as her kitchen, and they even have the Guinness book of world record pop can top chain link.


This place was really nice to stumble upon because only moments earlier we had been discussing the trash issue many of these small coastal towns have and wondering what could be done with it before these towns become a dump.














Later that day at the hostel we worked on our Spanish by talking to some police kids (so we call them since none of them are over the age of 20).

In the evening we had the unfortunate event of being burglarized. Our hostel did not have good security, and by that I mean none at all. No lockers, no window locks, and the owners had decided to leave for the night to go camping. While we were sitting around chatting someone snuck through the window and took off with iphones, cameras, and money. Luckily, they left passports but it became a new challenge for my friends to talk to the police and do line ups of the possible suspects.