30 de Agosto, 2001: NIna
We are back in Popayan for the week, hostel sitting, as we like to call it. Although we are not doing very well at it considering we have not received any guests yet since Tony and Kim left last night! Just kidding.
But back to San Agustin...
The sites were filled with the grim faces of ancient statues perfectly carved out of stone, ranging in size from 2 to 15 feet. Giant stone slabs almost perfectly symmetrical, standing on end for hundreds maybe even thousands of years, before having been discovered. Remnants of a lost civilization. Why the statues? I suppose the original intent is unknown, like almost everything else of their society. But could they be results of the human need to simply be known? Did they imagine that they would one day be no more? That perhaps the earth would continue to go on being... without them? If so, they would have had more wisdom than us. And sure enough, they are the only lasting symbol of souls that once lived. Without the stones, they would have been completely unknown, forgotten, never having existed to the following world. But no, they still live. Still unknown, still mysterious, but having lived, fought, loved, breathed the fresh mountain air of San Agustin.
29 August, 2007: Matthew
As the story goes, in the late 19th century there was a crew of British rail road workers here attempting to conquer the Andes mountains with the iron rail. During their time here, there was a shipment of bowler hats sent over that all seemed to be entirely too small. It was decided to give the hats to the local indigenous people living near Silvia, which is a short ways northeast of Popayan. The people embraced the gift, and now it stands as a very strong tradition to not only wear the bowler hats, but they are only worn high on the head, seeming to us a bit too small. You would have to admit that it is a real touch of class along with the brilliant colors of the shawls, scarfs and bright smiles!
25 de Agosto, 2007: Nina
Yea! It looks as if I will be able tp publish this page, finally! How frustrating, not being able to update for ten days... not that we have had a lot of opportunities, but still, now we have a lot of catching up to do. Ok let´s see, after we left Popayan, we stayed the night in Cali and left the next day to San Cipriano. It is a little villiage in the Pacific Rainforest, accessed only by a railroad track. We were dropped off on the side of the highway in a downpour, crossed a very scetchy-plank -missing-no rails-footbridge, and waited out the rain under a lean-to. When it was bearable, we hopped on a bench situated on a wooden palate with roller bearing wheels. This was to be our mode of transportation, called a "brujita" (which means, witch). We were pushed off by two youths. One foot on the cart, one foot pushing off the track, we zoomed down the tracks at a delightful speed. Two or three times they stopped the cart and appeared to be listening for something. I asked them what they were listening for, they replied that they were listening for ¨La Machina¨ (the machine) I wasn´t sure if this was to mean another brujita or an actual train. Whichever the case, I rehearsed my escape plan in my head, although it would have been very difficult to actually accomplish. Luckily I didn´t have to perform any of my stunts. After 7 km or so, we reached the little villiage. There was not much to see or do there, and in our opinion the people were not exceptionally friendly, but we stayed the night, ate fresh trout, explored some trails, and swam in a freshwater swimming hole we found in the forest. The next day we got a ride back by a motorcycle powered brujita, check out the footage in the videos page. We stayed another night in Cali, Salsa capital of the world, and headed for Armenia the next day...
We had a contact in Armenia through CouchSurfing.com, so we decided to stay the night with him; it was on the way to the coffee region. He took us on a little Colombian adventure known as a Chiva. Picture a huge bus, painted in crazy colors, with very low sides, a huge group of rowdy Colombian youth (young 20´s I´d say) and a live band in the back. That´s basically a Chiva. Except that the bus is moving and the people crowded in the bus are dancing, singing, drinking, and in reality, having a damn good time. The bus stops in the Central Parks of the surrounding towns, the kids get out and dance in the parks. Then they load up again, continue dancing and singing on the way to the next town. Oh yeah, it is also the middle of the night. Matthew and I felt a little out of place but warmed up a bit to it after awhile. We had fun for a couple of hours, then got really tired! The next day we headed to Salento...
Salento is a lovely little town, if not a bit toursity (mostly Colombian tourists). But there is good reason for it. It sits just above the breathtaking Cocora Valley, home of the worlds´s tallest palm trees. It is quite amazing actually, these Wax Palms scattered throughout the fertile valley and towering over the other trees of the cloudforest. We spent a full day hiking in the valley and taking in the amazing scenery and fresh air. Please take a look at the pictures, although they are nothing in comparison to the real thing. We spent a couple of nights in Salento, exploring more of the coffee region and relaxing. What a beautiful, very Colombian, region.
