Some say life is about the journey and not the destination. Considering it took a taxi, a bus, a taxi and a boat to deliver us to Casa en al Agua I’d like to respectfully disagree with that statement. After a long day of travelling, including a hairy boat ride in which I was certain my worldly possessions would end up on the bottom of the ocean floor, we arrived here:

Try to tell me you’d rather be on a never ending merry-go-round of South American transportation and not here. I won’t believe you.

Casa en al Agua (meaning ‘house on the water’) is a solar powered hostel located in the San Bernardo Islands on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. It’s about a two hour direct boat ride to Cartagena, a much better route than our ridiculous boat/taxi/bus palaver.

But enough about how to get there. Here’s what you can do once you are there:

First of all, wave to the neighbours:

That’s the most interaction you’ll have with them during your stay.

Pick a bed:

Heed your travel companions’ calls to partake in a pre-breakfast swim:

Marvel at the crystal clear turqoise waters and thank your lucky stars:

Wrestle with alligators:

Bob on the top of the water like a cork:

Admire the more productive people setting about their days:

After breakfast you can choose a leisure activity to suit your needs. Niki chose to get her water colours out on one of the decks:

If you’re feeling up to it you can swim to a nearby island. I chose to paddle in the world’s tiniest canoe and watch these guys sweat it out:

I provided somewhat of a support vehicle along the way:

Unfortunately the island didn’t offer much. But we were able to grab some bottles of water and admire the colourful walls.

The good thing about archipelagos is that if one island disappoints, there is always another one close by.

You may find yourself on a deserted beach, watch out for sea urchins!

Once all the adventuring is over you’re bound to have worked up a hunger. Snacks are a must.

Then it’s time to retreat to the deck for some cocktails and good company.

Yes, I like Pina Coladas.

Nothing to do but sit back and watch the sun set.

Then retreat to the lower deck for dinner.

The next day I took the tiny canoe out again to photograph these pretty birds hanging out.

Then Andrew went for a paddle.

While I snorkelled the nearby reefs.

Then we sat here:

For a very, very long time.

Pretty much all the meals from Casa en al Agua feature locally sourced fish. Delicious.

After lunch I recommend staring some more at the amazing water.

And finding new sea treasures to say hello to.

Paddle some more.

Make some more art:

But above all else, relax. You made it.