Our first concert was that very night and we had to rehearse the whole programme and then play it all over again - this was no mean achievement as I had given us quite a challenging and lengthy programme! The hall in Medellin is absolutely huge for a chamber music concert with a seating capacity of 1600 and the seats went back a very long way plus there was dress circle so it felt rather like hard work to fill the massive space. Nonetheless the audience were very enthusiastic and gave us two standing ovations and so we were happy with the way that it went.

The next morning, however, we didn't feel quite so happy as we had to get up at 5.30am to catch our next flight which was to Bogota. But having arrived in good time we were told, as we checked in, that there was a flight leaving in 15 minutes and that we were going to be on it! I think that this short time in Medellin airport must get the prize for the most efficient departure time that I have ever experienced as we were in and out of the airport in the space of 20 minutes! During the flight John had found a Sudoku game in the back of our In Flight magazine and promptly introduced me to the dubious joys of this form of entertainment. We completed it fairly efficiently and were wondering what to do next when I spied a cryptic crossword on the same page - in Spanish! My grasp of the Spanish language ranges from fair to very basic, depending on how frequently I have visited Spanish-speaking countries; at the moment it is definitely down at the basic level, so it was with more than a wry smile that John and I decided to have a bash at the cryptic crossword. I feel embarrassed to report that we managed to complete only one of the clues but, not daunted, we ventured on to the next brain game which was a sort of history test in Spanish! By this time, my memories of night school aged 22 learning the Spanish language with a colourful teacher were flooding back and we did rather better on the history test, possibly because it was a multiple choice too. Having arrived at Bogota airport, all thoughts of fatigue had disappeared in the considerable mirth at the ridiculousness of our behaviour so it was with good humour that we sat down to wait for our driver who had obviously not known that we were on a much earlier flight. However, an hour and a half later (when we had completed all available silly challenges in the magazine) we were wondering where he had got to.

I ventured off to the Information desk only to find that there wasn´t one. So, I asked a lady at the Airline desk for some help and was brought promptly back down to earth by my lack of Spanish as she couldn't understand a word I was on about! Luckily I was rescued by a delightful fellow passenger who spoke perfect English, and phoned the hotel for me to find out what had happened to our driver. Not content with this act of kindness, he waited around to make sure that the driver found us safely!

That's one of the things about travelling around - there are always unexpected sources of help and I have met some very kind and charming people during my various travels.

Our hotel in Bogota was gorgeous - very old fashioned in style and we loved it. We were in the historical district of Bogota but sadly we felt too tired to contemplate any sight-seeing as our next concert was that very night and we had only a few hours to rest, eat some lunch and rehearse. As a complete contrast to the hall in Medellin, the hall in Bogota is a perfect chamber music venue and, as a testament to this fact, there are rows and rows of fascinating photographs that line the corridors in the backstage area. I even caught a glimpse of my teacher, Pauline Scott, in her days when she played with the ECO! The concert went even better and once more we were treated to two standing ovations and so many shouts and cheers that, although we felt very tired, we gave our enthusiastic audience two encores - and were rewarded with a further standing ovation. Backstage, we were greeted by the new British Ambassador and his charming wife and were delighted that they had come to hear us. By this time, it was getting late and we had another 5.30am start so we had a brief dinner in the hotel and then went to get as much rest as time would allow.

This morning, we were at Bogota airport at 6am and, contrary to our Medellin experience, the check-in time ranks as one of the longest and most arduous that I have ever encountered. I was so bored that I had time to contemplate exactly how many flights we were going to clock up on this trip - and the answer is, 12 flights in 13 days.... Once through the red tape, we flew to Panama City and during the flight, we found another cryptic crossword to complete! I am happy to report that this time, we managed to get three of the clues right, so at least we're improving! Our connection to Lima was efficient and so here we are with our first free evening of our trip.

We have already spotted a nice little restaurant with some delicious sounding treats - a relaxing meal, coupled with a nice glass of wine, should do us just fine.....

I will report back next time!

Until then

Tasmin