Imagine living on a Caribbean beach, complete with white sand and turquoise water… Your job: running a small bar that serves food (from local restaurants). In between serving drinks, you chill out with the customers and, during/after a gorgeous sunset (which occurs pretty much every night), you dance in the sand.
Meet ‘El Caribeño,’ a man who’s living this very life. The coolest local I met while in Colombia.
El Caribeño
I had the pleasure of meeting him (I tried to get his real name, but he kept calling himself ‘El Caribeño,’ so let’s go with that) while staying on Playa Blanca, which I traveled to from Cartagena, Colombia. The beach is lovely, by the way, and not to be missed if you’re in the area.
The guy is, for lack of another way of saying it, a ‘cool dude.’ He’s very in the moment, super positive/chilled out, and great to hang out with. He always seems to have a smile on his face. He makes everyone feel comfortable, too. I was there with a couple of Aussie men and we had a blast. At one point, when one said he liked his wild and crazy shirt, he took it off his back and gave it to him…well, sold it to him. For a reasonable price. It was a fun transaction to watch. In the end, both guys got ‘El Caribeño’-style shirts. Once they started wearing them, they seemed able to chillax even more. Maybe they caught some of the dude’s mojo? 
El Caribeño is a great dancer, too. My final night on the beach, I had the pleasure of doing salsa and merengue with him on the sand. His style is pretty mellow; he moves well, but not with the super-fast footwork of a Caleño. The reason: he’s a Costeño.
If you visit Playa Blanca, you should ask for him. Of course, you’ll probably have no trouble finding him. His small bar can get quite busy at night. It’s the coolest hangout in town. Just look for the signposts, one of which is right in the water. 
Your Thoughts?
Ever meet a local who’s super cool–someone who seems to really be living in the moment? If so, where and what was the person like?
Been to Playa Blanca? If so, did you meet El Caribeño? What did you think?
That bar looks inviting!
northierthanthou recently posted..Son of a Bullet Point Mind: Cold Reading the Textbook
Incredible travel blog posts, thanks for sharing it!