16th July

Another relaxing day at the house...we really are getting too comfortable here!!!! We go through the usual routine of washing, dressing and having breakfast, Mark spends a majority of the morning on the laptop saving our photos onto a memory stick that Andres very kindly brought us so we could back up our photos, while I carried on reading 50 shades of (crap) Grey.

We are quietly sitting here for most of the morning minding our own business and drinking copious amounts of tea when Auroria comes and announces she is taking us to the waterfall.... So we quickly grab our stuff in a daze like kidnappees whose family has paid the ransom we are dropped off told that the water is clean enough for us to wash our faces, pointed in the direction of home as Auroria drives off!!!

We head down the river to the waterfall (deciding to pass on the face washing!) and it's a pleasant surprise, it is very pretty so we spend some time here taking pictures and climbing to the top, I scrambled more then climbed but thats neither here nor there!

We started the scenic walk back and it was quite eventful ....we were watched by some cows...chased by dogs....and walked past an errie house playing load music while washing up very loadly.

We decided on the walk that it was probably best that we flew straight to Quito from Medellin instead of getting the bus as we had stayed here alot longer then expected and unfortunately we are on a tight schedule :( So we have decided to booked a flight. Arriving back Auroria had made us a delicious lunch of fish in a blue cheese sauce with salad.

I decided that we are going to cook the family a traditional English dinner before we leave!

When Laura and Andres get back we head into El Ritiro town to get the ingredients for dinner but end up staying most of the night playing pool, eating street food and watching the local parade, the town is celebrating the virgin saint of transportation, so there is a marching band, cars, motorbikes, trucks and buses all driving around tooting there horns and fireworks!

During one of our pool games we hear alot of whistling and shouting and Laura goes to investigate....someone's car is parked near the firework display so they can't start it yet..oh no!!! So we carry on playing pool about 10mins later a guy comes over and mentions the car....hang on a minute that's our car! hahaha.. Andres runs out to move it and is meet with cheering and shouting it's so funny...his 5 minutes of fame!!!!!
However we weren't the only car in the way and no one comes to claim the other one, probably because they don't want the same attention as Andres, so a group of guys bounce it out the way!!!

Then the fireworks begin, needless to say the health and safety rules are out the window, one of the methods of letting the fireworks launch is by a man holding them and lighting them and letting them go when they have enough force...excellent! The main problem with this is the fireworks have no clear direction and go anywhere they please, up in sky, over the houses, into the crowd!!!!!

However it's still another brilliant night with the guys, tipsy again we head back to the farm retelling the stories of evening to Erika....