Since asking other fellow bloggers this same question and publishing several guest posts about it, I began thinking about my favorite travel memory with my wife, Megan.  It’s no easy feat to chose one memory that sticks out as a favorite.  When asked about our favorite country or city or experience from our RTW trip, I often give a different answer depending on my mood.

But when thinking about a favorite memory with just my wife and I, I keep coming back to an afternoon in my favorite country, Colombia.  There aren’t many times in life when you get to spend an entire day on a gorgeous, picturesque beach without another single person in sight.

Tayrona National Park

We heard about Tayrona long before touching down in Colombia.  A national park filled with beautiful beaches and great water, with hammocks to sleep in for less than $5/night.  Sign us up, we thought!  Little did we know how lucky we would get.

Luckily we were in Colombia in March, which is shoulder season.  The weather wasn’t always ideal, but we never had to deal with any crowds.  So our trip to Tayrona was filled with limited people and plenty of room to relax.

After one of the most harrowing boat rides of my life, we arrived to the shores of Tayrona from Taganga, a fishing village that was a few hours away by boat.  We entered through the back and found ourselves at one of the beaches furthest from the vehicle entrance.  After reserving our hammocks for the next few nights, we wandered around a bit, checking out the various beaches.

One of the coolest parts about Tayrona is the large number of beaches that encompass the park.  There are several hiking paths that go through masses of jungle and palm trees, leading to another beach.  After exploring and relaxing that first day, we decided to do a bit of hiking and further investigation of the other beaches in the park.

Ahhh, Colombia

We wandered through the first trail and onto the beach next to the one we were staying on.  We walked past a few other people as we made our way from one end of the beach to the other.  We continued the same sequence for the next 30-45 minutes, and as we made our way through another trail, we heard a cacophony of voices nearing us.

As we approached, a gaggle of schoolkids, no more than 12 or 13 years old, passed us.  We were greeted with enthusiastic and emphatic “Hola’s!” and “Hello’s!” and “Que tal’s?!”  Finally, as we passed the final few, a wide eyed, grinning young boy yells at us, “WELCOME TO COLOMBIA!  How do you like our country!”

We responded with an equally enthusiastic, “NOS ENCANTA COLOMBIA! (WE LOVE COLOMBIA!)”  He squealed with delight as he ran off to catch up with his friends.  Only in Colombia do you get that kind of greeting from a young boy.  The people in this country continually amazed me during our month there.

All Alone

As we walked away from the group of youngsters and onto yet another beach, we gazed down the narrow strip of golden sand.  Streaks of black sand mixed in to create a beautiful and unique picture.  The water, which was a bit rough, pounded the beach then slowly washed over our feet as we walked further.

We strained our eyes, surveying the mile long beach and noticed that no one else occupied any space.  Could this be?  Were we really all alone on this pristine beach, with palms swaying in the wind and waves crashing nearby?

To be sure, we walked to the far end and laid out our towels and sarongs.  We took our books out of our backpack and made ourselves comfortable.  A half hour passed.  Then another.  Then another.  Still not another soul to be found.

Even though it was shoulder season and the campgrounds we stayed at weren’t packed, it wasn’t empty by any means.  We couldn’t believe we were all alone and no one else made it this far down into the park.  We were obviously not complaining, as we alternated between swimming, napping, reading, and just enjoying each other’s company without the noise and chaos that had become such a big part of our trip.

At one point we watched a coconut slowly rolling up and down the beach with each wave of water that came in.  It lazily crept up and down, up and down, and at that point, we realized that we truly didn’t have a care in the world.

Why I Will Forever Remember this Moment

There have certainly been more exciting and romantic moments on our travels together over the last 11 years.  Getting engaged on top of a castle in Ireland. and walking through the Sun Gate together and seeing Machu Picchu for the first time are just a few memories we’ve been lucky enough to create together.

But it’s these little, unexpected moments that stand out just as vividly as those huge ones.  How often do you get the chance to spend the day with the person you love most in the world, just enjoying each other’s company on a secluded beach in a national park in Colombia?