He tends to his eight cats, three dogs, five goats and a palomino horse, named Boss.

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The walk from the Colombian town of Palomino to the beach took 15 minutes along a scorching hot dirt road.

BBC: Colombia��s virtually vacant paradise

His Palomino fund was up 13.3% net of fees through the first half of the year, after sinking 5.09% in 2011.

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The convictions of Jose Manuel Garcia Yeres and Hector Palomino Lopez fell far short of what prosecutors were seeking, reports the BBC's Gideon Long in Chile.

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About 25 km from Palomino, 30 minutes by bus, is the Quebrada Valencia park, where bamboo forests, enormous banyan trees and an impressive series of cascades provide shade from the oppressive heat.

BBC: Colombia��s virtually vacant paradise

And it's here, at the rambling and thrillingly authentic Dixie Dude Ranch, that I am inducted into that cult, riding my palomino slowly through the herds of longhorn for hour after hour.

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From here, you can head back to Palomino or catch a bus south to the livelier shores of Santa Marta or Taganga, 70km from Palomino and popular for sightseeing, scuba diving and partying.

BBC: Colombia��s virtually vacant paradise

Inner tubes can be hired in Palomino, and after an hour or two of floating, just before the cool river spits you into the warmer sea, there is a rope on the right side that you can use to do your best Tarzan flip into the water.

BBC: Colombia��s virtually vacant paradise