Columbia’s Festivals, Horses and Churches

Greetings everyone! We are doing fine; though Sharon and I have both been ill since we last updated our blog – just part of traveling (and just part of life for that matter:).

We left Bogota during rush hour traffic and were thrilled when the vehicular congestion cleared. It took us 2 ½ hours to travel 12 miles!!! We were rewarded for our perseverance with majestic and misty mountain scenery as we traveled to the city of Ibague. When we finally arrived we were pretty tired and really looking forward to checking into the AirBNB property we had reserved a week in advance. We were to be disappointed. We could not find the property or get a hold of the host. We even had the kind and generous help of multiple Colombians who called for us and then guided us around town on a scooter. As darkness fell we were forced to give it up and decided to get a hotel. Another Colombian offered to guide us through the city in his car right to the hotel’s front steps. The Colombian people are so helpful and hospitable it truly humbles us. The next day we eagerly found a spot along the parade route to watch the Folkloric Festival – the largest festival of this type in all of Colombia!!! We had especially come to Ibague to see this festival and it did not disappoint. Costumes and dances from all corners of Colombia were represented and the cacophony of color and colorful performers was delightful. I won’t waste any more words trying to describe it – look at the pictures if you want to get the idea.

From Ibague we headed to San Agustin, a small colonial town nestled in the highlands of southern Colombia. The town is surrounded by natural beauty (especially waterfalls) and archaeological ruins. We decided to do a three day horseback riding tour of some of these amazing sites. Our guide, Faiber (pronounced like Fiber), was fantastic! He obviously loved his town, the history, and his horses. One of our favorite parts of the trip (besides riding horses!) was spending the night with rural farm families. The families fed us their traditional meals and treated us like visiting family. We spent hours talking and joking around the kitchen table (probably because it was the warmest place to be). It was an honor and a privilege to be there.

Next we visited the city of Popayan. It was the main stop along the Spanish royal road between Lima and Quito. Very prosperous in the day and now turning to tourism traffic to renew the economy. The city offers free walking tours and our guide, Luisa, was knowledgeable and enthusiastic (like Sharon:). She really brought the history alive as we walked around. She also introduced us to several local food dishes that we enjoyed. During the tour we learned that she is a member of Calvary Chapel church and she invited us to a small service held at her parent’s home (her dad is the pastor). It was a great time of fellowship! Her mom invited us back the next day for a traditional lunch that was as delicious as the company was great. Unplanned experiences like this are definitely one of the highlights of the trip for us.

From Popayan we set out for Ipiales a city very near the border with Ecuador. Unfortunately, on the way there I (Chris) got sick. So our one day stay in Ipiales became four days as I hunkered down to get well enough to ride again. During that time Sharon planned what we would do in Ecuador and northern Peru. Our last day in Ipiales I felt well enough for an excursion to a nearby cathedral that just happens to be built in the middle of an enormous canyon. Catedral de Lajas (Cathedral of the Slabs) is an engineering and artistic sight to behold and the waterfall across the canyon doesn’t hurt the effect one bit. Strangely, at night, the cathedral is bathed in a frenzied light show that would make Disney blush. This was our last stop in Colombia and we crossed the border the next day into Ecuador. We were sad to be leaving this beautiful county with it’s kind and friendly citizens, but excited for what might lay ahead.

Chris & Sharon