Popayan is underwhelming

Popayan is a medium-sized colonial city. It is our least favorite so far. Traffic is bad. Buses, taxis, cars, and motorbikes produce much pollution for the narrow streets of the historic downtown. Otherwise it can be a very pleasant town.

The beautiful but crowded city center of Popayan.


Popayan is supposed to be a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. By coincidence or not, we found a new scheme to enjoy the vegetarian restaurants which only open for lunch with a set menu. The portions are on the small side for our family mule. So, we hit a restaurant right when they open at 11:30 to 12. Then we catch the tail end of lunch at another one around 2 to 2:30. In two days we efficiently sampled four vegetarian restaurants in Popayan.

• Restaurante Vegetariano Carrera, 8 #7-19
• Restaurante Vegetariano Delicias Naturales, Calle 6 #8-21
• Restaurante Comida Sana, Calle 3 #6-70
• El Muro, Carrera 8 #4-11

Lunch #1 of today's doubleheader - Restaurante Comida Sana



Lunch #2 of today's doubleheader - Restaurante Vegetariano Delicias Naturales


What the photos do not show is that with each meal, we also get a bowl of soup, a glass of juice, a small dessert, and sometimes a separate vegetable or fruit salad.

Our first market of the trip

Yet another day without internet. We have moved on to Silvia, a small town outside of Popayan, 25 kilometers off the Pan American highway, famous for its Tuesday market. We decided to stay in Silvia on Monday night. In fact it was even a little hard finding a suitable room, since so few travelers stay in town.

The local Guambianos still wear their traditional costumes, men and women, and a few of the little ones. I am particularly fascinated by people that maintain their traditional costumes, as one who has deviated from her natural and cultural heritage far and wide. Yet I am fully aware of the intricacies of visiting traditional people. How I wish I can turn into a bee, observing all I want yet leaving no trace....

The Silvia market was everything I expected, congenial and lively crowd, colorful costumes and produce.

The locals come to market in these colorful buses.


The Market.


A couple of groups of Guambianos strolling down the main drag in Silvia.

Busy hiking in Salento

We are still in Salento without internet. We had two days of hiking around Salento. The first day we caught a jeep to Valle de Cocora, and I had my most technical hiking ever. We had to cross a mountain stream 6 times without proper bridges. I had to apply every bridge crossing skill I know plus event a few new ones. And since it was an "out and back" hike, I got to cross each bridge twice. It was not pretty.

When walking in the horse trenches trails got too hard, I learned to crisscross barbed wire fences. It's a good thing that I am not yet too old to acquire such skills. Of course John learned all this as a boy.

Today's hike along the road to Toche is practically a stroll compared to yesterday's, on a gravel road, among the hills that we see from our porch with very nice views back to the town, and at the peak of the road, a view to Valle de Cocora. Since it is a Sunday, there were more bicyclists and horses on the road than cars or people walking.

The Wax Palms of Valle de Cocora - altitude 2600 meters.


On the way up the valley we slogged along the horse track. On the way down we hopped over the barbed wire and walked in the pastures.


Sun-Ling crossing a log bridge over the Rio Quindio on her hands and knees.



View to Valle de Cocora on our second hike along the road to Toche.

We don't have internet in Salento

[I am writing this offline as we decided not to move to a room with internet.]

Yesterday (10/08) we arrived in Salento after dark. After a brief circuit, we decided to take a room for its charm even though there is no Wi-Fi.

This morning we were really taken with the view from the balcony/porch. Still we went around town looking for internet, but our search did not turn up a place that has more charm or better view, internet or not, so we are without internet for a change.

Thus far on this trip we have enjoyed having internet very much. It really makes us feel connected with the world, family, and friends.

Our hotel room porch at Posada del Angel.
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And another view from the porch.

Bogota is hard to place

Bogota, at 8,650 feet above sea level, poses no altitude problem for us having acclimatized in Tunja (9200 ft), but we were not expecting so much somber weather. In three days we had less than three hours of sun, many hours of overcast and rain, but we were never cold.

Old city center.


Plaza Bolivar.


Traffic: Rain keeps the pollution down. There is a LOT of vehicle traffic, even though private cars have been severely limited. Being the big fans of public transportation, John and I are totally enamored with the TransMilenio. This is only solution that we have ever experienced that is conceivable for Shanghai as well as Raleigh, and of course anywhere in between. Yet every now and then there would be a horse drawn cart going down the road.

"TransMilenio Only" road near our hotel


Carrera 7 traffic


Police: The city applies so much police presence on the street, there is rarely a moment that I don't spot a uniform around. Yet after rush hour, pedestrians evaporate from the streets with astounding rate for a city of 8 million.

People: For such a big city, people are amazingly friendly. Everyone goes out of their way to not interfering with photo taking, but if the two of us ever started to argue about directions, we are sure to draw a crowd of helpers. When we turned up at the National Library wanting to look at the atrium, the Library called in its English-speaking historian for a private tour.

Atrium of the National Library


Museums:
For a capital I had expected the number of the museums, but the quality of the exhibits really impressed me. What is more surprising is the dizzying number of free museums. Yet they could not managed to turn up a "changing of the guards" on schedule.

Museo Botero


Eateries: The good thing is that lunches are very much on time. Bogota has more vegetarian restaurants than we have days to sample. In fact I am beginning to suspect Bogota has more restaurants and cafes per capita than Shanghai. Yet there are just as many street vendors with homemade or packaged food and drinks.

Zukini Vegetarian Restaurant.