It took us two days after leaving Salento, to get to Tierradentro, a serene area set deep in the mountains. Tierradentro is actually a large geographical area, but most people refer to it as the area near San Andres where over 100 underground tombs have been discovered. Hence the name Tierra (earth, ground) dentro (inside). San Andres is a tiny little village set on the hillside, where the people primarily ride horses and homemade icecream-cicles are sold in every house. We spent two nights there and explored the amazing tombs. It is unknown exactly how old these tombs are, but it is thought that they could date as early as 3300 BC. We were able to descend the staircases carved out of the soft rock and peer into the various sized tombs. Some were still painted with colors of red and black, signifying life and death, others had masks carved into the pillars and walls. Some had spaces for two remains, others for as many as seven. The simplicity and grandeur of the tombs depended on the social class they were designed for. They were fascinating. It is amazing that people aren´t rushing to Colombia to see these fascinating, ancient sights. We saw NO OTHER tourists that day in the archeological park. This particular area has suffered greatly from guerilla warfare in the past, along with San Agustin, where we are now, but they both hold some of the worlds most unique ancient cultural treasures, and there is relatively no one here! Speaking of San Agustin, this is where we are now. It is a larger small town, filled with wonderful people, and set amidst some other anceint wonders. We have not seen them yet, we are going to today, but there are hundreds of ancient stone carved statues planted around the area. I will wait until I have seen them to explain more about them. We are saying at a lovely little ranch, in a teepee! We are headed this afternoon to the archeological park to see the majority of the statues. Tomorrow we will either ride horses to a couple of the other sites, or take horses on a two day trip to the worlds second (I believe) highest waterfall. We have to find a way to get a little extra cash if we want to do that... (the ATM is very tempermental). I hope it works out though!!
15 de Agosto, 2007: Nina
We finally left Popayan yesterday... but we are going back in two weeks! Tony and Kim have a conference in Bogatá and they asked if we would hostel-sit for them for a week. Of course we accepted, after rearranging our travel plans a little. As it turns out, we may have to extend our VISAS for another month! We will see. Our time in Colombia just keeps expanding! We spent last night in Cali, and today are taking a little trip to San Cipriano. It is a little villiage in the Pacific Rainforest accessed only by man propelled rail cart. Should be interesting. We are going to stay the night in the town and then return to Cali, next we will head a little further north to the Coffee Region. We plan to stay a week or so in the region visiting a couple of coffee fincas and enjoying some of the fabulous hiking in the area. From there we will head further east and loop back around south, to a more remote area where we plan to visit a couple of archeological sights. This will take atleast a week or so as well, as the roads are not very well developed. From San Augustin, we will return to Popayan, and manage the hostel for a week. Then, it´s up north to the Caribbean! We will keep you posted...
11 de Agosto, 2007: Nina
Well, we are still here in Popayan! We have been having a great time hanging out with Tony and Kim and have even made some Colombian friends! I have been hanging out with Alena every day, helping her with English and speaking a lot of Spanish! It is the best practice for me. She has been giving Matthew and I Salsa lessons, which has been really fun. Last night we all went out to a Salsa bar and we even let ourselves get talked into making a fool of ourselves on the dance floor with Alena and Ramon. By making a fool of ourselves, I mean just doing the same basic steps over and over, since we dont know anything else yet! You should see some of these Salsa dancers, they are amazing! Salsa is their life, everyone dances here, or at least knows how. They start as kids and just keep dancing...
8 de Agosto, 2007♥ Nina
Sunday we made our way to Popayan, a six hour bus trip from Pasto. One of the more crazy bus rides we have taken. I think I would put it in the top 3 most insane bus trips. We haven't wrote much about the driving techniques here but they are pretty crazy. It's been pretty much the same in every country, but some places have more dangerous roads so it makes it even crazier. Besides the fact that the drivers take tight curves around steep cliffs at remarkable speeds, they really like to pass other cars, and they have little discretion about when to do this. Passing an oil truck on a curve around a cliff doesn't seem to phase them. With that said, this particular trip was probably one of the most enjoyable long rides we have taken. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. Colombia is quite vast, with the tallest hills and the deepest valley's we have seen yet. Very beautiful.
While in Pasto, we stayed at The Koala Inn. The host there was one of the most helpful ever. Upon our leaving, he recommended a hostel in Popayan. So, once in Popayan, we found a great little hostel run by a young Scottish couple. As it turns out, they had only been open for one week. Kim and Tony have been travelling through South America building a website for backpackers. It is similar to a guidebook you might buy, such as Lonely Planet or Footprint. Except that it is internet based and therefor free to use! They have done a fabulous job compiling resources and promoting the lesser known places, hostels, and tours. It is an awesome tribute to the budget travel world, and the first one, I believe of its kind. Check it out at www.Hosteltrail.com.
