So the Colombian bureaucratic system is an absolute joy.No wonder people don't come here. It's not the guerrillas it's the minefield of red tape i tell you!I've spent the last few days navigating the system in order to get my "alien card". First I had to go to the dreaded DAS office to get the forms. Then ensued a tour of the whole city to get ...

Despite the damage to my shoulder, I was still able to spend my day writing emails to various people to let them know what had happened. I was picked up late in the afternoon and taken to the private hospital for my surgery. I was under general anaesthetic for about and hour and when I came round Antonio proudly told me that the operation had go...

The ill winds have swept by and I think I am still standing. I survived a bureaucratic tangle with a passel of inept... well, bureaucrats; a bout of bronchitis and an ensuing regiment of self-injections (thank god for the sterile needle kit, eh?); an alcohol-free birthday party (damn codeine and needles and steroids and antibiotics...) with enou...

Sunday 18th Feb Day 3, Barranquilla Carnaval. We awoke at about 7.00am and went to a restaurant nearby for a desayuno (a complete breakfast). This was OK except for the yucca, which is sticky potato like stuff. After this we did our laundry at the hotel. They allowed us to do our own laundry. Now we knew that we would be stuck in the crowd all d...