Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [227]
After that they decided it was time to leave. They stripped the hotel of everything – scuba-dive compressor, even the sinks in the bathroom, and left only the shell of the building, which has since collapsed and now sits, decomposing, between the jungle and the sea.
The region is safe now, but no building remains, and they are left with only the land and memories.
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Eating
All the hotels listed here have restaurants and all include (or offer) a three-meal plan. If you’re after a cheap, local meal, head down to the no-name shacks on the beach, where you can get fried fish and patacones (fried plantains) for COP$4000.
Cabalonga Restaurant ( 682 7103, 312 302 0109; mains COP$10,000-14,000; 8:30am-10pm) One of the few proper restaurants in town, this Venezuelan-owned establishment adjoins a fine tropical garden. On weekends it turns into a bar and may sometimes stay open till midnight.
Jimy’s Pizzería ( 682 7712; pizzas COP$13,000-38,000) Down by the water with a view of the wharf, this place does pizza by the slice (COP$5000), plus hamburgers and grilled meat too. Beers are cheap.
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Drinking
One block from the waterfront is Discoteca Bartolo ( 314 438 4815), where locals come to party on the weekend. One kilometer south of town at the wharf sits a no-name bar. It used to be the tourist information center before tourism bottomed out in the early 2000s. On weekends you can hear the reggaetón all the way from town.
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Shopping
You’ll find a good variety of locally made artesanías (handicrafts) at rock-bottom prices, some made by the local indigenous peoples. Worth a look are the carvings of tagua, a hard resin sometimes called ‘vegetable ivory.’ The resemblance is striking, and you’ll find necklaces and small carved animals of tagua for COP$5000 to COP$10,000. There are two good no-name artesanía shops at the airport, and two more in town.
Also be sure to try the pescado ahumado (smoked fish) at one of the airport stalls. Patricia Cujar ( 314 625 8806, 094 682 7511) is famous for her smoked tuna, and will ship anywhere in Colombia.
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WARDING OFF THE EVIL EYE
Cabalonga, a hard nut grown in the Chocó, is worn on a necklace by indigenous children to ward off the mal de ojo (evil eye) that some elderly women are thought to possess.
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Getting There & Away
There are no roads to Bahía Solano. Most people fly in. There are also cargo boats to/from Buenaventura.
AIR
Aeropuerto José Celestino Mutis is serviced by Satena, Aexpa and ADA. If you’re coming from Bogota buy a ticket Bogotá–Bahía Solano – the flight touches down in Medellín but is almost the same price as Medellín to Bahía Solano.
The airport’s nickname is ‘Sal Si Puedes’ (get out if you can). Because of the heavy rainfall, planes are sometimes unable to leave. It would be unwise to book international connections for the same day you leave Bahía Solano.
A moto-taxi to/from the airport costs around COP$5000.
BOAT
To/From Buenaventura
For a brief period in 2006-2007, there was a speedboat running tourists up from Buenaventura; then FARC kidnapped someone and the service got cancelled. You can still travel up the coast on the many cargo boats that bring supplies each weekend. The journey takes around 20 hours, generally leaving in the afternoon and arriving mid-morning (both ways), depending on the tides. One recommended supply boat is the Renacer El Pacífico ( 2 242 4785, 314 883 4021; Muelle El Piñal, Km4, Bodega Aldemar Montes, Buenaventura). It charges COP$120,000 for a camarote (bunk bed). Be sure to call several days in advance, as service is infrequent. You