Kim and Tony have been a treasure chest of information on Colombia, as there is not a lot of info in print, much less do we have any of it. The combination of our enchantment with our first impressions of the country, the information and encouragement we recieved from Tony and Kim, along with their enthusiasm for this country, led us to decide to stay here for the full length of our Visas, which is 60 days. We know this wasn't in our orginial idea, but the great thing about this journey for us is that it is flexible. This might mean we have less time in other places but we figured the most important place to be is where our hearts lead us. We love it here!
We are staying here in Popayan for this week and have already met a few people with whom to study Spanish. I am meeting with Alena in the mornings and she is giving us Salsa lessons in the afternoons. We are doing a language exchange of sorts. I am going to be helping her with English and she will help me with Spanish. Matthew met a guy named Enrique and hung out with him yesterday. After this week we figure we will head up north and spend time at the carribean and some of the national parks. Then we will make our way back south through Bogata and explore some ruins and tombs near San Augustin. We will update you on details when the time comes!
I need to go now, Alena will be here soon.
4 de Agosto, 2007: Nina
Today we said our goodbyes to our dear campasino family, walked through the fields of wet grass, past the cows we had milked the last few mornings, past the hills we rolled down with the kids, past the blackberries, potatoes, uvillia, and tomatoes. We followed the trail through the fields to the dirt road that would take us to the little town with the road that would take us back to Pasto.
A lot of memories were packed into these last three days. What is it that makes some experiences so rich? It is not only the company, although that is a significant part. I think rich experiences happen when you learn something about yourself, grow a little. I hope I grew a little the last few days. Poor and humble people have that effect on others.
We spent three days with a wonderful family in the mountains of Colombia. These families, practically living off the land, are called campasinos. (Meaning from "el campo" or "country") This particular family lives on a reserve next to a beautiful lake. The majority of their food comes from their own small crops of potatos, greens, fruits, and their animals such as cows, chickens and cuy... which is... guinea pig. Yes, they love to eat guinea pig here in Colombia and Ecuador too. But it is usually reserved for special ocasions. We were warmly welcomed by all 6 daughters, Efrén and his wife Rosa, and two grandchildren. We unloaded our backpacks in our humble little room, which was usually shared by three of the girls, I believe, and we were then welcomed into the little room that served as the kitchen, dining, and living area, complete with an open fire. The open hearth, Efrén explained to us, is an important part of their culture. It warms their hands after coming in from the outside chores, and warms their hearts as they sit around the hearth and talk together as a family. We did indeed spent many hours sitting around the open hearth, warming ourselves from the bittter chill outdoors, playing cards, talking after dinner, and simply watching the nonstop activity of the daughters cooking over the fire. The three little ones (two grandchildren and the youngest daughter) took to us right away. The first question Diego asked Matthew was "what sorts of games do you like to play?" They continued over the next three days to intice us into various games, usually requiring much physical activity, until we taught them how to play "Go Fish" with a deck of cards. They were enchanted by this game and begged us to play, in their very polite way, every spare moment we had. Needless to say, Matthew and I took a liking to them as well.
I think the thing that touched me most about our time with this family was their humility and desire to learn about others. Out of all the families we have stayed with, this family was more inquisitive than any. Perhaps it was because they had seldom ventured beyond their own farm or nearby pueblo, and knew little of the outside world, but I think it was a desire to know other people on a deeper level. To know the country they come from, the traditions they practice, the family and the culture. They had a desire to not only share their culture, but to learn from others. They asked what our country looks like, what the seasons are like, what is the typical food for special celebrations? What kinds of fruit do we grow? Are there mountains or is it flat? Do our parents have a farm? Do our parents have cows? No? Then do they buy milk from the store? Oh, I see. Do they wear rubber boots in your country? Do you speak the same language as Germans? Do your parents own a car? I was very humbled by all of these seemingly silly questions. But the truth is, they are not silly at all. This is the world they know. They know rubber boots, spanish, farms, and fresh milk. And the wonderful, beautiful thing is that they realize things might not be the same everywhere in the world, and they have the wisdom to ask how it is different.
It was a beautiful experience of sharing and learning. They asked us time after time not to forget them. They asked us not to leave. They asked us to return soon. They wished they had a picture of us. When Matthew and I returned to Pasto, the first thing we did (after showering, finally!) was print out some of our digital pictures from our camera, pictures from the last three days. We plan to leave them with a contact of the family in Pasto. They will be delighted when they recieve the photos. As if they were gold.
PS- I know it has been awhile, but I finally posted another Spanish Blooper. Check it out for a good laugh, or atleast a grin.