Wednesday, October 17th

Last day at Daydreamer Palomino and headed to Merecumbe Tayrona Hostel and Beach Club at night

Dear Obiwan,

OBI. You know how I hate spiders? Almost irrationally?! And one of the many reasons I love you is how you murder all the spiders when we’re together.

Well, today I had a nightmare come to reality.

So today was my last day in Palomino. The big tourist attraction here is to go tubing down the river. You’re supposed to get a lot of beer and a big group and float down a river. Honestly, this did not appeal to me. But Magella and Drew and Dutch guy they met were going so last minute I thought, “why not?”

On the way there I had my first female motor bike driver and it was so kick ass. She was the boss and started behind the 3 other motor bikes and quickly passed all of them.

At the end of the bike ride you have to HIKE with your ginmormous tubes up a steep climb and yet again, I took the advice of someone who did it and said “oh it’s a an easy climb, you can do it in flip flops!” And what I am learning is don’t believe anyone ever, everyone underestimates!!!

Welp, I wore my only flip flops, which are shower shoes, so that had a bunch of medium sized holes for water to easily fall through. It’s great for when you’re in the shower, but awful for hiking in the wet kinda jungle. I kept slipping, and quickly was way behind everyone else. I also couldn’t even see my feet due to the tube. It was very frustrating. Eventually the boss lady, who was shorter than me took my tube, so now she was carrying BOTH her tube and mine, I still don’t understand how she did this. This made it so much easier, now I wasn’t super off balanced and could see my feet!

Finally we reach the river, the boys immediately said they’d rather be alone then be tied together (typical) and Magella and I we’re so down to be tired together! Just to say, it seemed very ‘typical man’ to choose to be alone but I know if it were my guy friends from home or even some of the great guys I met on this trip they would be down to be tied together! Sorry, I didn’t want to just generalize about all men.

Any who. May I just say how much I love Magella. She is one of those incredibly warm people that make you feel at home and like you’re with an old friend. She also likes to be silly and is witty and we both just have such a great time together!

So we rode the river and also we were WINNERS because the woman who was with us tied her tube to us! And she just kick and steered and we legit just laid back and relaxed and got to appreciate all that was around us. (The boys had to paddle and kick and fight for themselves when they got stuck in the sides).

Obi the river was beautiful! The three of us had so much fun together, I didn’t get any photos due to me knowing I would drop my phone forever in the river.

So due to it being the rainy season, the current was stronger than usual and there were also some random whirpools that you could potentially get caught in! We almost got caught in an whirlpool but she paddled us out. Someone actually told me one of their friends almost was pulled underwater by one of these whirlpools last week!

A few times we hit the sides of the river, it was never hard or painful, you would just get some tree branches or bushes brushing against you…

Well Obiwan, one of the times I was the one closest to the side when we realllly got into some branches. The branches were green and soft but it was at least a solid 7 seconds (count slowly, that’s long) under them. I made it out, all was well.

Until…I looked down thinking I felt a branch tickling my thighs. And it was A BUNCH OF BRIGHT BLUE AND GREEN HUGE SPIDERS RUNNING ALL OVER ME and onto the tube or drowning in the water!!! I screamed and just flailed around like a lunatic. I didn’t wanna fall into the water and somehow I didn’t! But Jesus Obi, it was TERRIFYING. also my scream was really high pitched? Why did that happen? Ha, I’m laughing at myself and getting the feeling of spiders all over me right now as I write you!

But, I survived the spider attack. Sadly the spiders all drowned. After this I said my goodbyes and headed to Merecumbe Tayrona Hostel and Beach Club. I just found it on Hostel World. It looked like a private resort but with hostel prices!

Took a motor bike there and it was a beautiful and fun ride. Then I took a shower in this HUGE beautiful shower that had a monsoon shower head and was attached to the dorm but was outside so you look up at the stars as you shower! I then went to bed around 830 due to extreme exhaustion.

Look at the view from the motorbike!:

Till tomorrow Obiwan, please kill some more spiders than usual for me!

Love your Mama cat,

Carly