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Published: April 10th 2010
Friday (2nd April), Yissel and I decided to try to get to the Volcano that we'd tried to get to the previous Saturday (when we actually ended up at Lake Calima instead).
Of course, by the time that we'd both gotten organised enough to leave to the bus terminal it was about lunchtime. As we arrived we found the one company that seemed to run buses to the place that we needed to go to - Puracé (about 36km to the east of Popayán). The volcano was some 20 minutes or so from Puracé itself, from what I can gather. Unfortunately there wasn't anybody at the booth where we needed to buy our ticket. One of the reps of the other company informed that the bus wouldn't leave until 2pm so we had a bit of a wait. So we ran across the road to a restaurant that specializes in local dishes to get some lunch. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the place. But for a very small amount of cash we got a plate full of empenadas, a delicious black pudding type affair (can't remember what it was called, sorry) and some odd, deep fried pieces of
meat. I'm really not sure what the cut was and I suspect that it was actually internal organs rather than flesh...but I'm not sure. Any way, we ate our fill and had plenty left over so we had it bagged up and found somebody to give it to on the way back to the bus terminal.
Before heading back into the terminal, we went to the Exito hypermarket next door - Yissel wanted to pick up some medicines. Unfortunately, they didn't have it so we figured we'd get it in Puracé.
Walking back into the terminal, the kiosk where we needed to buy our ticket was finally open but we we would have to wait to see if we could get a seat on the next bus to Puracé. It took a while to figure out, but what was actually happening was that the bus was going to La Plata (about 5 hours away) but was going through (and so could drop us off in) Puracé. The problem was that the company wanted to fill the bus with people going to La Plata (because then they could charge the full rate of 25.000 COP a head). So they
wouldn't sell us the 6.000 COP tickets to Puracé until they were sure that they couldn't fill the bus with La Plata customers. Scumbags! In the end we ended up paying 20.000 COP each to make sure that we could get a seat. And then we went to wait outside for the bus. And we waited...and we waited. And something like an hour later, with the rain pouring from the sky, the bus finally arrived.
We'd cleverly positioned ourselves such that we could get onto the bus first (thus ensuring us of the best seats). Finally, at around 3.30 (I think) we pulled out of Popayán terminal.
Some time later we arrived in a cloud-covered, damp Puracé. We got off the bus and it was like being in a ghost town! There was
nothing here but a steep hill of a street. One or two youths were hanging out playing football (impressive given the steepness of the road). We started up the hill. We asked one of the youths whether there were any taxis in the area to take us up to the volcano. No, they didn't have any taxis. Apparently there was a bus that left at 6.30
in the morning and another at 8.30 in the morning but that was it as far as transport in the area was concerned. Hmmmm.
One thing that I hadn't mentioned about Popayán is that the general population have much more of an indigenous look to them than the other parts of Colombia that I had visited. Well, in Puracé that effect was amplified and everybody in the town was clearly of indigenous ancestry. Not particularly important but just one of those things that I'd noticed.
Back to the story: we remembered that Yissel needed to get her medicines. We didn't hold out much hope but asked anyway if there was a pharmacy. Yes! There was a pharmacy!
Our source of information (a young guy of about 22, dressed in an adidas sweatshirt to protect him from the chilly environment) offered to help us find somebody who could offer us accommodation for the night (and to show us where the pharmacy was). We set off down the rubble track of street past the church (which was
full of people - not surprising given that it was Good Friday) and finally encountered somebody else who then led us to the
pharmacy - it was closed! But as we were walking away, the owner turned up and opened up the shop. It wasn't so much of a pharmacy as a place that sold toothpaste, deodorant, soap etc. Certainly, they didn't have the medicine that Yissel needed. Doh!
With no other pharmacies in the town, the medicine would have to wait until tomorrow.
Our guide led us to a house where they had accommodation. As the owner showed us the room my heart sank almost as deep as the dirty looking mattresses on the 6 beds in the dorm. No, I didn't want to stay here. We said "very nice, but really we want somewhere with a private bathroom" or something equally lame. Yissel had heard that there were cabins in the National Park of Puracé (where the Volcano was actually situated) but the owner of the hosteleria was "sure" that they would be fully booked. He offered to drive us up there in his jeep for 50.000 COP if we wanted. Well, perhaps we could call ahead and see if they had room. Errrr, no, people didn't really have telephones around here.
Apparently there was another place (a restaurant)
that had rooms with private bathrooms up the (steep) main road. We set off up the hill and shortly came across the restaurant. No, they didn't have any rooms with private bathrooms. Well, they did but they hadn't been cleaned and, because she was the owner, she wouldn't lower herself to clean them!!! The people in this town were really
really odd!
