Day 4 - Bucaramanga to Bogota

For a change, slept in until 7:30 and then it was off again to explore some of Bucaramanga's other sites. Colombia has been setting up Jack Nicholas approved golf courses around the country, and we visited a stunning one in Bucaramanga. High up in the hills, it seemed a world away from the buzz of the city centre. It was no doubt impressive, but what I was waiting for was the paragliding. The vultures started to glide with effortless ease, which was a sign that the wind had started to pick up, as well as an ominous sign too!

We arrived at our take-off point where professional paragliders were taking off and landing. Jenny and I were the guinea pigs, as we were the lightest in the group, so we had to test the wind! Jenny went first and then me... 'corrrrrriente!' was the scream in my ear, meaning 'keep running!', so I did, and in a somewhat ungainly manner I took to the air. Wow! I felt the immediate lift as my 'pilot' settled me in for the 'flight'. The view of the mountains was superb and it was great to live like a bird albeit for 10-15 minutes. We manoeuvred around some trees and then approached the 'runway' for landing, which was perfect.

After the thrill of being up in the air, we went for a sumptuous lunch in the centre of Bucaramanga, where I had the best veggie food of the trip so far. We also visited the hustle and bustle of Bucaramanga's vegetable and fruit market, and sampled some of the fruits native only to Colombia, including its famous guanabana. A fruit with a green spikey skin but white on the inside with a rubbery texture. We also enjoyed banter with the local vendors who were intrigued to see foreigners here.

En-route to the airport was the quaint colonial town of Giron which was well worth the stop. Giron was a more vibrant version of Barichara. Kids returning from school were nattering away as they poured into the narrow cobbled streets. There was an impressive church in the plaza and little bars and eateries dotted around the centre. From there, we left for the airport to catch the flight to Bogota. Our Santander adventure had come to an end. We waved goodbye to our loud American/Colombian friend, Spencer, who was great entertainment on the trip, who will always be remembered as the loud American/Colombian guy with a thirst for milk, or in his words, a 'bad ass milk drinker'!

- Rahul

Day 3 - Barichara & San Gil

I woke up early to find the whitewashed posada beautifully lit up by the bright morning sunshine. Through the courtyard was the outdoor dining area, where I had an excellent breakfast and the best cup of coffee I'd had in a long time. Many say that Colombia exports its best beans, but this place had obviously sneaked a few bags for itself!

Barichara really was something out of a fairytale. Strolling its uniform streets with its whitewashed building, blue and green doors and terracota roofs, it was hard to think of any town I'd visited which oozed so much colonial character. The churches were extremely impressive, not for their size, but their little idiosyncracies. One in particular was tucked away at the bottom of a street and built with a huge slant. I would have liked to have spent more time wandering the streets, but we had to move on to the adventure capital of San Gil.

About 25 minutes drive from Barichara we stopped off at the meeting point for our first sport - torrenting. If rappelling (abseiling down a rock face) wasn't enough, we were going to do this down a waterfall! We hiked for about 30 minutes through more stunning Colombian scenery to the top of the falls. One by one the others were strapped to various hooklines and then disappeared over the edge. It was my turn, and now the heart started to really race. I'd never done this before and it's at times like this you question your sanity, but over I went. I gingerly made my way down as the water started to cascade down battering my helmet. I took a quick peek down and just as quickly looked up again. About halfway down I heard someone bellow 'hey how's it going?' into my ear... it was Adam overtaking me on the left. Eventually I reached terra firma to much relief and excitement and joined the others for a swim in the lagoon below.

Onwards it was to the next activity - rafting in the Rio Fonce. Seven of us jumped into the raft and made our way down the rapids en-route. Dan and myself volunteered to take it for the team by sitting up front. Either side of us was lush green vegetation and various colourful birds flitted across the river gracefully. When the river became a bit more calm, we jumped overboard for a swim. Once back in the raft we took a few deluges of water, but no one was washed over. After some 10km we reached our final destination, a spot close to the Parque Gallineral.

we hadn't eaten since morning, and it was already past 4pm so we dived into our food. No one uttered a word. Colombian food has taken me by surprise. 99% of the menu is either meat or fish related, but being a vegetarian was not an issue at all. Pastas are widely served and I've tasted some excellent salads here. Cesar was particularly worried how I'd cope with the food, but I'm pleased to say it hasn't been a problem. We took a short walk in the park which was lined with trees proudly displaying their silver 'old man's beards' as more exotic birds danced among their branches. It was time to head back to Bucaramanga, but I could see why San Gil has been tipped as the latest exciting adventure sport hot spot.

