NB- will add a desert picture later, having trouble uploading at the mo

On Friday (28th) I travelled to Neiva, I had hoped to make it to the town of Villa Vieja and gateway to the desert "el Desierto de la Tatacoa" but the bus set off late meaning it arrived late and turns out I had just missed the minibus out to Villa Vieja- annoying! Particularly as everyone was sat on the bus waiting to leave from just after 10am but it didn't go anywhere til 10.30! Anyway, another long travel day. For the first couple of hours I read a book (which I started and finished- knew it was a good job I had a few books!) There wasn't really a lunch stop , well not until about 4pm when the driver got a meal. I just snacked on Almojabanabreadand crisps. A friendly Colombian, Andres,got on along the way and ended up sitting next to me and told me stuff about the area we were driving through. I saw where they were growing rice which I hadn't realised they grew here but of course it makes complete sense as it is a staple food of any lunch here! Once in Neiva and realising I couldn't go where I wanted to go I got a taxi towards the centre to try and find a hotel- the taxi took me to one which was fine, but on the more expensive side at 40,000 pesos- about £13 but accommodation is usually much cheaper! I was too tired and since it was dark I didn't want to end up trailing around looking for somewhere to stay. I watched a few films and got a takeaway delivered to the hotel as there were no restaurants nearby. Was glad they had a fan in the room, back to hot and humid weather again, don't think I'll need 4 blankets like I needed in Salento! Ha ha.

So on Saturday I got up and got ready to leave. Found a cashpoint and got a juice but was too late for breakfast as I'd had a slow start this morning! I was just in time for the midday minibus to Villa Vieja- it only took an hour but was a bit squashed in at the back- slept half the way, it's becoming a bad habit! On arrival I was approached by a tour guide who told me about what you can do there and offered a tour and somewhere to stay. Since I wasn't entirely sure of the best way to go about things I decided to do that so we headed out to the "Desierto de la Tatacoa" on his mototaxi. Juan (guide) took me to a cabana which is owned by a friendly family and I had lunch then we went out for a few hours to see the main sights of the 'desert', which he explained isn't really a desert as such. The LP describes it as a curiosity as it is a parched spot surrounded by lush green fields, which you really notice as you enter/leave the desert area. It is the second largest semi-arid area in Colombia. A lot of the area is dried up and withered but with spots of green and big cacti dotted all around- that's the view from the hammock with the backdrop of the mountains in the distance. Temperatures can reach 50 degrees but the guide said it was more like mid 30s in the afternoon- it felt baking!! There are different landscapes here and we first drove to see the tortoise, the crocodile and dog formations- they did look like the said animals! Then we went to 'Los Hoyos' which are grey-coloured rock formations and we walked in and around them. There were some shaped like ghosts- perfect for Halloween! After this we went to the labyrinthine of Cuzco which is orange/red in colour and you can walk in amongst the formations.It reminded me of places I have visited in Australia, perhaps sites of the red centre. There are hardly any people about and the few houses/accommodations that there are are really spread out. It is so quiet and tranquil everywhere, except for the occasional noise of birds. We passed only a couple of people, but quite a few goats and some cows. It definitely is like nothing else I've seen in Colombia! I'm glad I got the recommendation to come here as it was worth coming to see the desert and its landscapes.

I lay in the hammock and dozed a bit and when I woke up I could see heavy rain in the distance and it was getting windy- it looked like a storm was coming although it didn't rain much in the end. I was supposed to go to the Observatory but wasn't sure it would be worth it with all the clouds but a bit later I could see the stars so decided to go. I had my second ride on a motorbike to get there as I had explained that I wouldn't be able to walk due to my fear of the dark, sounds like an excuse but is true- it was so dark as there is no electricity here! The observatory has telescopes and a very informative astronomer who pointed out several constellations and galaxies. It's an ideal place to look at the stars since it is free of light pollution. The highlight has to be seeing Jupiter and you could just make out its rings through the telescope! The talk was all in Spanish though and unfortunately I couldn't understand everything he was saying. Today (Sunday) I had breakfast and luckily the weather seems a bit cooler- there has been a breeze for most of the morning. I have enjoyed lying in the hammock and getting up to date with the blog! This afternoon I plan to get a bus to San Augustin, which is the "Archaeological Capital of Colombia". Let's hope all goes to plan! Ha ha

Well, the last words written in the desert were wishful thinking! Journey was a bit of a pain, starting with getting back into town from the desert a little later than planned. Then waited 1 hour 45 minutes to get back to Neiva- turned out the elections which are being held all over Colombia today would affect transport! No-one seemed to know whether anything would be going but in the end something arrived and 13 of us crammed into a type of jeep! On arrival in Neiva I thought I'd have to wait til 6 for a bus to San Augustin then someone told me you can't go direct anyway so I'd need to go to a town called Pitalito first. So I got a ticket and the bus departed at 4.30 (30 minutes later than scheduled but this is typical here!) and we arrived in Pitalito just after 8, only to find that the transport that goes to and from San Augustin was finished for the day. Being the second time this had happened in 3 days I wasn't very happy, well, more frustrated really, but don't worry I know these types of issues are to be expected! The driver tried to help me but choices seemed to be 50,000 pesos for a taxi or get a cheap hotel for the night. I was heading for a nearby hotel when the driver shouted me back as there was a family in the same situation. They explained you can get a bus heading towards Popayan then get off at the road that turns off to San Augustin and we'd get a taxi to the town. This all worked out well and I arrived at my accommodation by 10pm! :-) Tired and hungry after having had no 'proper' food since breakfast, just crisps and biscuits :-( Luckily François of 'la casa de François' had some lovely homemade bread so I had a few slices of that. I woke up this morning after a really good night's sleep feeling refreshed and decided today would be a rest day. I think to visit the nearby archaeological sites you need to set off early and after two really long (10 hours) travel days in the past three days I think I need to take it easy today- it's a perfect place to do just that as the hostel is on a hill up from town in the countryside. They serve food and have hammocks, what more could I want?! :-)