Sunset on the Rocks
The most famous beach in all of Colombia is Playa Blanca on Isla de Barú just 26km outside of Cartagena. Although it is a close drive the trip takes about an hour with traffic in a taxi. There are also many buses and collectivos that one can take but though these cost a bit less they take longer. Once you arrive to the parking area (a large dirt lot) you will see all kinds of action; men carting Coca-Cola and beer in wheelbarrows down to the many homemade shops that are set up along the beach, taxi cabs waiting for their next passenger, and locals standing at the ready to cart your bag to the beach.
I spent the weekend on this amazingly beautiful beach living in a cabana about 30 yards from the shore, every morning waking to the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks, in the evening falling asleep to the sound of 90’s American pop music or Salsa. Many people crowd the beach during the day and enjoy the shore, sipping on handmade Piña Coladas served inside a hollowed out pineapple! But the evening is when the beach comes alive; a few mom & pop restaurants serve fresh snapper and a variety of other dishes, people dance on the sand dance floor while the hum of the generators sing in the background. When Monday morning arrived and it was time to head back to Cartagena I felt I could live forever in my $12/night paradise!