San Gil is the “Adventure Capital of Colombia”. You can do almost any extreme sport here – they have paragliding, Class 5+ rapids, caving, canyoning mountain biking and cliff jumping. By western standards it’s all cheap – you can paraglide for 120k COP (less than $55CDN). Rafting is even cheaper (though the cost of your life or small intestine if you pick up a little parasitic friend* in the polluted waters can make it a bit more costly).

My favourite activity however – bar none – is the domicilio. A domilicilio, (aka motorcycle taxi) is the best extreme sport you could ask for. It’s also the most economical thrill, with a 3km trip costing about 75 cents. There are few things I love more than hopping on the back, putting my blind faith in the driver (quite literally it’s often blind as sometimes I prefer to close my eyes, feel the wind against my skin, hear the bark of the dogs chasing us and put my fate in the hands of destiny). San Gil is nestled in a valley, surrounded by mountains that are a blast to zoom up and down, hugging the curves of the road, speeding across the yellow line and dodging oncoming gravel trucks. The helmet the drivers carry is a mere formality; most are ill-fitted with the insides coming out and dangling chin straps. I’d much rather let my hair blow in the wind – just as I’d rather go quickly should we crash instead of sit on the side of a Colombian highway clinging to life with an unexpectedly effective chinstrap.

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*In the past week I’ve met 2 people carrying parasites. A third is extremely likely but is not yet diagnosed.