With Kenny operated-on, plated and stuck back together there were a few days remaining to fly and to enjoy / explore the area.

Each day since I arrived has been flyable and conditions are gradually getting better as the flood waters drop and the ground starts to dry out. It was sooooo nice to get some relaxed flying without needing to be anywhere at a particular time :) Sometimes, when I am having so much fun flying in circles all thoughts of flying just disappear and instead I am transfixed by seeing things - patterns in the fires in the sugar cane fields, reflections of the sky in the flood water, fish swimming in the lake ( yes I was that low!! :-D ) cool villages to land in...its not an efficient way to fly but its fun and often an adventure!

Landing friends - Little Niko & bigger Nicky!

Other days 'reality' sneaks back and too many thoughts of stuff going on / things I need to do / what the future will bring / other peoples problems etc just invade me and I can't fly at all. The glider goes everywhere it wants but nowhere I want, all the thermals are for other people and all the sink for me and after a short battle I have to admit defeat, thats its just not my day and go to land.
These are the shitty days that don't happen very often but usually have some other mishap attached to them....like forgetting to unclip my kocoon and not being able to put my feet out to land and then getting splatted by a dust devil crossing the field or not realising that the Pacifico wind has come in 2 hours earlier than usual and going to a reliable place to climb and getting battered in the lee before landing in the 'only' available option after a hit and  miss, backwards and upwards, push through wind and rotor!
So, its been a week of all extremes! Highs and not-high-enoughs ;-) and just a couple of lows..... but even the days with lows have always ended on a high so the balance was always happy, fun and positive.

During the competition I was always following the task in the car so that I could know 'first-hand' what the conditions were like on course ( though from the ground obviously! )
A few times as we blasted at high speed along the road trying to catch up the gaggles on their direct route we passed through amazing countryside that wizzed by in shades of green but with little chance to stop and enjoy. So, one of the 'change of plan' missions was to enjoy the scenery slowly..... the first attempt at renting a motorbike was just a little too 'slowly' as it stopped and died near Zarzal!

Coffee, citrus, banana and bamboo near Caicedonia

The friend of a friend of the chap who offered his "new, very good conditions, all papers, new tyres and working lights" 125cc wreck came up with his own bike for a couple of days so off towards the mountains we went.
Through coffee farms, banana plantations, orange groves ( with armed guards - what was hiding behind the citrus trees???? ;-) ) through green green hills, past lakes and over streams, past bamboo forests and Brahman cows walking up the central line of the main road. Getting lost, finding the way again, enjoying sunshine, avoiding late afternoon storms and arriving back as it became dark, cold sea wind on the journey ' over the back' and back to warm breeze in the valley, it was a FUN 2 days :-)

My last night in Rolda saw the Gran Cabalgata parade through town in the twilight. I have never seen so many silicone enhanced, high heeled, big hatted, drunken women on horses in my life! :-) Boys, you really missed a treat!
The only requirement was a horse (though a mule was acceptable) skin tight jeans, high heeled stiletto boots, a big hat, a very small shirt, a movil phone to take pictures of yourself and lots of Aguardiente!!

Never been on a horse in her life!

Horses, hats, heels and lots of hooch!

The only girl  who knew 1 end of a horse from the other!

For hours after dark horses pranced, kicked and squeeled through the main streets of Roldanillo.....followed by the street sweepers cleaning up the streets before it all turned very nasty in the rain!

Now all too quickly the adventure is over ... back in Spain its cold and dark and all my thoughts are in the fun and sunshine of the last weeks.

Àger launch - from sunshine to snow in the blink of an eye :(