David here... The journey from Bogota was a little more stressful than it should've been due to the bus terminal being moved and the conductor constantly trying to tell us something in Spanish. Damn Google Translate not working offline at just the time we needed it. Anyway, as Suzanne mentioned in the previous post, the scenery was stunning, especially the bit between Tunja (pronounced Tunka, as someone helpfully told us in passing on the street). It reminded me of Switzerland without the snow or the peak district, just bigger. We arrived at the Terminal del Transporte and stepped out into Villa de Leyva, which can only be described as one of the most beautiful towns we have ever been. No wonder the guidebooks say it is a must see. All of the buildings are low rise ... read more

David here... An uneventful hour flight later and we were on the Caribbean coast in the city of Cartegena. The first thing that struck us was the heat. It was hot... much hotter than Bogota or Medellin where the altitude makes a massive difference to the climate. We walked out of the airport and were immediately accosted by taxi drivers, but we'd read that you should go to the taxi counter first to get a price otherwise you'll end up paying over the odds as the taxis have no meters and the driver will quote you a larger fare if you'd not got a fare up front. The counter was a left turn out of the airport and it cost COP 12,500 to get to our hotel. The Hotel de Magdalena was a small, basic room ... read more

David here... We jumped off the bus in Medellin just as it was beginning to get dark. We ignored the people 'organising' taxis for everyone and approached a taxi driver and showed him the address to our £16 hotel room. He said 'Si' and we were on our way. He dropped us off one road too early, but apart from that we arrived safely. The Hotel Casa Jardin was up some stairs and through a metal gate, controlled by reception. Our room was small, hot and cheap. It was only for one night and we weren't expecting to stay in much. We dumped our bags, chose a restaurant and headed out. We hit Restaurante el DF, a Mexican cantina, and enjoyed a Burro and Chimichanga, before moving onto the Custom Rock Bar a short walk away. ... read more

David here... We arrived at LAX at around 1700 and were walking out of the airport by 1800. We managed to be the first ones off the buses into immigration and with our ESTA visa waivers in place we breezed through. The first stage was the electronic passport, customs and finger print/photo taking which was different from the last time as it was fully automated. The next step was a full immigration check, where Suzanne went first and had fingerprints and photos again. I went to another desk and the guard asked me about our travels and why I was in LA. I explained, quite enthusiastically that we love LA and were here for sightseeing and a gig. He then asked about the gig and I explained about seeing Lordi at the Whisky in 2 days ... read more

David here... The first bus journey from Gyeongju to Daegu took 50 minutes and was very comfortable. Arrivals was on the 2nd floor. Ticket sales and departures were on the 3rd floor. We made our way up and found the ticket counters. While looking at the boards, which did have English on, we were approached by a gentleman in uniform who asked us if we required any assistance. We asked about onward tickets to Daejeon and he promptly led us over to the ticket counter, ordered the tickets for us, translated the sellers information and then led us to the platform gate we required. We were astounded and very appreciative of the assistance. We would've been able to figure it all out given time I'm sure, but to have some official assistance made it really easy. ... read more