Back in March, while living in, working remotely from and exploring Colombia with Unsettled, I spent a weekend along the Pacific with two friends. Travel, even a quick weekend getaway, can be quite the adventure at times, and this memorable trip to Guachalito, near Nuquí, was a great reminder of that.

There was a delayed flight; a missed flight; walks on long stretches of remote, deserted beach; fresh fish and seafood; fresh plantains, fruit and fruit juices; coconuts falling from trees; a seemingly strange man with a machete asking if he could have said coconuts; lazy mornings and afternoons in hammocks; morning, evening and afternoon swims in the warm Pacific Ocean; sunsets with our feet in the sand and cold beers, or sometimes warm rum, in our hands; a jungle excursion to some waterfalls; SUPing along the coast; a small surf session; a last-minute scramble to get vaccinated for yellow fever / proof of a yellow fever vaccination that was apparently mandatory, as of early March, to board the flight to Nuquí — but then ended up not being asked for at all; a shortage of pesos due to an unexpected extra day and night in paradise — see above: a missed flight; nights spent looking at the stars when the clouds cooperated; and, most importantly, time spent with good friends without cell service or wifi, completely disconnected from the rest of the world.

There’s more to that weekend than this summary. I did a bit — actually, a lot — of writing along the way. So here’s the full story of one of my favorite weekends in Colombia, one of my favorite weekends in a while.