We all know that Colombia is making huge strides forward, and today those of us here enjoy one of the most diverse, culturally rich countries in the world. For many, however, all they've ever seen is negative news coming out of the country (no matter how much positive press is being written right now). It has always interested me just what these people might think of Colombia should they experience it for themselves....

Here in the districts of Saladaoblanco, Isnos and San Agustin, the topography is uneven; valleys, hill plateaus and mountainous clusters come together to form its exotic and varied landscape. It is in this geographically contradictory territory to the south of Huila that in 5300BC an advanced culture evolved existed and disappeared in this strategically important natural passage from the foothills of the Colombian Massif to the Amazon.

To break up the bus trip back to Bogota from San Agustin, I made a stop into Neiva and the Tatacoa Desert for a couple of days. I visited the desert as a day trip from Neiva, the capital of the Huila district of Colombia. Starting off bright and early in the morning at the bus station in Neiva, I caught a collectivo bus to Villavieja. These buses don’t run on a timetable, they go when they’re full. It was recommended to me to go early so I wouldn’t have to wait too long and I only ended up waiting about 15 minutes. The trip to the town took around 45 minutes.

You've won a contest. The first prize is you get to visit as many countries as you can in one week. The catch? You only have 2 hours in each country and you only get one photo.

La Ciudad Perdida is a five-day hike in the Colombian jungle. A few summers ago, three friends were coming to visit me and I convinced them that this trek was something we needed to do together. They went for it and so, in addition to visiting Cartagena and Taganga, I made arrangements for us to trek to the "The Lost City" in the Sierra Nevadas of Santa Marta.