Extra entry: The food, people and other interesting tidbits

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We are due to catch our flight to Peru in a few hours, but thought we should write a short entry on general life in Colombia.

Food: Colombians enjoy their carbs, with fried eggs, rice and a platana (another fruit close family of the banana, smashed and deep fried) for breakfast. Lunch is the main meal, normally consisting of chicken or fish (or trout in the mountains), with pasta, rice and potatoes. Their salads are miserable - nothing more than lettuce, tomato and onion.
Their fruits, however, need special mention. We have never seen so many wierd and wonderful fruits in one country before and tried them all out for our breakfast smoothies. They even have tomato fruits (a cross between a tomato and a raspberry)! Fresh fruit juice is available everywhere.

People: Colombians are friendly folk, and most won´t take advantage of the ¨gringo¨ (ie foreigner). A few days ago, I walked into a coffee shop to ask where I could buy milk. 15 minutes later I was drinking tea in the home of a patron at the coffee shop, after which she loaded me with coffee, panela (a type of raw sugar), bubblegum, etc. One bus trip, a local man took it upon himself to be our guide, pointing out all the rivers and towns to us.

Other: Tourism is on the rise here (mainly thanks to the previous president who really dealt well with the drug and guerilla groups, crippling them both). Security checks on buses are very random and not that well coordinated, and all bus drivers are crazy. The roads are chaotic and every bus and taxi is pimped up. Cali is the only town where you can drink the water and actually throw toilet paper into the toilet! There are an endless number of waterfalls and rivers, and we really became spoilt for choice while here. Prices are on a par with South Africa, a welcome relief after expensive Brazil.

We highly recommend this country. We are excited to see Peru, but can´t believe how quickly time is passing!
Love to you all!

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