Sleeping in Hammocks

We had an incredible time two nights ago while staying with the indigenous Wayuu of Colombia! They are a matrilineal society which means that the men marry into the women´s family and take the women’s name. They had many hammocks set up for us to sleep in under an open structure with a palm frond roof. It was a great night where we were exposed to a whole new way of self sustainable living. It was not a great night for everyone as one of the students got food poisoning. They were well taken care of all night and are 100% better now! Because of the commotion that night I woke up at around 5 am. It was a blessing in disguise. My early wake up allowed me to see the share the sunrise with one of the guides, Julian, took the other student and I on a ten minute walk to the beach. It was beyond gorgeous! To the left we could see the tallest mountains in Colombia (which are always capped with snow) and directly in front of us was the Caribbean. It was an amazing combination of Colombian landscapes! On the beach we saw the moon set over the water. Julian led us to a place where some local Wayuu were fishing for shrimp. All by hand. They pulled the net in by hand then sorted out the fish and shrimp. Three types of shrimp were in the catch. Most were what I was used to seeing, normal size and all, but then there were some tiger shrimp in the mix! These things were huge. I mean as big as my forearm! The fishermen were very nice. They listened to our questions and answered what they could. They had been fishing since midnight and were very tired as this was one of the last catches of the day. We did not bring cameras and so the three of us only have our memories and words to remember and describe the moment. It was so peaceful and refreshing to be out there, without the commotion of the whole group or the cluster of houses. We walked back and excitedly described what we saw to the rest of the group. The whole thing was very spontaneous and much needed after the hectic night. It brought the three of us closer and allowed us to share are experience. An incredible end to a hectic but fantasticly enriching and fun night.