Popping back to Popayan

  Popayan, Colombia
Monday, April 23, 2007

00 Our ride (down a v.rough road) to Popayan

Despite being told weŽd bought tickets for a direct bus from San Agustin to Popayan, we arrived at the bus offices at 6:15am to be told weŽd have to take a camioneta (basically a pick-up with bench seats in the back) to the crossroads 5 kms out of town where weŽd be able to pick up a bus heading our way. We were assured it would arrive within 10 to 15 minutes.

04 Typical Popayan street

Needless to say it didnŽt and we were left to wait for nearly an hour. So much for getting out of bed at 5:30, we didnŽt get on the road properly until 8:00. The road was just as bumpy on the way back and the stops just as unpredictable, but we arrived back in Popayan at lunch time. We made our way back to the Casa Familiar Turistica, got a room and headed out for lunch.

01 Colonial church in Popayan

Rarely for us, but even more rarely for South America, we ate in a vegetarian restaurant then we wandered around the colonial core of the city. Popayan is typified by whitewashed buildings with shuttered windows and lots of churches. For once we didnŽt bother with the museums, but just absorbed the atmosphere and poked out head around the door of some of the older churches. The city was severely destroyed in a powerful earthquake in 1983, but the restorations mean you could never tell.

02 Inside colonial-era church

After weŽd seen enough, we retired to an internet cafe and put some serious time into trying to book our last big treat of our year off - an eight day cruise around the Galapagos. We made some headway, but had a few loose ends to tie up. We ended up having a late dinner and heading to bed as we were planning a day trip to the nearby town of Silvia in the morning. Every Tuesday they hold a market that attracts hundreds of indigenous Indians from the surrounding hills, this we had to see.