Isla Macuya

Venturing off the mainland into the San Bernadino Islands if for a few adventurous souls. The hour boat ride from Tolu feels like worlds aways from the Colombian mainland. You can throw your backpack on the boat if you are interested in sleeping out under the stars in a hammock or palapa on the ocean. Most people go on a day tour which takes you to the first island in which it is a tourist trap. At the entrance you must pay 12,000 pesos to enter the island. You do have the option to hang out and drink fresh beverages on the pier. I would suggest the later option, since everyone we talked with who went on the tour said it was not that exciting. However, I do believe you will see a few birds and animals.

Discovering a different type of people and way of living is the experience that everyone should get out of spending time on these islands. Many people have lived their entire lives on Santa Cruz the most populated island per square foot. I can not imagine how close people must live to each other. Certainly a strange community, yet one of honest individuals.

For my birthday, I decided to trust one of the Colombian workers to bring back a lobster to eat. He not only brought back a few lobsters but cooked them perfectly and the experience was incredible. I was so surprised and amazed that it brought back so much faith in the people. Many of the other tourists, in which I told the story, thought I was crazy to give him money in hopes that he might return with lobsters. It was a lesson in trust and a reminder that most people in this world want to do the right thing.

The night on the island was hot in the palapa, but I brought down my mattress pad in the middle of the night to watch an incredible shooting star spectacle. The island was a beautiful experience and one that I will certainly remember.