I ended up staying on longer with my 'Colombian family' and I finally left yesterday after having enjoyed 10 days with them in San Gil. They were happy for me to stay as long as I wanted- it meant a lot to be treated as part of the family and I felt very at home there. I was very lucky to have had that opportunity :-)

Anyway, time to get back to travelling again, so yesterday was a travel day to get to my next stop. I expected it to be about a 6 hour journey but ended up being 9! :-( Unfortunately the mini bus broke down about 20 minutes out of San Gil! At first the driver thought it was because it was out of petrol (you'd think he'd make sure he had enough petrol!) so he went to get some petrol (we were close to the next town Socorro) but that didn't help……we had to wait for another bus to pass. Ended up waiting 2 hours! So we set off on the journey much later than expected. Lunch stop at 1.30 where the 2 Colombian ladies from my original mini bus looked after me and I made sure I got lunch- I went for chicken breast which was so big I could only eat half of it! We arrived at Tunja at about 5pm and I decided to call the hostel (Renacer) in Villa de Leyva to see if they had space. They did so I got a mini bus there and finally arrived at about 6.30 or so! I felt shattered but the atmosphere at the hostel was friendly and immediately welcoming.Both my guidebooks recommend it, as did the German couple I met, and it's easy to see why. It's about 1km out of the town which is about a 20 minute walk; don't worry, last night I got a taxi, no way I was walking through town and uphill with my bags! It has an open air kitchen and communal area and there were lots of people hanging out, chatting. I brought a very unhealthy "dinner" from the hostel- a packet of crackers, plantain crisps and chocolate bar, ha ha- too late to go into town and I didn't need a proper dinner anyway after the chicken at lunchtime! Chatted with some people and played cards, which was nice- evening temperature is cold though. Ok, it is an open air space so basically sitting outside but I had on a T-shirt, my hoodie, my fleece and scarf! Good preparation for Bogota, where it will be cold. Ha ha, yes I know I complained about the heat before BUT even the Colombian people I've met agreed about the heat and humidity of the coast!

I was sooooo happy this morning to have a hot shower, my first hot shower in 5 weeks! JThe morning temperature was quite cool so good job, I'd not have been able to go in a cold one! Had a nice breakfast at the hostel, including my first cup of tea since Minca! I loved the hot chocolate for breakfast at Elizabeth's house (which I found out was made from real chocolate, lovely, none of this instant stuff!) but it was good to have a cup of tea! I then headed into the town and what a lovely town it is. Villa de Leyva is one of Colombia's most scenic, colonial towns and is a National Monument. The cobblestone streets and pretty buildings are protected and there are no modern buildings. It was a hot and sunny morning and I enjoyed wandering around, taking photos and looking at the lovely buildings. I also visited a museum of a Colombian painter and sculptor called Luis Alberto Acuna. A lot of his work was displayed, including paintings, sculptures and murals and the house it was in was also nice, with a pretty courtyard. Afterwards I went for lunch and had a "Vegetarian Arepa" which was like a pizza but with a thin arepa for a base. Topped with lots of tasty vegetables, very tasty!I then went shopping and brought granola, fruit and yogurt with the intention of healthy tea/breakfast. I had planned to cook since the hostel has a kitchen but lunch was bigger than I'd planned so maybe tomorrow instead. I also got some tea bags and milk and am currently enjoying my second cup of tea- perfect for this chilly evening. It has thundered and rained too, yes, I know sounds a little like Manchester! I am also enjoying listening to the Merengue/salsa/Vallenato music Victor Eduardo got for me after our dance lesson- thanks Victor Eduardo! But no dancing here, the other people at the hostel may think it was a bit strange if I start dancing around!