07/07/13 to 14/07/13 - We arrived in Otavalo, now firmly back in the Northern Hemisphere. We stopped here to break the journey to the border, but also to visit the market here. We found mostly the same stuff we'd been finding at other South American markets, but also some fake Panama hats and cheap-looking hammocks. We enquired about a few items, but it seems the market's popularity with tourists has led the sellers to become deluded over their pricing, with most things being way more expensive here than in Bolivia, or even Chile. Luckily the food market was better value and we tried the traditional Equadorian dish of Llapingacho.
We hit the road again heading for the Colombian border. We were let off the bus a good 30km from Rumuchaca, where the border is, and jumped into a cab to make it to the immigration offices. After spending just 5 minutes to get our Ecuadorian stamps, we walked over the bridge and waited another 15 minutes for our Colombian stamps, and we were off in another cab to the town of Ipiales, where we got on a bus bound for Popayan. After a full day's travelling it was a relief to get to Popayan in the evening, and we found a nice hostel to sleep.
After a traditional breakfast (soup with chicken feet for starter, eggs with rice, plantain and chips for mains), we spent the next day by going to a small town called Silvia, about an hour from Popayan, and we saw lots of locals wearing traditional blue skirt. We heard it was once a week, worth it and that only a few tourists go there. The market was good and traditional and we got a look at the many unique fruits and colorful potatoes that are native to Colombia.
After couple of hours or so we were back to Popayan to explore the old colonial city in more detail. It is known as the 'White City', and looks nothing like its Shepherds Bush namesake. The city wasn't so big, and we saw most of the streets in one afternoon. However, we visited the old house of Guillermo Leon Valencia, a former Colombian president.
We tried the local Empanadas de Pipuain (deep-fried empanadas with spicy peanut sauce) for breakfast and then a tedious, bumpy bus journey along pot-holed mud tracks passing around mountains and sheer drops was waiting for us. After 5 hours our bottoms were bruised from all the bumps. When we arrived in the town of San Agustin, the rain had been pouring all day long and we checked into a hostel with great views (of the mist). We found some fellow travellers playing cards to pass the time and joined them.
The next day the weather was much better, so we walked to the Archeological park on the edge of town which has many statues dating from between 800 BC to 3300BC. The majority of the statues are of figures and are believed to be representations of the people’s social status and were placed in front of funerary pits where their remains were buried along with ceramics and gold objects. However, as the these tribes of indigenous people were gone long before the Spanish arrived and didn't keep any records, then little else is known about them... other than that their stonework was very good. The statues were carved from big rocks that were left strewn over the landscape following volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago.
After the park we visited two more sites which, in order to reach, we had to walk through some really wet and muddy paths (should have taken the horses). The statues were mystical, in amongst jungle, with banana and coffee trees spread across on the hillsides and with panoramic views of the Magdelena river valley and numerous waterfalls. We went back to our hostel with its interesting mud walls filled with wine bottles, which acted as tiny coloured windows, letting light in.
Our bus ride back to Popayan and then to Cali was eventful. We hailed the bus from the side of the road at La Cruces written “Cali”. The minibus stopped and we asked the price which really seemed to be a bargain. The minibus was full, or so we thought… the driver managed to sneak us in, sitting us on two tiny wooden stools just inside the door, which was really fun over the mud and bumps. Luckily, we were given plenty of breaks to stretch our legs, the first due to a couple of trucks getting stuck in the mud, then for almuerzo (lunch), sugar cane soup with cheese and deep fried bread, then again because of a landslide/roadworks (it was difficult to tell).The ride was kept entertaining by salsa music and then a stand-up comedy show on the radio. We couldn't understand a word, but everyone else on the bus found it hilarious, and we could laugh at them cackling away, a bit like the Laughing Policeman.
After a while it was all rather tedious and we were cursing the lack of asphalt. All the rain of the last few days had made the mud roads virtually impassable. The first 126km to Popayan took 7 hours, whereas the next 126km took just 2 hours. No hold ups, but we did pass a dead horse in the road and two timber trucks which had toppled over and caused a fair bit of damage to surrounding vehicles. We finally arrived in Cali that night, and after a bit of a merry go round we were given an address of a really nice and cheap guesthouse (by another guesthouse who only had one expensive room left). We had the place to ourselves, and the hosts were really into kitesurfing and really friendly.
The next morning we had a breakfast in a bakery, and had a good chat with Paul (the owner who was holding a large wooden stick) and Nicholas (a man in his 70’s, who'd fought malaria 3 times after picking it up hunting on the coast). They were really warm and friendly, as most Colombians have been so far and good characters too.
We strolled around the city, relaxing after the nightmare of the previous day. Cali is a nice place, very relaxed and feels like a small town rather than a big city. It's a colourful place with friendly characters. Cali is hosting the World Games in a few weeks; unfortunately we were a bit too early.
We went out for the evening in search of Salsa, as it’s a big thing in Cali. Sitting in the outdoor cafes with a TV screen in the pavement playing Spanish/Colombian music videos, we saw several party buses go past. The first couple were full of teenagers / students, then there was a bus full of older couples dancing Salsa. Unfortunately, the Avenida 6 was pretty straight, so we didn't get to see them all fall over as they went round a corner.
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