Popayan, Colombia, 19 - 22 September 2007
En-route to the Ecuadorian border we decided to stop off in the town of Popayan for 2 nights. However, the old-fashioned attractiveness & charm of the Colombian town coupled with the comfort of Hostel Trail Guesthouse resulted in us extending our stay to a total of 7 nights!!.
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We´ve enjoyed taking it easy here, meandering along the quaint streets, enjoying frappaccinos, espressos & brownies with arequipe (sweet Colombian caramel) in the classy coffee shops. Popayan is the main university town of the region so there is a young, sociable vibe to the town. We visited the Natural History Museum and enjoyed short strolls to Belen Chapel, "The Three Crosses"& watched the sun set on the hill "El Morro de Tulcan". We´ve been spoiled with nice comfortably sunny weather too. It´s all good here!
Our accommodation was top notch. A young, charasmatic Scottish couple (Tony and Kim) set up Hostel Trail Guesthouse. It opened July ´07 & is attractively furnished, spotlessly clean & uber comfortable. The rooms are decorated with captivating photos from their travels. Our room had a tartan bedspread & the photos on the wall include pics from Calton Hill (Edinburgh) & Isle of Islay - a ´lil touch of home! Kim made scones with jam & cream one day, it´s like staying at a friends house!
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Popayan is a one of the most beautiful and treasured colonial towns in Colombia with white washed houses & beautiful lanterns lighting the doorways. The colonial architecture remained intact until the devastating earthquake of 1983 left only one of the many churches standing. A massive reconstruction effort followed, restoring the town to its colonial look in the monasteries, cathedral, houses, streets & museums.
We´ve enjoyed taking it easy here, meandering along the quaint streets, enjoying frappaccinos, espressos & brownies with arequipe (sweet Colombian caramel) in the classy coffee shops. Popayan is the main university town of the region so there is a young, sociable vibe to the town. We visited the Natural History Museum and enjoyed short strolls to Belen Chapel, "The Three Crosses"& watched the sun set on the hill "El Morro de Tulcan". We´ve been spoiled with nice comfortably sunny weather too. It´s all good here! Our accommodation was top notch. A young, charasmatic Scottish couple (Tony and Kim) set up Hostel Trail Guesthouse. It opened July ´07 & is attractively furnished, spotlessly clean & uber comfortable. The rooms are decorated with captivating photos from their travels. Our room had a tartan bedspread & the photos on the wall include pics from Calton Hill (Edinburgh) & Isle of Islay - a ´lil touch of home! Kim made scones with jam & cream one day, it´s like staying at a friends house!
Originally we had decided not to make the 6-7 hr bumpy road journey to San Agustin, but after hearing such good reports on the archaeological site we decided to take that "really terrible, bumpy, unpaved road"! So we stayed in Popayan 3 nights, went to San Agustin & stayed 3 nights then returned to Popayan & stayed another 4 nights! We could stay here for a month, but alas, we must keep moving. Time is rolling on very quickly now and we need to be in Cusco, Peru, for October 30th for the Inca trail. 
The Renault 4 is the car of choice in Popayan!
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