Blogs from San Agustin, Colombia, South America - page 2

Hi all, I've gotten a bit behind again with the blogging, so as I write this blog, which covers my travels between the 25th of September and the 4th of October, it is actually the 18th October and I am back on the Carribean coast, sitting in a cafe drinking a mocha. The mocha business may be shocking news to some; it seems that 5 weeks in Colombia has changed me at least in one respect in that I seem to have a developed a slight fondness for coffee! But before I go too off-topic, let's return to the intended subjects of this blog entry... I left the Carribean coast (for the first time) on the 25th of September and took two flights over to Cali, the 3rd largest city in Colombia and self-proclaimed ´Salsa Capital´. ... read more

San Agustin Eventually we made it into town and stayed in town at a place with a balcony beckoning for an evening beer. The evening consisted of street food- papas rellenas (potatos, beef, hard boiled egg deep fried in batter) and arepas con queso (like a grilled cheese with corn patties) and a tasting of Colombian cervesa. An early evening led to an early morning. While there were a lot of ways to see the surrounding archeological sights, being the independent ladies we are, we opted to do the tour on foot. After a quick breakfast and chat about coca we were off. The 40 minute walk up to the park in the sun was pretty and a welcome relief from walking in the rain in Purace. The ticket granted us an entrance into only ... read more

On the road between San Augustin and Popoyan the bus stopped at what we thought was another army roadblock. There were several that day. This time, however, a scowling man wearing a hat that said F.A.R.C appeared. He aimed a machine gun through the window. A ripple of anxious murmurs passed through the bus. We realised that we had been stopped by the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - Colombia's most dominant and infamous guerilla group. We got off the bus and the joined the crowd stood waiting outside the other five or six buses that had already been stopped. The area was perfect for an ambush. Steep muddy banks and dense vegetation loomed over the winding dirt road. A few FARC soldiers sauntered past but paid us little attention. I, along with my travelling companions ... read more

After a third weekend spent in Banos, I bid a sad farewell to Salasaca and left with Anna and Adam to go to Colombia. When we arrived in Quito, Adam informed us that he'd left his passport back in Salasaca so back he went. He joined us later and we set off the next morning with the aim of getting as far as possible towards San Agustin. We only made it as far as Pasto, though, and stopped in a rather nice hostel for the night (Koala Inn). Pasto doesn't have a great reputation, but the few people we met there seemed very friendly and there was a big party going on in the main square to celebrate the anniversary of Colombia's independence. Adter a delicious breakfast of pancake and fruit the next morning, we got ... read more

Blog to appear at a later date.... read more