My birthday is usually spent in another country as it is during my traveling months; winter, which means no matter what I do for my birthday I will always remember it because it will be in a new hot sunny local. This year I celebrated my birthday in Santa Marta Colombia with my friends and the people I used to work for at the Dreamer hostel.
I wasn’t as excited for my birthday as I usually am perhaps because I really liked the number 27, 28 just doesn’t sound right. It’s a big fat even number. Not only am I older but half of my age is a snowman. I do however enjoy the attention of birthdays, this is the one day when being the complete center of attention is not obnoxious.
As for my birthday plans I really didn’t have any but the English guys I had been hanging out with said they would meet me on the beach after their diving exam and we would commence the drinking. I went to the nearby beach of Taganga and ran into my Colombian friend sunning herself on the beach. I parked myself beside her to catch some rays myself.
Later on two guys were playing guitar and bongos behind us it was beautiful coastal music. They came over and I told them it was my birthday as I had been telling everyone to get the much deserved attention. They played me two songs one the happy birthday song and then gave me a free CD of their music. I was so happy I gave them 3000pesos anyway. A Colombian hippy selling jewellery on the beach listened as they played me the song and when they finished he gave me one of his bracelets as a gift. My mom will be happy now I received two presents on my birthday. It really bothers her that I am never home to receive presents to unwrap, however I prefer memories to unwrap they stay with you longer.
After the guys finished their exams we went to a really nice hostel called La Tortuga owned by a young Colombian girl who was diving with them. She opened the bar especially for me, normally it is closed on a Tuesday. The guys bought me a bottle of Aguardiente that we did shots of by my request and Monica the hostel owner invited me to free beer. I had free range of the music on her laptop as well so I was getting drunk and dancing to my favourite Colombian bands.
I felt guilty for being in this bar when the guys at the Dreamer were expecting me so we said thank you and ciao to Monica and took a taxi to the Dreamer where I was offered free drinks but I didn’t really need much more and I was at that happy drunk state. I ran off to my usual pizza guy for my birthday dinner, could I really go anywhere else? He even gave me a free slice. As well the guys at the Dreamer had bought me a chocolate birthday cake I was so happy when they brought it out and everyone sang happy birthday to me. It was probably one of my best birthdays away from home. I remembered the whole night, I had chocolate cake, I spent it with amazing people and I was in the pearl of the Caribbean, Santa Marta.
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