As soon as we reached Colombia, we began to hear the local phrase con mucho gusto. Essentially meaning 'with pleasure' but directly translated with lots of likes. This sums up the Colombian people we have met so far who are both friendly and lively. You instantly understand why all travellers have been raving about this part of South America as their favourite destination. With a troubled past, it is clear Colombia and it's people have moved forward.

Our first stop in Colombia was Bogota. Like most capital cities, it is divided into different districts. We were staying in the Candelaria, the historical centre filled with coloured houses and graffiti painted walls. Upon arrival it felt like one of the least safe places we have been. With few people on the streets apart from homeless and drug dealers, it did not feel like the party centre we were expecting. On the second night whist sat at a restaurant, we watched 12 soldiers storm through the central square with machine guns (unsure if this made us feel better or worse). It turned out our first few days were in fact national holidays. The pace of the Candelaria switched up and changed the next days as people returned to the city.

Other districts around the city include Zona Rosa. Extremely upmarket, it looked more like America complete with a Dunkin Doughnuts and Forever 21. We went here to party on 'gringo Tuesdays'. A night which was a 'cultural exchange', Colombians and gringos greeting, meeting and drinking. We arrived a little late and subsequently had to down several aguadientes (colombian drink very similar to sambucca). What was clear in the club was the heavy ratio of men to women, that is western men to colombian women. Most days you'd wake up to hear lads chatting about their attempted conquests. There is no denying the Colombian women are exceptionally beautiful.

We saw more of the city through a group bike tour (Bogota Bike Tours run by a  Californian journalist Mike) . The first stop was of course a viagra stall. One of the natural type and when I say natural this included throwing a live crab in to a blender. The final concoction was a milkshake and Rory reported surprising tasty. With that over, we then conveniently rode in to the red light district where we were informed there was 'high impact activity'. Interesting sights to say the least.

We hadn't embarked on the x rated tour so we also whizzed past the emerald exchange centre (where unless you are a local you will be ripped off), a coffee factory and local university . Here in the university it was a clear safe haven for students as the police are forbidden to enter the premise. Weed in the air, a big mural of Che Guevara and plenty of meaningful graffiti, it's clear this generation have something to stand for.

The city itself is full of graffiti and there are tours specifically for this. On the bike tour, we saw both comical and political arts. There was outrage last year when Justin Bieber painted a marjuana leaf on a wall accompanied by the police who helped escort him home. When a local artist did the same (without permission), he was chased down and shot dead by the police. Most people would prefer this to happen to the former than the latter. It seems in terms of the authorities there is still some way to go.

We played one of the national sports whilst there, Tejo. This is a mix of bowling plus gunpowder combined with a few beers. Rory was the most successful with a loud bang erupting as he hit the jackpot. He's now ready to start his new career. I on the other hand should stick to the beers...

We were lucky to be in Bogota for the other big sport, futbol. The Copa America has just started and we were there along with our US friend Jenna for the Brazil /Colombia group game. Arriving early to the Bogota Beer company (great ales and pizzas), we were sat amongst the locals. Colombia managed to get a tense 1-0 win and from the celebrations you would have thought they'd won the world cup. The pub erupted at the final whistle and people began to party on the streets (it was the first time they'd beaten Brazil in 24 years).

To finish our last few days, we indulged in a few more cultural activities. A gold museum with pre inkan artefacts, a cable car journey to the Cerro de Monserrate (great view of the city) and our favourite the Botero museum. Botero, who was born in Colombia was inspired by the works of artists including Picasso and other impressionists. His paintings are iconic due to the rounded nature of his subjects, big booties being the most prominent feature. Very on point looking at the Colombian ladies (both real and fake).

Rory also made sure we stopped at La Puerta False after watching Anthony Bourdain's documentary there. We tried was one of Colombia's healthy classics, chocolate completo. This consisted of rich hot chocolate, cheese bread, more bread and a lump of cheese. We also sampled tamale, a regional dish made of masa (a starchy corn dough) combined with meat and corn, which is then steamed in a leaf wrapper. Both were delicious and I'd definitely recommend a visit.

With a great start to our Colombian adventure, we were next on to the coffee region Salento. We were taking our first Colombian propeller plane and I can tell you Rory was excited.