Vamos al Pacifico 🌊💃🕺🌴

25/3/23

Having said goodbye to both Luna and Miss Aisling in the last week, I was off on a new adventure to the Pacific coast, with Treasa, a cool Irish woman and a load of other dancers. Another two girls, Fleur and Giorgia were meant to go along side Aisling, but sadly there were roadblocks due to protests and so the trip was postponed by a day and so they dropped out for safety reasons and Aisling because of travel timings. I had considered if I should also drop out because now I would only know Treasa, a truly sociable being, friends with everyone and so I had to put myself out there! Eventually, I decided, I had wanted to do the trip for the salsa and beach combo and I would have to just brave it, because nothing ventured, nothing gained, y’know?!

After a Friday street party followed by a quick salsa in MalaMana, I showered and slept for a total of two hours before getting up and heading to the meeting point with Treasa. Luckily the meeting point was approximately 50 metres from our hostel, and at my favourite local bakery. We met many people, some of which had come straight from last night’s party and got a coach to the coast. When we got on the bus, there were more people than seats, so some people went in a separate car and the organisers just sat on the floor! There was loud music and people trying to chat, and quickly sleep. We ran into roadblocks after a bit, but they cleared soon enough and we were on our way again. We arrived in Buenaventura and then took a speed boat to another part of the coast, La Barra beach. The ride was pretty relaxing and I sat next to a Swiss guy. We chatted and we arrived half an hour or so later in a bay that looked bizarrely like Carmarthenshire!! Home from home!

We checked in and I ended up sharing with a chill gal named Laura from Australia. It was lunchtime straightaway and the we chilled, swam, and played volleyball (some) and football (me) on the beach. The boys were surprisingly impressed with my football skills. I tackled many guys and managed to head, chest and knee the ball, surprising no?! I got footballers respect, which I liked! 🤣🤣 After football, we chilled some more before sunset on the beach before a bucket shower and dinner. The showers were very primative and washing the hair seemed like a massive faff, but lucky I had had bucket shower practice in Thailand and Nigeria! After dinner, I took a nap and woke up at 22.30 when the party was just getting started. We salsa’ed and bachata’ed the night through and I eventually went to bed at 02ish. Apparently some people stayed up dancing until 06.00! Wild!

26/3/23

The next day was more of the same. We had an arepa breakfast followed by beach time with swimming and cards and then lunch. Lunch was soup, followed by fish with rice and patacones (plantain). After lunch, we chilled with tunes on the beach and we swam a few times. We chilled more on the beach and I saw Marcella, another Cali friend in the afternoon and we chilled a on the beach and in the sea. We watched sunset together from the ocean and then I went to shower before dinner. Dinner was simple and afterwards, we played cards some more and then Andrew, a Canadian guy rounded up willing victims to assist in making a bonfire on the beach. Of course, I offered and off we went, Andrew, Treasa, Gregory and I, picking up a few Pacifico hombres en route! Gregory got the fire going in no time and then the music and dancing started. More Pacifico hombres came and at some point, we moved back to the hostel and danced there, with the Pacifico boys in tow. The Pacific boys were not salseros, but one tried to tempt Treasa to the showers (cold, bucket showers).. She declined his advances and the party continued without drama.

27/3/23

Today was the last day at the beach. We had a breakfast of eggs and arepas and then I headed to the beach with Laura, where some others had already gathered. We swam, chilled, chatted and swam some more. I went back to the hostel to shower ready for leaving at 13.30 sharp. Of course, nothing happens ‘sharp’ here and people were still wandering up the beach at 13.30. By 14.30, the hostel owner rounded us up and told us that if we didn’t leave soon, we’d miss the boat back to Buenaventura. We left pretty quickly after this, first walking up a steep muddy hill, then getting in and out of an overly loaded tuktuk attempting to off-road, before we arrived at the harbour. I got lunch (the fear if being hungry and without food is always real for me), so I ordered fresh fish with rice and plantains, which was glorious. I also bought some cute earrings and then we headed back on the boat.

The boat ride was particularly bouncy, considerably more bouncy than the way out. To make the journey more comfortable, it was best to try to ride each wave smoothly using your legs to rise and fall, as supposed to bunping around in your seat! After forty minutes or so, we were back in Buenaventura where the bus was going to meet us. The bus back was uneventful. I napped, we stopped for a snack and coffee break and made it back to the Cali bakery in time to grab my favourite torta de vino (a cake with fortified wine in it with a layer of squishy white icing round the edge, somewhat reminiscent of Christmas cake), before heading back to La Vaina, showering and heading for La Topa, Monday’s salsa night of choice!

La Topa was the same as usual but minus nearly all of the Pacific coast crew! Only Treasa and I made it out, but of course, Fleur, Giorgia and Alex, who hadn’t gone on the trip were there too!