It all worked out fine in the end! Diary of an older woman travelling solo in Colombia.

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Set off up the hill at the top of Salento at about 8 am in the hope that I might get to see the snow on top of the peaks in the Parque Nevada but as usual they were covered in cloud. Came across by accident one of the cafes I had been looking for a couple of days ago. As I have noticed on several occasions, the address that Lonely Planet had given was just plain wrong. Have found loads of inaccuracies in their Colombia Guide plus am irritated by their tailoring of information to the needs of the young backpacker crowd. We need a new series of guide books that are suitable for older people but don't assume you want to go everywhere in a chauffeur driven car and stay in expensive hotels.

My flight back to Bogota was at that irritating time when there isn't really time to go anywhere beforehand but you still have time to kill - perhaps that's why it was so cheap. Had coffee and quite a long chat with the owner of the hospedaje before leaving. He apologised again for not changing my room but since I had been offered lots of chances subsequently to change I couldn't really complain. This is a new guest house with very few reviews on booking.com so like my previous lodgings they are desperate for good reviews! He pulled my luggage up the steep hill to the square - there are no taxis in Salento, only jeeps!

Met a young German at the airport. He was 39, travelling alone, staying in hostels but found he was too old to hang out with the backpacker crowd - kept having to remind himself that unlike them he could afford to eat! I was quite chuffed to discover that he had attempted even less of a walk than me in Cocora - said he had been with people who were lazy!

Plane arrived a bit late into Bogota due to a storm and then had to queue for a taxi. Was glad I had stuck with the official queue and not accepted the offer of a taxi from a guy who was wearing lots of official-looking identity cards and who would have charged me half as much again as the one I got. He was extremely chatty and we covered a lot of ground, from whether it was safe to pick up a taxi off the street, capital punishment and where the gear stick was on British cars. The taxi ride took about three quarters of an hour as we were in the rush hour and I didn't get to my hotel until about 5.30 pm by which time I was wishing I had just settled for a hotel near thes airport, especially after I had looked up check- in time recommended by American Airlines which was three hours!

I had chosen the hotel in order to get a look at an area of Bogotá called Usaquén which is supposed to be quite pretty. Having set off in the wrong direction - I would like to blame the receptionist but I must have misunderstood him - I did eventually find the ‘centro historico’. People are right and it is pretty - it used to be a village in its own right before it was swamped by Bogotá. It’s a mixture of quaint old buildings housing mainly an eclectic bunch of restaurants and very modern ones offering sushi and Lebanese cuisine, for example. The area has a nice vibe and I would have been much better off in the evening there than in the area I chose for my main stay in Bogota.

Had plenty of time to have another look at Usaquén next day in the daylight and decided preferred it at night. Did manage to get a decent coffee, though. In the hotel when I asked for 'with a little milk' I got something that looked like water whilst the second attempt looked like milk only.

Got a taxi from the hotel. The traffic was horrendous and I was glad had allowed plenty of time - it took about an hour. Could just about cope with the driver's weaving in and out of other vehicles but got very nervous when he said he was pulling into the petrol station for gas, particularly when he opened up the bonnet. Were we going to break down? Observed that other cars were doing the same and filling up via a tube in the engine. Decided that this must be to avoid theft of fuel but it turns out that (some?)vehicles here run on natural gas, not petrol or diesel. Also learnt that private vehicles can only travel in Bogotá during the rush hour on alternate days, which explains why there were some well- heeled people on the Transmilenio.

I am not sure whether the hotel had a private transfer service but if they did it would have probably worked out cheaper. I knew there was going to be trouble when the driver said: ' You are rich, right?' I queried the fare. (The taxi was metered but we were off the list of charges and there were additional ones for pick- up etc). Managed to beat him down but forgot to check my change - by this time I was worried about him driving off with my luggage - so he short- changed me by 10000 pesos - about £2.50. And this after he had asked me all sorts of questions about my family - I shouldn't take it personally, obviously. A shame to end my time in Colombia on such a note but that's Bogotá for you.

Things didn't improve much at the airport. Got sent away from the check- in queue, firstly to get my passport stamped to say that I was exempt from departure tax and then secondly to the self service check-in, in spite of the fact that I wanted to check in my case. Half the self service check-in machines weren't working and at all those that were there was a staff member helping - ridiculous! Fortunately I had my own helper. Then when I finally got to the counter was asked if I would volunteer to stay another night and fly tomorrow as the flight was full! Should have asked what they were offering but I declined. Thank goodness I arrived in plenty of time, otherwise I could have been compulsorily bumped!

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