Sure, some of the places didn't really warrant a revisit. Pasto, for instance, was just as bad the first time around as it was the first. Unfortunately for Teresita Rosita and gang, the border crossing had, for some strange reason, taken a tad longer than planned and rather than rocking up at their actual destination at 3am they opted to stop off in the delightful city of Pasto, with its friendly atmosphere of "stop and you will be mugged, killed, or at least spat on".
At least Teresita Rosita and Chancho Dan were able to find a tasty espresso, which had become a daily mission for the group since they had banded up. And Colo Rùccula stumbled upon some Yucca bread (one of her favorite things in the world) that was not only good, it was the best she'd ever tried. But apart from these highlights, the group still didn't linger for long and it was onwards and upwards and back to Popayan.
There Teresita Rosita saw loads of things she'd seen before and a few things she hadn't. The group had found some locals to stay with through a group that involved something to do with couches and surfing and these "surfers" showed the travelers some typical sights, fed them typical food and took them to a "typical" salsa club. It was interesting... And then up, up and away once more.
A delightful bus ride involving open windows, hot tropical air and good music later and the motley crew found themselves in Cali, for an all-too-brief stopover. Sure, Cali had was a little dirty and felt a little on edge, but it also felt like they had just arrived on the coast even though they were in a valley at least 4 hours from the beach. In Cali, they ate guanabana ice cream, drank sugarcane juice, sweated on the local buses and managed to stop themselves from buying anything neon, which the locals seemed to favour just a bit.
And then, it was back to Salento and La Serrana where Teresita Rosita had organised to stay put for a while and help out all the old friends she'd made there. While Chancho Dan and Colo Rùccula were still there the group explored the countryside, crossing rivers, getting chased by three-legged-rabid dogs, getting drenched in the daily afternoon downpours, but more than anything drinking loads of coffee.
Coffeecoffeecoffeecoffeecoffeecoffeecoffeecoffeecoffee
Hmm, Teresita Rosita had a slight case of deja vu for some reason.
But then it was time for the others to leave - they had things to do, places to see and all that jazz and Teresita Rosita was left all along in the green mountains to chill out, hang out and enjoy the fresh country air. She ate good food, drank much more coffee, went walking, got lost among palm trees and made a few new friends (she couldn't help herself really, and that panda hat didn't help in her cute factor much).
But she was missing her traveling buddies. They'd done so much together, seen so many things and tended to get on pretty well as well. Colo Rùccula was up in Bogota, and while the prospect of being back in a cold, rainy big city wasn't the most appealing thing to Teresita Rosita, being back in cahoots with her monkey hatted best bud won the competition, so off she set again.
A nine hour/one book length bus trip later and the deadly duo were back in action. And Bogota would never be the same again! Especially not the precious livers of its inhabitants or the backpackers traveling through her scenic streets. Teresita Rosita and her panda were put in charge of the bar at her new hostel of residence, and while the little angel stuck to her fizzy apple juice and lemonade, she soon learned how to mix up a mean margarita and mojito and lovingly plied the guests with her creations.
She and Colo Rùccula had soooooooo many new friends. Friends they took out sightseeing, played games with and then said goodbye to. It was great and it was awful. It was fun and it was torture. But it's hard not to make friends when you have a smiling panda or monkey on your head and when it came down to it, what was travel and adventuring without meeting amazing new people. Unfortunately amongst all these amazing people that came and went, Chancho Dan (who had rejoined the girls in Bogota after his foray down south) decided it was time for him to go home too. Teresita Rosita and Colo Rùccula planned to meet him Panama in the new year, but we all know how the best made plans turn out, so they had one last fiesta and waved their Chancho hatted buddy adios.
And then there were two! And what adventures they were going to have together during the remainder of their time in Colombia? Stay tuned...
