How to survive Palomino: Get wasted or enlightened!

“Sal si puedes!“, say the stranded with a grin on their faces about their new home – “Leave if you can!” They wear feather earrings, jewel necklaces, go barefoot and have a special glow in their eyes. Palomino is a hotspot for hippies and party animals. The small coastal town has not let go of some visitors. That’s what happened to me for a while too. I experienced a time full of magic and life changing experiences. Palomino is a magical place – with pitfalls. Get wasted or enlightened. A brief how-to-survive Palomino course for visitors (and prospective residents).

 Palomino is famous for its Caribbean beach, river tubing tours and lively party scene. But what really makes Palomino special is the energy of the place and the people that come together there. Almost two decades ago, before the party tourists came, the first hippies gathered in Palomino looking for their spiritual growth and meaning in life. Today, in the small coastal town, people of all stripes live alongside the Colombian locals – and lots of laughing dogs too.

The search for meaning in life and relaxation do not go together in Palomino

Things happen in Palomino that are impossible elsewhere. Not only does time pass differently here, life also tastes different. That might sound like hocus pocus. You have to experience for yourself what happens and is possible here. But I’ll try to give you an impression. In Palomino other laws prevail. Mother Earth rules here. She doesn’t let some visitors go and makes them settle down to heal their trauma or to grow spiritually. Anyone who wants to get closer to their destiny, wants to change their life or is looking for emotional expressions has come to this place. Anyone who wants to live here unconsciously and pursue their egoistic tendencies is probably out of place and will be sent home in good time. Palomino is not a place for a relaxing holiday. Palomino is a place for intense experiences and/or growth.

The small coastal town is framed by the Sierra Nevada, a huge jungle area surrounded by mountains.Colombians also call this region “El corazón del mundo” – “The heart of the earth”. Why? Because here you can hear life pulsating in all its diversity. The variety of animals and plants is unique. At the beginning, the constant rustling in the undergrowth, the hissing and chirping, the singing and croaking takes some time getting used to, especially at night. But over time you feel connected to all living beings. The sea is rarely still here and constantly murmuring. In the small town where the locals live and run small shops, cafes and restaurants, music is constantly playing, even in the side streets the residents insist on playing Colombian sounds. Dogs roam here as freely as people. Even when they have a permanent home and associate with a human or family, they remain independent and roam the village without a leash. I’ve seen a lot of free-roaming dogs in Southeast Asia, but no laughing dogs anywhere. In Palomino, most dogs smile at you as you pass. Palomino vibrates and is alive in all angles. Everything is in motion here.

The clock ticks differently in Palomino

In Palomino, a day lasts longer than anywhere else. This does not mean the physical time, the pointer on the clock. No, only the experience of time is different. If you sometimes ask yourself in the city where the time has actually gone, „Oh Gosh is it that late already!?”, then exactly the opposite happens in Palomino: “Oh my god, it’s only 2 p.m. – I’ve already experienced so much today, what else should I do!?”. Every day has a high and a low. That means the experience curve is like a roller coaster ride between bliss and challenge. Here you experience all registers of emotions every day. Promise.

A day can begin, for example, with you enjoying the sunrise on the beach in the morning, sinking deep into your meditation and being content with your existence in complete peace of mind. “What an unforgettable moment!” you still think and the next moment this voice suddenly comes: “Are you honest with yourself? What life do you really want to live? Look at you!” Out of the meditative calm, Mother Earth suddenly demands answers. In the afternoon it can happen that you spontaneously meet people who invite you to a jam session. Actually you just wanted to listen to the music and chill, but then suddenly everyone is dancing around a fireplace to the beat of the drum. In the ecstatic dance you finally let your body set the tone, the mind has a break, you shake off your trauma and connect with nature and yourself.

Surrender and you’ll have a good time. Resist – well, you’ll see

You don’t have to look for all of this, in Palomino the experiences come to you, for sure. The only condition: Surrender to whatever happens. With an open heart, everything can happen to you that helps you move forward – connects you with yourself, with nature and with other people. With narrow-mindedness, Mother Earth shows you your limits and lets you suffer until you become aware of letting go of your control mania.

The possible encounters and stories are endless. Sometimes exactly what you wanted to manifest in the morning happens in the evening. One surprise follows the next. Palomino is a grab bag. Only one thing is certain: at the end of the day you go to bed exhausted, but always with new insights and unforgettable experiences. In Palomino you really lived, suffered, laughed, danced and learned something new about yourself.

Find your purpose – but be careful!

Personal development takes place here at breathtaking speed, even if personal experience takes a long time. Two months in Palomino can feel like half a year in a big city. In fact, that’s nonsense, but in practice you live longer in Palomino. I’ve met people here who really follow their passion and don’t just talk about it. They live the life that they have created for themselves. It is not uncommon for tourists to come here to take part in a retreat or yoga teacher training and stay longer than planned. Because they have discovered something that they were not aware of before: A passion, a talent, a spiritual awakening, honest friendships or the partner of their lives.

 But like everything in life, these intense experiences and flights of fancy have their tipping point. If you’re not careful, the place will take you so much that the world outside of Palomino will seem alien or even hostile. One party follows the next, one ceremony follows the next. It’s a sea of ​​possibilities in Palomino. And so you miss opportunity after opportunity to leave the place. Palomino is a magnetic bubble. If you are part of it, you meet new friends at the speed of light, turn your life upside down, feel liberated and finally closer to your purpose in life. But the deeper you sink into it, the more you distance yourself from your old life and the rest of the people in the world.

Visions, action and realism – the triad is crucial

We all have friends and family out of Palomino, we may have commitments like children, or we may have bills to pay. It’s easy to lose sight of all of this once Palomino has caught up with you because everything here is so exciting and different. I’ve experienced it myself and heard it from many others. They come, stay, but don’t know how to go on with a life that only consists of partying, healing or awakening. It’s easy to get lost in this jungle of highs and self-discovery processes. It’s only from a distance that you can see what you’ve really learned and why Palomino was such a valuable experience.

Palomino changed me and many other people. I have met fascinating people here, learned extraordinary techniques, experienced unforgettable ceremonies and gained indescribable precious insights that have helped me to put my life in new directions. At a certain point, however, I realized that I also have a life outside of Palomino.

When “She” wants to test you

I believe that “The Heart of the World“ has a tremendous impact on its visitors and residents. It shows us our own potential, but at the same time tests us whether we are ready to live with a challenge every day in order to grow – and if we are really ready to change something in the world for good. Because if you are looking for selfish, hedonistic or unconscious pleasures, you will also find them here. However, only for a short time. There is a great danger of getting lost in Palomino. In other terms: You get wasted.

The situation is similar with those seeking meaning in life or with spiritual people. Palomino is the place to find yourself, feel nature and connect with others. Palomino is an energetic place. That means it also attracts people who take the occult, esoteric and magical to the point where you should be careful who you get involved with. But that is also part of the experience: finding out which people are good for you in the long run and which are only helpful for a while to overcome your own trauma, to advance your own healing process or to make important experiences for an episode. If you overdo it, you are doing yourself and others a disservice.

You should find the jump in time to carry what you have learned and experienced into your own life. Because what you experience in Palomino can be the basis for changing something at home. For some, Palomino can become a new home, but for most it’s more of a place of growth.Palomino experiences can be the start of a more social and nature-loving way of life. Palomino is a magical place, undoubtedly a powerful one. Always worth a visit. But know that this place will change you. Here, shy figures become self-confident doers.