After freeing ourselves from the clutches of Amazonian heat and humidity, we were on a mission to find something even rarer than river otters. We had received word that the mountains near Quito harboured something that on this continent was rather strange and unfamiliar – good food that wouldn’t make us sick! Rolling into Mindo, a tiny town set amongst the emerald green foothills of the Andes, things looked rather positive. A semi-charming and refreshingly clean Main Street welcomed two weary, worn-down travellers and we were pleasantly surprised. Following a quick visit to a few of the accommodation options, we settled on a peaceful and comfortable little place that was set in a ramshackle old orchid garden. Various species of Hummingbirds called the property home, along with a number of squirrels and colourful tanigers. Things were most definitely looking up!

Hummingbirds and a ‘cloud forest’

The highlight of our time in Mindo was the afternoon we spent hiking some nearby trails in the mountains. Catching a homemade, improvised cable car over a deep bush-clad valley, we ventured to a number of beautiful waterfalls on well-trodden paths.

That water was pretty chilly!

Our new camera came out of the bag immediately and Joel happily set to navigating its functions.

That’s a Cock of the Rock bird on the right

Taking refreshing dips in the cool water and admiring the beautifully coloured butterflies that flitted in and out of the trees, it was lovely to be in a little bit of semi-wilderness once again.

When we first arrived in town, we noticed a stooped, elderly man dressed in an old military uniform walking the streets. All of the locals seemed to know him, greeting him like a long-lost friend. This guy was a character – gumboots and a deeply-lined face made us wonder what his story was. And, sitting in our favourite restaurant one night, it wasn’t long till we found out. The chatty waitress told us that he had been a colonel in Ecuador’s war against Peru in 1941. A quick, bloody battle; this was the war where Peru stole over half of Ecuador’s territory, mainly the Amazon areas that were brimming with oil. With this info, we figured out that our Colonel must be in his early 90’s – but he had the mobility and look of someone in their late 70’s. Amazing!

The Colonel himself

After four days of semi-decent food, friendly locals and fresh mountain air, we were feeling better – and a little bored – so we headed north to our next destination, Otavalo. It was here that Joel came down with the worst tummy bug of his life, let alone in South America, and he had picked it up in Mindo. The place we had sought to re-charge our weary travelling bodies had gone and made Joel sick as a dog, which wasn’t cool. We crossed the border to Colombia feeling a little sick and tired of South America.

Colour, energy, grime and the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen in my life: Welcome to Colombia. At the border here, we were told to expect intense bags searches, staunch police officers and lots of guns. Instead, we encountered zero bag checks – to the extent that we were worried we had somehow missed the immigration checkpoint – no cops and no firearms. Bugger, we shouldn’t have ditched our stash so hastily in Ecuador! Just kidding, Mum.

Our welcome to Colombia consisted of a horrific truck vs truck accident, minutes into our journey north from the border. A full-size truck and trailer had lost control on a corner, collecting an equally proportioned truck on its way up the hill. The result was a mess of twisted metal, glass and – sadly – death. Despite pretty decent roads, this was an all too common occurrence in South America. These guys simply can’t drive to save themselves. Passing on blind corners, a complete disregard for smaller vehicles and shocking judgement calls has had us white-knuckled on pretty much every leg of our journey. To add to the mayhem on the roads, seatbelts are not commonly used – we often get odd looks when we fumble to fasten up.

Truck vs Truck, 20 minutes into Colombia

Arriving in Medellin after a number of long busses and overnight stays in grimy towns, we honestly had no idea of our next move. The city of Medellin used to be the most dangerous and murderous in the world, with car and bus bombings and kidnappings a daily occurrence. This was all thanks to Pablo Escobar and his lucrative cocaine business. But, 20 years after his death, things are looking much better. By chance, we’ve been adopted by some Colombians who own a beautiful home set amongst jungle-like gardens. Mariano, a Spaniard who moved to Colombia 8 years ago, has been helping us plan a Colombian itinerary that is truly epic. Meeting these guys has been an absolute stroke of luck – we’ve been enjoying tagging along for all of Mariano’s errands, seeing the city through different eyes in the back seat of his land rover. We’ll probably hang around here for another day or two, before launching into our new adventure. Secret Caribbean Islands, coffee hacienda visits, Salento Palms and the fairytale city of Cartagena – not for the first time, the next few weeks are looking pretty incredible for these two very spoilt travellers!