Leaving Columbia

Hey ho,

How be thee smee?

I´m actually quite chuffed with myself just now; i am writing yet another blog only days (ok, maybe weeks, but who´s counting), since my last blether. We have been quite busy actually, infact we´ve been in four countries in the past four days, but that somewhat glamourises the whole adventure as all we´ve really expereinced is the stale air of airports and aeroplanes.

Since the last post from San Gil, we have actually been pretty busy making up for the lazy days spent on the beach over christmas and new year. In San Gil alone we went absailing down a massive waterfall, rafting down some massive rapids and i had a massive game of football with some not so massive columbian locals whichr esulted in me getting two wacking great massive blisters and me wee dainty tootsies. And that was all just in two days ç. Not bad going i´m sure you´ll all gracefully agree.

The rafting was really cool. We spent three hours battling a crazy river much to our enjoyment. Or at least I think me maya enjoyed herself. She promises that she did, but all i could her on way merry way down stream was her incessant cries of óh shit´, óh fuck´etc etc. There were indeed some pretty big waves but quite frankly i do find such language dispicably crude and rude. Feckin tart that she is.

Our next stop after San Gil was an uniquely beautiful wee town called Villa de Leyva. Basically this is wee town in the hills just north of Columbia´s capital Bogota. It has been ´preserved´so to speak, meaning that no new buildings have been built 300 years or so. (i have no idea how many years it is to be honest. I´m not a guide book. All i know is that what was there was old.) The streets were proper great big cobbles and the houses were small and white washed. It was just such an addictive place that i quite frankly could have spent a very long time there (sorry mum). At least i could have but i think Maya would have undoubtedly put a stop to that with her shopping tendancies. fair do´s to the lass she´s been well restrained over the past five months, but you know what, as soon as i loosen the reighns on the old girl a wee bit she goes shoppy hoppy. Spent a bloody forune she did. But it made her smile again after the new year blues so i guess i have to admit it was worthwhile.

The first night in Villa de Leyva was probably the most notable for us as we got very drunk, and for once, i have to admit, that it was maybe myself that was the worse for wear. In my defence i was only being socialable. The drinking started early as myself and the maz shared a half bottle of wine for an early tea. We then bumped into some friends from the coast who persuaded us that more wine was a good idea. So more we had and then a wee bit more and then red wine became aguila, the local beer. It was about this point we headed to a really cool wee bar which was blasting out the clash and other such musical masterminds. It was here that the trouble started for me as i somehow got talking with a group of columbian students from Bogota. I don´t know if you all know this, but i actually speak fluent spanish when i´m drunk, so much so that after 10 minutes of converstaion with the aforementioned students, they all smiled at me sypathetically at my valient efforts to cuçommunicate in their local tongue, and in unison they all promptly began conversing in incredible english. Bloody smug buggers!! Anyhow, i shouldn´t complain as the whole point to all of this ( i´ll get there soon enough, don´t worry) was that they had a bottle of the local brew, agua deliente (i think). Anyhoo this stuff is strong, and i mean blow your bloody mouth off with a hydrant type of strong. And them being Columbians, the friendliest people on earth, they saw it as their honour, no duty, to bestwo and maintain a steady flow of rocket fuel upon me. I was holding my own watching the bottle slowly empty, thinking to myself just a couple more and that will be that. Hopw wrong i was. The buggers went and bought another bottle!! Needless to say i was utterly pished. Apparently, so says maya although i´m sceptical, it came to leaving time and my new best friends were going to sit on a bench with yet another bottle of the devils mouthwash and wile away the night and into sunset with drinks and banter and the likes. They invited me and thought this was the best idea i have ever heard. Maya did not. In her state of rational thought she asked me a tricky question, how and why was i going to get home? In my drunken wisdom i promptly replied, ´i might just not come home!´ Maya was not amused and her face said all the words she needed to say. Needless to say i quickly pulled myslef together. So much so that i did my best to ingratiate myself back into maya´s good books by letting her carry me home. Aren´t i just the best boyfriend?!

The next day wasn´t so pretty, but in our stubborn determination to make every day count we managed to scale the nearest big hill in order to see yet another waterfall and an overview over the town. It was nice, no more tho.

Time was ticking fast and the days were wizzing by leaving our departure flight looming ever closer. In total we only managed to have two days in Bogota, which is a shame because it looksas though its a really really cool city. It has the most amazing array of bars and cafes that are packed full of columbian character and intrigue. We did our best to see as many as possible but unfortunately there just wasn´t time for them all. And so it was that on wednesday morning we left Columbia to head back down south, hence how i am writing to you now from Santiago in Chile. It was a truly memorable experience in Columbia and i´m so glad we´ve seen the country now before it gets too touristy and all the friendly people get fed up of the gringo´s trampling all over the goodwill. The ountry itself it just a beautiful, diverse landscape, while the cities all have a unique intrigue to their history and an appeal that is so addictive. I realise that i´ve pretty much always declared the last country we´ve been to as my favourite, but i honestly think Columbia will remain longer in my memory than anywhere else. If anybody told me that they had the time and money tovisit only one country in south america and would immediately encourage them to forget the hysteria and hype and visit Columbia. Yes there are problems still. There are areas that gringos and locals must stay well clear of, but the areas that are accesible more than make up for the forbidden zones. I loved it there and would happily spent much longer exploring its mystery if it wasn´t for the deadline of a flight cutting our trip short.

As i said we are now in Chile heading towards Patagonia, something i´m very much looking forward to. It will be a very different climate as we trek through glaciers and thermal springs but one that promises to be nothing but spectacular.

Hope all is well back there for you all. We too will be in freezing cold conditions from now on!
I will write again soon
Rob