Our very first day in South America, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, my sister and I made a grocery list and walked to the market down the street, only to find that the first 3 items on our list—peanut butter, oatmeal and plain yogurt—were nowhere to be found. Instead they had an entire aisle devoted to dulce de leche and about a thousand varieties of pasta and crackers. Living outside of the U.S. makes you realize that supermarkets vary wildly by region; personally, I strongly prefer the supermarkets in Colombia over those in the rest of South America.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed Santa Marta’s beaches and historical sights, let’s not pretend that one of my favorite things about my trip to Santa Marta wasn’t the eating part. Food is way up there on my list of reasons to travel, and Santa Marta has lots of great things both to eat and drink.

Tayrona Park in Santa Marta derives its name from the indigenous people, the Taironas, who have lived in its mountains for centuries. I don’t need to tell you what the Spanish conquest did to their population, I’m sure you know how that same old awful story goes, but many of their descendants continue to live in the region.

You might think that after my time in Tayrona it’d be a bit of a downer to go back to the city, but frankly, though I loved the park I wasn’t at all disappointed because Santa Marta is a pretty charming place to “have” to come back to.