Hola! Well our first Sth American country is over and done with.We have passed through Colombia and are now in Equador. Our Colombian adventure of course started in Cartagena after hopping off the boat.It was hot and humid there and each afternon saw us retreat to our air-conditioned room for a couple of hrs nana nap/rest.We spent our time walking around the old historic colonial town which is surrounded by a wall. It is possible to walk along the length of the wall which is lovely late afternnoon.The old buildings are lovely.There is also a spanish fort nearby which has underground tunnels you can walk thru - a bit claustrophoic.We stayed in nearby Getsemani (once a red light area)which is a bit run down,chaotic and sometimes noisy but convient.After Cartagena we flew 1.5 hrs to the big city of Medellin.The flight price was only a little bit more than the bus and about 12 hrs quicker.Medellin is in a valley surrounded by mtns. It was hot but not humid.The hostel there was busy but our private room on the third floor was fairly quite.Medellin has a great metro system - very clean,no graffitti and looks almost new despite being at least 20yrs old. The people take great pride in it and keep it clean as it helped to drag the city out of the doldrums after wars and drug problems.It is also cheap - one small price for any length trip.The price also includes a couple of cable cars as well which the locals use to get up to their homes on the hillsides. We took a trip up one cable car and then onto a private (to pay) cable car to get to a plateau above the town,Great views of the town during the cable car trip. We also took a day trip to nearby El Penon area and the town of Guatpe. We climbed 700 odd steps to the top of the El Penon granite monolith to see great views of the countryside and lake area. The area was flooded years ago to create hydroelectricity for the area.After here onto Manizales in the Zona Cafeteria - about 5 hrs by bus. Here the highlight was not coffee but a hike in the Los Nevados national park. A 5am start saw us drive 2 hrs in the 4WD to the b/fast stop at a country "ranch",then another 2 hrs to the hike start at 4,100m.We were going up Santa Isabel mtn to its glacier on the top at around 4,800m.A 5 hr round hike saw us go slowly to the top so as to acclimatise to the altitude ,look quickly at the glacier,take photos and descend.It was very cold at the top with a sharp wind blowing and with us a bit underprepared for the cold we werekeen to retreat.In fact the light rain at the top was actually light ice pellets.However once down we warmed up and then it was 4 hrs back with a stop for a late lunch at 5pm. Back at the hostel around 7.30pm we just had a hot drink,stripped off our outer clothes and flopped into bed.A quiet day after this saw us visit a nearby nature park and walk the city centre. After Manizales we went a bit further south in the Zona Cafeteria to the pretty little town of Salento. Here we did a coffee tour and went around a small reserve being regenerated by an englishman and a colombian.It was interesting to hear of their plans.But the highlight here was a 4-5 hr hike thru the nearby Valle de Cocora. We set off early and hiked along the valley floor,then up a mountainside to a hummingbird "reserve".We were able to get close enough to see these birds and hear their beating wings.Other places we have only caught fleeting glances.After here we hiked up further to the mountain top and then down a dirt road to the valley floor.Fantastic views made better by a clear blue sky with the sun shining. At the hostel in Salento we unexpectedly came across the young german couple who were on the boat with us.It was nice to share a pasta meal with them.After Salento we moved onto to Popayan - a town known for its all white buildings ion the historic centre. We just had a short time here to get the feel of the historic area and get some washing done. All the bus trips south from Medellin to Popayan saw us goings thru green mtns and valleys which always astounded us.It was the same going onto our last town Ipiales but the terrain was dry and desert like. Ipiales is a town close to the border and so was just a jumping off point for us. However before we could go to the border the next morning we had to do a side trip to nearby Las Lajas Sanactuary. This is a church built over a gorge and looks like something in Europe. After this 2 hr side trip it was in a collectivo to the border.We got our Colombian exit stamp,walked across the bridge and got our Equadorian entry stamp. Then into another collectivo to nearby Tulcan to get a bus to Quito. Our Colombian trip ended being about 20 days - about twice as long as we intended. The people were friendly and certianly there is much more to see. To think I was worried about Sarah spending a few days there last year. All in all an enjoyable time