We were running short of options. As we walked the main street, we saw a jeep parked up on the side of the road. Chancing our luck we found the owner and asked how much it would cost to drive us up to the park. Same price - 50.000 COP. They were in cohorts, I'm sure!
We decided to stop for a cup of aguapanela (remember, the golden syrup tea with cheese that we had had at the lake), and discuss our options.
The way I saw it, we could pay 50.000 COP to get us to the cabins near the volcano only to discover that they didn't have room (and presumably have to pay to get back). I really didn't want to stay in the hosteleria in Puracé - and if I'm honest, I really didn't
want to stay in Puracé at all.
The nearest main town was Coconuco and I said that I thought that we should find out (from the jeep owner and the hosteleria owner) how much it would cost to drive us there. At least we knew (well, Yissel knew) that there was a big hotel there so we'd have a decent chance of getting a decent room. Yissel wasn't really happy with the idea (she had her heart set on staying in a cabin). But a bit of arm twisting and negotiating later and we were in the jeep of the owner of the hosteleria on the road to Coconuco. 60.000 COP was the price. I was honestly unsure as to whether the jeep would make it - it seemed like every time we went down a hill the engine was running out of petrol. We coughed and spluttered into Coconuco and were dropped in "the middle of the town".
Well, the place had a bit more life about it - there were some shops open, quite a few people on the street, one or two little restaurants. We saw a sign that said "hotel 1km" so we set off up
the hill (there's ALWAYS a hill) in the direction indicated.
We could see the hotel up ahead, but as we approached it, we passed a guy standing outside a beautiful cabin overlooking the moutain and the river. We asked if it was available for the night. It was! It's unbelievable but the guy was standing outside the cabin hoping to find passing tourists to rent his cabin to for the night. We went inside. It was beautiful! A kitchen, three rooms (each containing three beds), a TV, a
Karaoke machine (incredibly!), a stereo, a beautiful terrace with views of the mountain. It was perfect! But this was going to be expensive, right? 50.000 COP! For both of us! Something wasn't right surely - would we have to share the cabin with anybody? Nope. The cabin was ours for the night for less than it cost us for the 25 minute jeep ride earlier! What luck! 😊
Yissel wanted to cook. That worked for me! So we headed back into the town to pick up some provisions (and to try to find a pharmacy). Well, the pharmacy thing didn't really happen (what happens if people get sick in these towns??
I have no idea!).
But we managed to get almost everything that we needed / wanted. Apart from ham!
We made it back up the dark street to the cabin and Yissel cooked a delicious meal of chicken wrapped in mortadella (in lieu of ham) in a white wine sauce. Hmmmmm....
And then we settled in for the night. This was one of those occasions where everything worked out in the end, but only after we'd thrown some pretty serious money at the problem. Well, needs must, I guess.
The next morning (Saturday) the sun was up and the view from the terrace was just spectacular. Yissel rustled up some breakfast (well, brunch really, given the hour). We cleaned the kitchen, tidied the place up a bit and, eventually, we saw the owner of the cabin standing outside. The name of the cabin is Cabina Costena (Cabeenya Costenya) and the contact details are on the photo of the sign outside the cabin. Really, if you're looking for a beautiful place to stay for the night, I highly recommend this place. The guy also has another cabin (which is perhaps even better) just next door which he showed us around
before we left.
So, it was about lunchtime (as it always is) and we were hoping to catch a bus back to Popayán. Yissel really needed to get her medicines. It was a shame because there are some hot springs in Coconuco which I would have liked to have seen...and of course, we never made it to the volcano.
As we walked along the road back into the center of town, there was a bus pulled over at the side of the road. It was going to Popayán! Consider that it had cost us 100.000 COP to get to Coconuco - guess how much it cost us to get back?
4.000 COP!
Well, that was our little adventure last weekend...will try to write you some more tomorrow.
Hasta luego!
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Damarys
non-member comment
I am glad
Dear Turists, I am glad everything worked out and hope that Yissel got her medicine on time. Your story kept on suspense until you found the cabana Costenita. My husband and I travel every other year to Colombia: Cartagena, El valle, Pereira, Quindio. We usually hired a driver from the town I am from (we agree on the cost, he pays for his own hotels and we paid for his food and tolls. We never travel during the evening. The only scarry situation we experienced was in Cartagena at the hotel Caribe when we were surrounded by the army all armed not pointing of us but blocking us with out explanation - my husband does not speak a word of spanish so you can imagine how he felt, one of the soldiers noticed him getting very nervous and they explained to us that the president was visiting the hotel. Colombia is beautiful! P.S. Very generous of you to take out the food and give it away.