- Rahul

Day 2 - Chicamocha Canyon & Barichara

After some 45mins struggling to get all of our cases on the roofrack of the mini-van, we left the city of Bucaramanga for the attractive sounding Chichamocha Canyon, situated 2 hours away. El Parque Nacional del Chicamocha has now been set up by the Santander local government to promote the natural beauty of the park and the adventure activities on offer. Since we had come at a drier time of the year, the river level was a lot lower and the land parched dry in areas.

We started off with zip-trekking some 450m... which was a lot of fun, and would have been even more so had I not confused the brakes for the regular straps, so I was unable to come down at full velocity. No worries though, as the Mexican girl, Karla, hurtled down at breakneck speed crashing directly into the safety canvas which was supposed to cushion the landing!

From there we moved on to the cable car to experience the world's longest cable car ride. The ride was smooth, and the views of the canyon were breathtaking. Large birds of prey jostled for position above (hopefully not looking out for us!) and cacti resembling long prickly skyscrapers reached for the sky. We passed over the occasional villager who was riding atop his burro (donkey) carrying home his wares. The first part of the ride descended deep into the canyon and the second part rose up again to the other side. A boat filled with large metal sculptures depicting Santander's key role in the struggle for independence from colonial rule, sat atop one of the peaks. Further down from there we jumped into buggies for a ride around a dirt track circuit that had been created.

After that extra adrenalin rush, we finally made our way to what many people have dubbed as Colombia's most charming and genuine colonial town - Barichara. More often than not, when a place is hyped up it turns out to be disappointing, but Barichara really is a town of the most elegant beauty. We arrived late evening, so it was rather dark, but nonetheless after checking into the superb posada where I was staying, three of us (Dan, Adam and myself) wandered to the main plaza where we had a drink by the fountain, absorbing the atmosphere of this old colonial town. Later on, we joined the others at an excellent Spanish restaurant sat in the middle of a courtyard enjoying delicious tapas.Afterwards we wandered some of the narrow streets, which resembled something from another era, with its small churches eerily lit up, and locals silently slipping home after a hard's day work. I returned to the comfort of my posada and can't wait for tomorrow, which is going to be a day of adrenalin-packed sport.

- Rahul

Day 1 - Bucaramanga

After a long flight via the US, I finally touched down on Colombian soil. I met up with some of the other operators on the FAM (familiarisation) trip and we were met by the Pro Export representative who escorted us to our hotel. Just five hours later we were back at the airport for our early morning departure to Bucaramanga, the capital of Santander!

It was a short flight above the lush green mountains, and on arrival it definitely felt warmer and more humid than Bogota. Our charasmatic reps, Spencer, Siby and Omaira, greeted us and briefed us on the plan for the next few days. It certainly seemed action-packed. Spencer was a colourful character, after many years growing up in Boston, he made his home back in Bucaramanga and could only speak highly of the city and Colombia in general.

We didn't get much chance for a break, and before we knew it, we were whisked away to an excellent Colombian restaurant for lunch. Judging by the menu, being a veggie in Colombia was going to be a challenge, but I was pleasantly surprised by the truly delicious avocado and honey salad along with fried yuka and spicy dip. Albeit a carnivore's paradise, Colombia is also home to some of the most diverse and delicious vegetables and fruit in the world. After dragging myself from the table it was back in the mini-van for an express sightseeing tour of Bucaramanga.

There were some intriguing sites, such as the residence of Simon Bolivar, the South American hero who fought against Spanish colonial rule, as well as the lively marketplaces and an Ecological Park hidden in the middle of the city. Vivid red birds and parrots flitted through the trees as we strolled around taking in the scenery. And then, as if lunch was not heavy enough, we made the obligatory stop on the outskirts of Bucaramanga, a place called Floridablanca, for Colombian sweets - arequipe - milk and sugar boiled together to form a caramel-like paste which was then spread between two round wafers. It was also the place where I first sampled Colombia's infamous aniseed-based liquor, aguardiente, which was not as harsh as I had anticipated and quite a nice contrast to the extreme sweetness of the arequipe.

