Cici Aquapark

A slightly earlier start to the day as we were up at 9.30 and after sorting a few bits on the internet we eventually went out to get some empanadas for breakfast along with a coffee. We then found ourselves once again on the Transmilenio bus system taking the same route as before to drop us somewhere near the water park. It wasn't as hot today as before so made quite a pleasant stroll alongside the parks until we finally reached the Cici Aqua Park by just after 1pm. Paying our $15,000 pesos or about $9 each to get in we picked up our free hat (which it is compulsory to wear) and went to get changed before entering the park. We spent the next 3 hours having a great time in the swimming pool which has a wave machine and on the water slides which are awesome as well as in the jacuzzi pool relaxing. We found it most hilarious when the wave machine was started up as the Colombians went absolutely crazy, partly because half of them cant swim and yet still try and play in the waves clinging for dear life on to large rubber rings, the sort you use to go down water slides, which were an extra $3000 each to rent if you wanted one. We had decided not to spend the extra money and so had the centre part of the pool practically to ourselves as the most of the Colombians stayed near the edge where the life guards could rescue them easily!! By a lucky chance though we did end up with the use of one of these rings for a while, allowing us to go on one of the slides where you need a ring as well as try and stay on it during the wave machine...most hilarious! We were queuing up for the water slides again when a man behind us tried to wanted to go in front to be with his son and nephew, after initially refusing when he spoke in spanish, we found he spoke quite good English and after telling us he got separated from them because he was so fat and couldnt keep up we laughed and relented and let him past. We chatted whilst in the queue and once we were all back in the pool once more he offered us one of his group's 4 rings so we could go on the other slide etc. We thoroughly enjoyed our few hours there and our only critisism would be that its bloody cold when you are out of the water and as 5 of the water slides all have the same entrance and therefore the same queue, you are waiting a lot longer than necessary than if they had separate ones and could just queue for the one you wanted to go on. They were awesome though, incredibly fast and a good variety of twists, turns and drops, some winding round each other, some plunging almost straight down etc. Eventually when our fingers and toes were very wrinkly from being in the water so long we braved to cold air, got out and went to get changed before walking briskly back towards the Transmilenio to warm up again. Other than being very crowded now it was rush hour, our trip back was uneventful and when we got back to the centre of town we headed straight for our favourite cafe place for a 'menu del dia' to warm and fill us up! After this we bought some colombian chocolate to try as well as a cup of some Colombian version of a hot toddy that is sold on the streets with Aguadiente instead of whiskey and mint leaves along with the usual honey and lemon, just nice to finish warming us up! We headed back to the hostel and after checking our emails found that we had a message from a couchsurfer in Leticia who has a hostel where we could stay the first night free and asking what time our flight was due in the next day as he could pick us up. Being uncertain of the exact time we had a look online at LAN who we had booked with and found to our horror that they had booked us on a completely different flight from the one we wanted, not just a different time but a different date....the 3rd of MAY!!!!! Huge panic ensued and we rang them up on skype to find that they had no record of us booking at any other time than what was on the itinery but that luckily for us they needed to change it to a different flight anyway (which they would do for free) and so we asked for one for the next day and were rewarded with a flight at 11.45am. Panic over we decided to go out again and get some more money out as we'd need to take a taxi in the morning as it was a much earlier flight than we'd planned on and so once more headed out in to town where as well as getting some money, we also stopped to watch various street performers, artists, glass blowers and nearer to our hostel some circus type acts with fire pois and staffs being twirled around to erratic drumming. One good thing about staying in the student district is that in a little square nearby there is always something going on, be it musicians, comedians, acrobatics etc and hundreds of people buzzing on alcohol, weed or just the energy around them and so it makes for an interesting visit. Leaving the melee behind we went back once more to the hostel to find that Claudia, one of the long term guests there had had her laptop also stolen that day and the police had been out, so glad we are leaving the place tomorrow!! We chatted with her and Richard for a while before turning in to bed intending to get an early night so we could get up in the morning. This seemed fine at first as people had either gone to bed or were out and about so the usual noise wasn't present and we were able to drop off quickly, that is until the door bell rang and the lazy bloody staff (who once again were sleeping in the dorm with us all) couldnt be bothered to get up and let them in! After a good 15 minutes of ringing and banging on the door and no sense that any of the staff were going to bother their selves, I took pity on them and got up to let them in. The couple were apologetic, but it wasnt their fault, I would have done exactly the same to be let in and it wasn't even that late really, about 12.30, so told them not to worry about it and went back to bed, dreading later on when I was sure the same would happen again and again until everyone was back!