One of the wonderful things about our hotel in Bogotá is the delicious breakfast buffet that most of the crew enjoy. Over several hours almost everyone passes by at some point. A small group of us decides to go horseback riding this time in Colombia. We have the information of a ranch in a nearby valley from another crew member and decide to head out there today. Bogotá is such a fascinating city. The houses climb up the hills and it takes us a while to leave the city behind us. The drive feels like a sight-seeing tour. There is so much to see and observe.

I love the highlands, the landscape is beautiful. The sun is shining today and the blue sky sparkles. The ranch lies in a lush green valley. Horses greet us already as we arrive. Two guides join us on our ride. We take the small roads and paths that steadily rise up the hill. We chat a lot and enjoy getting to know each other a bit better as we exchange stories. Birds are flying overhead and it feels nice to be out.

As we arrive up on the hill we have a fantastic view over Bogotá. The city is sprawling in the valley underneath us. In the distance we can make out the airport. We get off the horses and have a little rest. I have walked up the stairs to Monserrate before, but we are higher up now and have an even better view. And riding is not as tiring at 3000 metres high as walking.

On the way down we ride along fields and through little forests. It is really beautiful and I enjoy the different perspective from a horse’s back. As we get back we all agree that we would have loved to continue, maybe for an overnight ride. That would have been fun. Maybe that is an idea for another layover. Bogotá has always so much to offer, inside the city and outside.

Der Beitrag Horseback Riding in Bogotá erschien zuerst auf Where in the world is... Susanne?.

A colleague from my flight attendant training is on this flight. It is so nice to know someone before the briefing even starts. And then, on top of that, I got to land in the cockpit in Chennai. The moon is shining and the ocean is shimmering silver in the night. The city glows golden and then the landing strip appears before us. What an incredible experience.

Today we hire a taxi and drive out to Mamallapuram. The city is roughly 60km away from Chennai and famous for excavations and temples from the Pallava period (7^th till 9^th century). The sites are UNESCO world heritage now and definitely worth the visit. We love looking out of the window. There is so much to see and especially the cows lying on the road are fascinating.

The sun is shining and it is really hot. We relish the short drives between the sites in the cool car. The different temples we visit are quite impressive. So many delicately carved figures adorn the stone. The elephant seems to be an important figure as he stands next to one of the Pancha Rathas and forms a big part of the rock relief of the Descent of the Ganges. This I find maybe most impressive. The longer you look at it, the more you see. So many different figurines and animals appear only when looking closer.

Krishna’s Butterball is another spectacular site. Many Indians visit the site with us and walk around the granite boulder resting on the rocky slope. Next to the different sites are souvenir stands and food stalls. We love having a look around.

Mamallapuram is also famous for its beaches. This is where we spend the second half of the day. The water of the Indian Ocean is so refreshing after the morning of walking around. We share stories from our different flights until now and simply enjoy the afternoon.

Der Beitrag Chennai erschien zuerst auf Where in the world is... Susanne?.