Spencer continued to enterain us in the back of the mini-van as we weaved through Bucaramanga's grid-like streets. After a two hour break, we went out for dinner to another superb restaurant, with a tranquil outdoor setting, tall plants, candle-light ambience, all to then be 'disturbed' by the sound of Colombians going karaoke mad! Jenny, the girl from Ecuador, seemed to know the lyrics of every South American song as they popped up on the big screen. It was a fun night, full of singing, excellent cuisine and fantastic hospitality... I could immediately see why the Colombian tourist board had come up with the slogan - Colombia... the only risk is wanting to stay - after just one day, I definitely wished I was staying a good while longer!

- Rahul

Ishak Pasa Palace and making my way home

After catching a bus to Dogubeyazit and arriving ahead of schedule I decided to walk the 6km up to Ishak Pasa Palace. After walking past an enormous army camp that seemed bigger than the town itself the road started to climb and soon Ishak Pasa Palace came into view in the distance. A stunning location on the side of a mountain, the building itself I soon discovered easily matched its surroundings. The beautiful stone building contains a mosque, a library, a bath house, dining quarters and a haram, where the women used to live. Many of the stone carvings are simply exquisite, and the location is breathtaking. This has to be one of the most beautiful buildings anywhere on the planet. However as it was already December and at an altititude of almost 2000m it was fairly chilly. Winds whipped in through the glassless windows and my hands turned a shade of red I had not seen before. But I just couldn't put my camera away.

After an hour exploring the building it was time to get some dinner and have an early night. The following morning I caught the bus back to Van and a flight back to Istanbul. After a couple of nights in Istanbul, and days filled up with various meetings it was time to leave. I felt sad to leave this great country but really excited about the tours we will be starting to East Turkey next year. All my expectations have been exceeded. There's just so much to see, huge variety, an unbeatable history and some of the friendliest and most welcoming people anywhere. Tesekurler Turkey!

- David

Ani

After a rather dull day yesterday (the humour of the idea of a bus from Van to Kars wore off pretty quick but the journey lasted about 7 hours), today's schedule was significantly more rewarding. After breakfast my taxi driver arrived as agreed and we drove out through the surrounding flat landscape with snow-peaked mountains in the distance, including Mount Ararat, Turkey's highest mountain. After about a 40 minute drive we arrived at the historic Armenian site of Ani. This former Armenian capital that once rivalled Constaninople is hugely atmospheric and set in a stunning location with snowy peaks and green river valleys for decoration.

The site was chosen in 961 as the new capital of the Bagratid king, Ashot III. Since then it has been home to the Byzantines, the Seljuks, the kingdom of Georgia, the Persians and even the Monguls! The buildings are in various states of repair but there are some true stunners here including the 11th century Church of the redeemer, the 13th century Church of St. Gregory, a late 10th century cathedral and Menucer Camii, believed to be the first mosque built by the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia some time around 1072.

I spent about 3 hours wandering around the sight and soaking up the atmosphere and partically had the place to myself. There were only 4 other visitors the whole time I was there, difficult to imagine for such a stunning and important historical site. Tomorrow I will go to Dogubayazit to visit the fortress palace of Ishak Pasa. And from there back to Van and a flight back to Istanbul.

- David

Hosap Castle and Van Castle

I met with Remsey this morning and we drove about an hour to Hosap. There, perched on a hll is the stunning Hosap Castle. After exploring the castle built in the mid-seventeenth century and stopping for pictures at various angles we stopped in the village below for some tea. From Hosap we drove to the site of Cavustepe, an ancient site dating back to the 8th Century BC. There are no buildings here to wow you but the history of it is very important and interesting.

From Cavustepe we drove back to Van and I caught a minibus to the extensive site of Van Castle. After Hosap castle I was sure Van castle would disappoint but I was quite wrong happily. This picturesque castle sprawls over a hillside overlooking the city of Van with some stunning views. The castle itself is also very photogenic and I quickly filled up my memory card snapping away in the lovel afternoon light.

There are also various other buildings in the vacinity, in what is known as Eski Van or Old Van including a church, several mosques, stone bridges and tombs. After wandering around for a couple of hours I was getting tired and caught a bus back to town where I arranged by bus ticket to Kars. A bus from Van to Kars! A little surreal...

- David