Unemployed & Unimpeded: casa Elemento

After several days in Santa Marta, it was time to explore the largest coastal mountain range in the world, the Sierra Nevada De Santa Marta. We took a jeep from Santa Marta with two other travelers and traversed the winding mountain road for an hour until we arrived in the small village of Minca. Good thing I didn't forget my dramamine! We were greeted almost immediately by dirt bikers begging to take us the final 40 minutes up the mountain. We began negotiating prices and quickly realized that they would not budge, and we knew our alternative was to hike two hours uphill. Since nightfall was close, we paid our drivers and set out on our way. Phill's reluctance to hold his driver around the waist meant that he had to bear the weight of his pack while trying to balance on the back of the bike. Perched at the crest of the mountain range on a coffee farm lies the small hostel, Casa Elemento. We set our bags down and couldn't believe the breathtaking views. Soon after, the entire hostel sat down for the nightly "family dinner." We spent the next two days reading, hiking, drinking the local coffee, and enjoying the campfire in the cool evenings. It was nice to get a break from technology since the hostel had a strict no WiFi policy. When it was time to leave, we opted to hike down to Minca instead of taking the motortaxis. Since it was all downhill, how bad could it be? Let's just say after two and a half hours of hiking with the packs, my body wasn't too happy with me for the next few days. Despite the post-Minca pain, it was nice to break away from the city and enjoy what the mountain had to offer.