San Andrés - a little bit of Colombian paradise and a (totally worth it) boat ride from hell...

Isla San Andrés is actually closer to Nicaragua than Colombia, way out in the Caribbean sea. It's pretty cheap to fly to and a place Colombians love to go on holiday.The town itself is nice enough and has beaches, but the real gems are found on the islands and inlets that require a boat trip.

El Acuario is one of these...

...and from there you can wade across the waist deep water to Haynes Cay. There's an allegedly famous reggae bar there called Bibi's. Which was shut.

Yeah mate, if you say so.

It's pretty cool to wade across to another island, and the water was great for snorkelling. Apparently you can see manta rays here (I didn't) and there are loads of colourful fish. One woman did pull a lobster out of the water as well.

After El Acuario and Haynes Cay they take you to Jhonny Cay which is just off the main island. This was less busy than the other two, and the side away from the bars and restaurants was pretty nice. And the whole day trip cost 15,000 pesos (£4).

The following day was more of an adventure. A 45-minute speedboat ride (during which I switched between thinking I was going to either fall overboard or the whole bloody thing would capsize) took a group of us to Cayo Bolívar, part of the archipelago of this area. The most 'paradise'-type place i've been before was Long Beach on Koh Lanta in Thailand. Not any more. Cayo Bolívar now reigns supreme. The trip was considerably more than the previous day (180,000 pesos, about £48) but worth every penny (and not just because there was unlimited beer either). There were considerably fewer tourists and therefore much more relaxing. Lunch on the beach, as much as you could drink and the Caribbean sea - what more could you want?! This 'year abroad' lark is just 👌

Santander - peace & quiet, with a bit of rafting and colonial heritage (and lots of food) thrown in.

San Gil, in the northeastern department of Santander, has become something of an adventure sport mecca for people traveling in Colombia. Therefore, here's me in an inflatable raft 'tackling' grade 4 & 5 rapids on the Río Suárez just outside of San Gil...and managing not to fall in!

San Gil itself is pretty nice, and at night you can park your arse in the square with a beer with no hassle at all.

The local football pitch...

A hammock in the garden by the jacuzzi kind of thing....

The padlocks-on-the-bridge fad is alive and kicking in San Gil...

Barichara, a colonial town not far from San Gil...

...and from there I walked nearly 2 hours in the heat along La Camino Real...

...to get to a tiny colonial town called Guane. All about the colonial towns me.

Finished up the trip in Bucaramanga, where eating was the main activity. Why have one chocolate croissant for breakfast when you can have two?

And I found this awesome dulcería in the city centre, a family run place that has been making local sweets for over 50 years. This is dulce de leche mixed with pineapple...