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