David had a bit of hangover after the football yesterday but we decided to go to Tayrona regardless. Tayrona is a national park on the Caribbean coastline which is reputed to be Colombia's most beautiful park.

Instead of taking an expensive tour bus, we opted to take a public bus for a fraction of the cost. As we waited at the stop closest to our hostel, the first two buses passed without stopping - they were both full. We then thought it might be best to walk down to the market where bus starts it's journey. On the way there, we noticed that the 'green man' on the pedestrian crossing was unusual. We had to watch a second time and we burst out laughing when we realised the difference. Instead of a 'walking' green man, it is actually sprinting. Very apt given that Colombian drivers don't care much of people on foot or red lights.

The market area was pretty grubby and really not nice to walk through but it took us to where the bus departed. A bus left just as we arrived but another empty one quickly pulled up in it's place. Within minutes it was full too and fortunately we had our seats.

It took about an hour to drive to El Zaino, the stop on the main route for the entrance to Tayrona Park. El Zaino itself just seems to be a collection of shops and eateries lining both sides of the road and it was hard to tell where the park entrance actually was. We eventually found it and to our dismay there was a queue a mile long for tickets. We knew that Santa Marta locals went to park on weekends and even Colombians would holiday here but it was ridiculous. It took 30 minutes to buy (a very expensive) ticket into the park.

Tayrona is park that requires effort from everyone that enters it, the only reprieve being able to take a minivan for the first 5km to the start of the proper walking track - we took that option. It took a further hour on foot through some nice bush, with huge boulders and rock formations, to reach the coast. Tayrona is best known for the large boulders on the beach, which were once worshipped by indigenous people. The first beach we came to, despite wanting to cool off in sea, was dangerous to swim in - big signs advised the drowning count. A quick look at the water confirmed we could add to the statistics so we continued walking towards Arrecifes.

Arrecifes was another 15 minute walk through the jungle. There were no monkeys as suggested on the signs, only an abundance of little lizards. Arrecifes was overrated, the main campsite called El Paraiso (Paradise) was anything but. Tents were pitched in the open with the sun beating down on them and general camping facilities, like toilets and showers, looked dire. The beach at Arrecifes was just as dangerous as the beach we were at earlier.

A further fifteen minute walk took us to a small bay called La Piscina. It was very picturesque and safe enough for a quick dip. Given the delay on the bus and the long walk, a quick dip was what we only had time for before we started the trek in reverse.

Back on the main road at El Zaino, a couple of buses passed without stopping, they were full. We started to wonder what would happen if all the buses including the last one of the day were full. Fortunately, the next bus to come had a coupe of seats free and we were on our way back to Santa Marta.

We found a fast food place just a block away from where we were staying. It was time to taste what the locals preferred - hot dogs and salchipapas. It was an interesting setup, they had a shop with a couple of tables and fridge for drinks but the cooking station was out front with some roadside tables and chairs. The cooking station looked like something you might see at an outdoor fair in NZ or Europe but this was fully equipped with griddle, charcoal grill and even a deep fat fryer. The hot dogs and salchipapas were both surprisingly good and very cheap.