Colombia had stolen our hearts somewhat  -  after rushing like mad through Central  America to catch the Stahlratte, we took a long relaxing breath and started to take things slowly to take our time to explore. We have decided that for us, getting to Ushuia before the weather turns would be too much, so we're now picking the brains of various wonderful overlanders that we meet for new and inspiring travel ideas. Alas, with every chance encounter, we are even more undecided on a route - one day we think possibly the Amazon, the next, mountains.

Colombia had us in its thrall - the country had everything - steamy coast, high mountains, beautiful towns, ancient sites, incredible wildlife and a mix of peoples and cultures.

One thing Colombia didn't appear to have is a vehicle emissions test. Climbing these fun switchbacks behind huge lorries crawling along belching thick black clouds of fug makes for some tired old lungs and grubby us at the end of the day. The other thing we're getting used to is the Tarmac Teaser - a gorgeous strip of new road to fool you which then abruptly ends in a spray of dust, gravel and mud. Fun times.

Nine days R&R in Salento saw us meeting overlanders Julie and Marcus Tuck, who not only gave us great travel tips but also fixed our shonky Vango tent poles (yet again) and fashioned a Coleman 533 holder for the top box. Huzzah. The campsite, La Serrana, had everything - amazing views over the coffee region, warm showers, a welcoming communal area and a fire pit - a few late night drinks were had round that with Todd & Chris, who were heading back to Peru via the Amazon.

En route to Popayán the bike started to not sound or smell too clever. Parking up, James decided to fix the problem. Not only had the regulator rectifier blown melting the electrics, the spare part we'd brought all the way from dear old Blighty had the wrong connectors. Doh. Alas, James's "repair" seemed to make the bike a tad more, well, dead. We decided that what Popayán really needed was the site of a couple of gringos sweatily pushing a 26 year old Honda through their streets. Luckily we found a shop that did a top job whilst we waited - utilising much tape and improv skills and only a 2 km push away. We then treated ourselves to a night at the cinema (Star Wars! Woohoo) in a bizarre brand new not-quite-finished mall. An odd place with top end shops, many empty lots and strange Christmas scenes adding a sinister touch.

Bike drop 10 came as we were nearing the end of our time in Colombia, navigating a crazy steep gravel path to a pyramid, part of an amazing string of archaeological sites at Tierradentro and San Agustín. Luckily for us, a wiry old local with a rope came to our aid and we slid the bike back down the path, the only damage was a broken clasp on our Andy Strapz pannier and pride.

We felt pretty homesick over Christmas, it's not always easy travelling and not knowing where you will be next. Despite Imogen's insistence on seeing every nativity scene in every church (one had many live animals you could pet, hoorah!) and decorations on the AT and in the tent, it still didn't feel like a super festive time, but the group of travellers and locals that were sharing the hostel and grounds made it a great time in the end as we sat down to a late night feast on Christmas eve.

Our first "death road" was the ruta 10 from Mocoa to Pasto, AKA The Devil's Trampoline. 80km of rough and bumpy climbs and turns plus a few water crossings for added bonus entertainment. The bike coped admirably under James's expert handling and Imogen only got wet feet once, walking through the first deep and fast flowing crossing. The view was spectacular with lush cloud forest, mountains and jungle, all on one stretch of road, with precipitous turns and landslides taking out the edge of the road, tumbling into the river far below. Luckily, a few sticks and some rope provided adequate barrier protection!

During the festive period it's usual for there to be unofficial tolls from kids (and adults!) dressed up in very sinister masks or in the case of the larger men, looking a tad like bargain basement prostitutes in long wigs, heels, short skirts and enormous fake breasts. My tip? Always have small coins in your pocket ready and waiting or on your own head be it! Buckets of water being thrown over passing people and vehicles was the usual punishment.

How did you spend the days between Christmas and New Year? We thought it would be a fun wheeze to spend it at the Colombia/Ecuador border, wondering how many tintos we could drink in the 8 hours it took to go 200 paces. Being too late in the day to travel further meant we could explore Tulcan and the fabulous topiary in the cemetery which is kept in check by 10 master gardeners. Even better, in the indoor market there was a busker on the panpipes playing Simon and Garfunkel - yep, we're either definitely in South America or any shopping centre in the UK!

We spent new years just north of the equator with a great bunch of Environmental Studies students from Vermont University on a field trip here who welcomed us into their group for the festivities whom we totally failed to lead astray, must be losing our touch.

It's been an amazing and incredibly varied 6 months - we've been in +45 degree heat down to near freezing by glacial lakes and at the foot of volcanos. From hanging with adventurous overlanders drinking G&Ts, travelling with fellow gorgeous bikers from the Stahlratte (yes, Takaya, Mark and co.) to sitting in hot springs looking up at a still quite lively volcano with mountaineers from Vancouver Island. We've met such wonderfully kind and interesting people: those that have taken us in and fed us, some sharing their family space with us (Belmonts, Annie & Bob, we're looking at you!) and the first nations Haa Ķusteeyí celebration where we volunteered have made this first half of our year long trip quite an experience.

Our tent poles have broken 6 times, we've dropped the bike 11 times so far and had 2 rear punctures, 2 new rear tyres and one new front. Rear bearings have been changed twice, a shiny new chain and sprockets in Bogotá and some fun re-wiring in Popayán. We've camped in forests, by ice lakes, next to various excitable volcanos, in bear and moose country, plus hearing coyotes howling in the night and finding scorpions in the tent to hot Mexican beaches where a moonlight swim is always fun. We've stayed in several love hotels, from the hyper ritzy in Mexico to dirty dives on the Nicaraguan/Costa Rican border, then made it up with wonderful homely places throughout Central America and Colombia.

We've seen some incredible wildlife (still holding out on condors, you pesky elusive birds you), crazy wildfires, bubbling lava, awesome archaeological sites and everywhere wonderfully kind and generous people, wanting to chat to us and experience a different culture and way of life.

Here's to the next 6 months....

Photos as usual on Imogen Burman-Mitchell's Facebook page and apologies for the lateness of this blog!