In six years as a captive, Fernando Araujo held onto his sanity by keeping to a daily routine and lingering on every task - even drinking a cup of water - for as long as possible.

The 51-year-old former Cabinet minister slipped away from the rebels holding him during a military attack on New Year's Eve and was on the run for five days through hostile territory.

But Araujo, who was grabbed by guerrillas in this Caribbean city while jogging Dec. 4, 2000, was not beaten down during long, dull days in the bush guarded by young guerrillas.

``Whatever daily chore I was doing, whether it was bathing myself, eating, or washing the dishes, I turned these in to important activities,'' Araujo, his face gaunt and his body rail-thin, told The Associated Press in an interview.

Colombians have lapped up every detail of his extraordinary ordeal, beginning with images of an unrecognizable and newly free Araujo, looking dazed as soldiers lead him from a military helicopter.

``At the beginning, it was very stressful, the sudden change of living your life to suddenly finding yourself in the mountains, out of place, the uncertainty,'' he told the AP on Wednesday.

``Little by little, I became aware that the important thing was to accept the situation of being kidnapped and begin to live my new life as a hostage.''

So he'd wake early every day, exercise, and then listen to news on the radio.

Whenever luck provided him something to read he devoured it, at one point gleefully immersing himself in a chemistry textbook.

Araujo also tried to understand his captors - rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC - seeking insights about the five-decade-old conflict that plagues his country.

``These are boys from the countryside, most of whom are illiterates, who don't have much knowledge,'' said Araujo, a university graduate. ``They receive a permanent indoctrination that tells them that the rest of society is bad or ignorant and it's only the rebels who are good.''

Rebel commanders repeatedly changed the 16 guerrillas guarding him so Araujo couldn't bond with anyone. That meant most conversation revolved around soccer and it was no surprise Araujo made no friends.

``Relations were always cordial, but never any friendships,'' he said.

While living in a series of rebel camps in a region where temperatures easily exceed 100 degrees in the shade, Araujo also had to deal with the separation from his four children from his first marriage and his second wife's decision to leave him two years into his captivity. They had been married for just seven months when he was abducted.

``I realized she had decided to take another path when after two years her messages stopped and I didn't hear of her any more, on the news, fighting for my release,'' he said. They haven't spoken since his escape, he said.

Kidnapping has become such a fact of life in this country that radio programs regularly devote air time to reading messages from families aimed at hostages.

One goal was always on Araujo's mind: escape.

``But I didn't see how, because the vigilance was continual, permanent,'' he said. In addition to the 16 rebels who guarded him constantly, he was surrounded by a larger band comprising some 50 fighters.

``I knew that the first thing I would need to be in good condition for any possible escape so I exercised everyday,'' he said.

The opportunity came on Dec. 31.

As was his routine, he was listening to the radio when he noticed helicopters flying overhead, but he paid scant attention - it was a common occurrence.

When the helicopters swooped down and opened fire, he knew it was a rescue attempt. With his captors momentarily distracted, he threw himself to the ground and started crawling out of camp.

``I knew the guerrillas would kill me to stop the rescue; I escape or they kill me, it's now or never,'' Araujo said.

Running all day and all night, he took his first rest the next morning, hoping he had put enough distance between himself and the rebels.

Worried of being betrayed by rebel collaborators, he avoided the first settlements and houses he saw, and sated his thirst with cactus juice. At one point, finding a mountain impossible to transverse, he had to double back, terrified that the rebels were searching for him.

On the fifth day, Araujo met a farmer who gave him milk and directions to a town.

Looking like a ``crazy man'' he stumbled into the town, hungry, thirsty and exhausted. There, if found soldiers, whom were puzzled by his embraces before realizing his identity.

Araujo is now taking time to think about his future.

``Returning is a process, it's not one instant,'' he said, adding he l occasionally pinches himself to see whether he's dreaming.

He hasn't ruled out leaving Colombia.

``I am scared that because I escaped, the guerrillas may try to kill me.''