Colombia conclusions and Ecuador beginnings

I can`t believe how quickly the time is going here, July has come and gone so fast and we´ve already left Colombia.

Colombia was so different to what I expected. I think all those mafia movies totally misguided me - we weren´t kidnapped by guerillas and didn´t see any drug taking, nor were we offered many, infact the whole three weeks we spent in Colombia were pretty peaceful (apart from the constant trips on buses).

As the trusty Lonely Planet says - now is the time to visit the country - there aren´t loads of tourists about and you really feel like you´re doing something a bit different. Most times we rocked up somewhere we were literally the only white people about (so maybe it`s no surprise that in San Gill a family with young kids asked us to pose with them so they could 'make a photo').

The towns and villages we visited are beautifully kept and pretty, the countryside was stunning and the food was amazing. I felt safe most of the time but maybe that´s because there were loads of armed police about everywhere we went (as tourists you can actually get armed guards to escort you around Botoga, talk about making yourself stand out!).

One thing that was a constant source of amazement was the amount of Colombians that had teeth braces, I swear half the population must be wired up, and most of them are adults. They also speak incredibly fast, even when it´s perfectly clear that you dont have a clue what they are going on about. It doesn´t help when you are offered random things like gloves in a resturant (when eating chicken they just don a pair of disposable plastic gloves and chomp away, I think they thought we were a little odd asking for a knife and fork!)

So we´re now in Ecuador. Straight away it does feel a little easier - the boarder crossing was nothing compared to Venezuela and we´re staying in a hostel full of westeners that has duvets on the beds and hot water (we spent most of Colombia with freezing cold water - I think i only washed my hair twice whilst we were there!) and a pizzeria downstairs. We´re leaving the hostel tomorrow in search of some real Ecuador (and a room that doesnt have bunk beds!)