The day started like the other days here with a breakfast next door. It is run by a very nice couple that only seem to cater for breakfast. As we emerged from our posada they are normally sitting outside waiting for customers. They see us and greet us in, the food is very good and cheap with the added bonus of some nice classical music to go with the surroundings. This village has so many nice places to sit and relax, I especially like the coffee shops with nice cakes and pastries. Despite a healthy selection of people walking around there isn't enough people to fill them - how they survive is a mystery.

Having seen an improvement in my back we went out for a wander round the charming cobbled streets with white washed houses. Liz gravitated into the houses that have been tastefully converted into shops selling items for the Columbian tourists that come here for the weekend. Whilst Liz was present hunting I was more than happy taking photos of pretty much everything again. This place is delightful, more tastfully restored than anywhere I have seen in England or Europe. Houses have little hand painted signs that are almost works of art in fact this is where a lot of artists base themselves. Original terracota tiles decorated with fossils lead you into courtyards filled with flowers. Doors and windows with ornate locks open out onto visas of mountains, terracota roofs and brilliant white-washed churches. Items for sale are of a high standard, Liz found a nice Bohemian type skirt that she liked and bought (we payed by credit card).

The afternoon brought the now usual thunderclouds and the inevitable heavy rain. We retreated into one of the many intimate bars over looking the square. The music was excellent and helped us improve on an already high feeling.

As the rain stopped a crowd gathered in the square. Animal hide drums were arranged into a semi circle and various performers came out in very elaborate costumes. I rushed across with my camera for a closer look.

This was simply an amazing sight to behold. I don't know what it was all about but it was very symbolic. It appeared to be a good vs evil reinactment. A guy all in black looking like he came out of the Matrix had cat eye contact lenses and up close could very much take the part of the devil. Conversely there was a Japanees looking woman dressed all in white with a white painted face and blue lips. She had a sword and moved very slowly well outside the perimeter of the audience. Others seemed to depict types of animals: a cat and an amazing stilted crow where the most prominent. There were lots of drums and dancing with ribbons - fasinating!

The place had a festival feeling, I was more than happy to oblige back at the bar. I joined Liz (who was talking to her Mum on Skype) and a lady from Bogota that said "hi" to me in English. She was learning English and keen to practice. Unfortunetly she didn't know what the performance was all about.

We had an evening plan for a change - we were told that there was going to be a live band on in one of the courtyards where we could also eat and drink. The evening cold and hunger dragged us out of the bar, with farewells we proceeded on to see the band.

The square and streets looked even prettier at night. The churches were lit up and the streets were lined with tasteful blue Christmas lights. The band was playing next door to the place that we bought Liz's skirt. Before we could enter Liz was ushered back into the shop by the restaurant staff - we had left our credit card there by mistake. Bless the Columbians they have a reputation of being very honest, the shop owner actually went out of her way to locate us and left instructions to get us back into the shop on sight.

Unlike the rest of Columbia this restaurant had some vegetarian dishes we could choose from. Up to now the only way you could get a meat free meal was if they accidently forgot to put the meat in. To boot we had vegetarian lasagna - about as rare as a Dodo outside of England.

The day was going like clockwork we finished our meal just as the band had stopped for a break. Across the courtyard was an inviting bar. We had a drink, next to five very drunk Columbians having a whale of a time. Someone famous once said that five Columbians in a room is called a party. We stayed there for a while before moving inside to an open fire complete with old rock pictures. You would be chuft to find this gem of a pub back home in the Cotswolds never mind in the middle of Columbia.

Feeling pretty knackered and planing to get up early to go onto Bogota we headed back to our room. We went past even more interesting drinking spots back to the square. However a foursome Columbian band stopped us in our tracks. They had two guitars, a banjo and a jaw bone off something like a llama. The teeth of the jaw bone were rubbed by a wooden rod whilst the jaw bone itself was twanged to create this wierd wobbly sound. The music and the bands attire were facinating, we actually went back to the posada and came back out with the camera to film the goings on.

With my back aching again I went across to the other side of the large square to the steps under the church to sit down. The steps were full of Columbians drinking beer from a nearby shop. Young and old alike in small groups were sitting having drinks and laughs. A few people had guitars and were playing music, it so felt like a festival. I get the impression that the Columbians work hard and know how to enjoy themselves, making this a normal weekend. They also do it in style: they love art, good music and have either a traditional or Bohemian dress sense.

Despite the fun festival atmosphere that was still kicking off, the long day, cold air, bad back, being pretty drunk and the prospect of an early start eventually forced us back in the direction of the posada.

Columbia is getting better and better, I now know why all travellers that have been here are sad to leave - we havn't even got to it's highlights yet!