What everyone told me about the freezing conditions of overnight bus rides is true. From Santa Marta to Bucaramanga, I endured what has to be the coldest overnight bus ride ever. You really do need to bring earplugs, a warm hat, and sleeping bag--for my tank top under long sleeve shirt under sweater with hood under windbreaker with hood, jeans, socks, and tennis shoes did not suffice. Somehow I survived and, in the morning took the most spectacular bus ride to San Gil. For three hours, the bus wound its way up along Chicamocha Canyon and I gawked at the amazing grandeur of Colombia’s landscape.

San Gil turns out to be a fitting destination for all types of travelers: small-town people, nature lovers, adventure-seekers. Tired from travel, I spent the remainder of the day visiting a nearby town called Barichara, which was a lazy cowboy, picturesque colonial town settled on a steep hill. I must have been the only tourist visiting that day, as the locals gawked at me--most asking me if I was Japanese. The next day, I went whitewater rafting down Rio Suarez, offering several exciting class IV and V rapids. In the afternoon, I wandered around nearby Parque el Gallineral, a natural park that educates visitors of the local fauna and towns surrounding San Gil.

Many of the cutest towns in Colombia have really adorable two-story, white adobe homes with red tile roofs and bright green painted window and door frames, cobblestone roads, at least one green or cobblestoned Plaza Mayor. I’m currently in such a town three hours from Bogotá called Villa de Leyva. I am enjoying my last full day in Colombia by wandering the Saturday market, shopping in the artisan shops, eating arepas with beef and cheese (see photo), and drinking fresh raspberry juice (for $1!!!).