South American Adventure

This epic eight-month overlanding trip through South America has been a long time in the planning! We will be visiting Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. Exciting times! 😊 Read more

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South American Adventure
Descending the rock
October 27, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
The descent of the rock was quite hairy in places. The steps were very slippy and there were an awful lot of people in a desperate rush to get down!

It had taken me about 35 minutes to climb the rock. Once we were back on the coach, Alex told us about a race last year sponsored by Red Bull. The winner, an endurance athlete from Colombia, completed the ascent in 3 minutes 9 seconds!!Read more
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South American Adventure
Lunch and a boat trip
October 27, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ 🌩️ 23 °C
From the rock, we drove for just a few minutes to a restaurant for lunch. Again, we sat with the Scottish couple. Lunch was good, but neither of us had much of an appetite, so we did waste quite a bit - not like us at all!

After lunch, we had a boat trip on the reservoir. The Peñol-Guatapé Reservoir supplies 5% of all the electricity in Colombia, as well as exporting some to neighbouring countries. Today, the lakes and islands that make up the reservoir serve as a major tourist attraction.

We saw the very posh houses of a couple of Colombian footballers and their ex-wives and the derelict holiday home that once belonged to Pablo Escobar.

Many of the other houses we saw on the different islands now operate as AirBnBs.

The only house still standing from the original town of El Penol belonged to the local doctor. He was well-known for offering free medical care to the town's poorer residents one day a week. Perhaps his motives were not so altruistic, though. He never married, but it is said that he fathered 36 children with 11 different women!

We also saw the cross on the column that I described in a previous footprint.Read more
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South American Adventure
Return to Medellin
October 27, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ 🌩️ 21 °C
When the boat trip was over, we returned to Medellin on the coach, arriving back in the city at about 5.15pm.

Back at the hostel, we caught up with what everyone else had been doing, showered, had a bite to eat, and packed our bags ready to leave in the morning. I was too tired to do any writing or posting. Instead, we had another early night.Read more
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South American Adventure
Back across the Andes
October 28, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Once again, I was awake long before my 6.15am alarm, so we were able to sort ourselves out and get out of the dorm before anyone else was awake.

Breakfast was from 7am (we pre-ordered last night) and we were on the truck and away by 8am, ready for another full driving day, but with our fingers crossed that it wouldn't be as long as the other day!

We sat at the front of the truck today and benefitted from an all-round view as we exited Medellin to the south and began to climb up and over the Andes.

We had our first coffee stop quite early on as Ritchie said the opportunities would be fewer as we drove on.

As we climbed higher, the clouds descended, but in between, the views were spectacular! We drove through some incredible mountain villages when the truck was so close to the houses we could almost touch them!Read more
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South American Adventure
Trout for lunch
October 28, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
We stopped for lunch at a roadside barbecue restaurant. The local speciality was grilled trucha (trout) topped with garlic sauce and served with rice, plantain, and salad. It was delicious!!

After lunch, we continued our drive south, passing through mile after mile of lush green countryside. As we got closer to Salento, we began to see coffee plantations and the tall wax palms that the area is famous for.

As we drove through the industrial city of Pereira, the heavens opened. It had been forecast, so it was no great shock.Read more
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South American Adventure
Arriving in Salento
October 28, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Once we arrived in Salento, we were supposed to park up in the town's bus station as the narrow streets can't cope with a truck as big as ours! However, the bus depot manager wouldn’t allow us to, so we had to negotiate some tight corners to get to a car park in the centre of town. Once there, Nikki organised 5 Willy Jeeps to take us to our hotel.

These Willy Jeeps were first acquired immediately after the second world war by Colombian coffee farmers as all-terrain workhorse vehicles. Now, they are painted in bright colours and used as a taxi service for tourists.

Our hotel, El Patio de mi Casa, was just off the main square and was as pretty as a picture. We were allocated our rooms very quickly (a private one, I'm pleased to say!) and then we went out to explore the plaza. It was very attractive and full of bars and restaurants. We found a bar with really friendly staff and had a couple of drinks. We weren’t hungry after our big lunch, but we did order a starter portion of mixed empanadas to share.Read more
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South American Adventure
Breakfast with a view
October 29, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
We woke up very early even though we didn’t need to! Breakfast was served in the colourful restaurant upstairs in the hotel. I loved the hand embroidered table runners. The views across the town and surrounding hills were stunning!Read more
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South American Adventure
Wandering around Salento
October 29, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
After breakfast, we set out to explore the town. Salento is a centre of coffee production, trout farming, and tourism. Visitors are drawn to the town by its quaint streets, typical paisa architecture, and its proximity to the spectacular Valle de Cocora. Salento was founded in 1850 and is one of the oldest towns in this area of Colombia.

We ventured into the church for a quick look around. The Church of Our Lady of Carmen was built in the Spanish style in the early 1900s.Read more
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South American Adventure
Cocora Valley
October 29, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
We took one of the colourful Willy Jeeps from the town square to visit Cocora Valley. Tickets cost just £1 each way for the 25-minute journey. Each jeep carries 13 passengers - 2 in the front with the driver, 8 seated in the back, and 3 standing on the footplate outside at the back! We made sure we had a seat - we didn’t fancy clinging on for that long!

When we got dropped off, we went to the information point to see what our options were. We could have done the full 12km loop hike around the valley with an extension to climb the highest peak at 3500 metres above sea level! Unsurprisingly, we chose to do a much shorter route, which would bring us to the wax palm trees the valley is famous for, much more quickly.

These palma de cera (wax palms) are the largest palms in the world, growing up to 60 metres tall. It is Colombia’s national tree. Set amid the lush green hills, they are breathtaking to behold. The valley is protected as part of Unesco's Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia Heritage Site.

We walked up to see the trees, avoiding most of the Disneyesque fibreglass statues of African animals and fantastical vehicles that tourists (Colombian and foreign alike) love to take Instagram selfies with! I went up to the first viewpoint, while Mark stayed at ground level taking photos. The scenery was certainly spectacular!

Once we met up again, we had a coffee before making our way back to the park entrance.Read more
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South American Adventure
More photos of Cocora Valley
October 29, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
TravelerLooks stunning
11/1/24Reply
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South American Adventure
Yet more photos of Cocora Valley
October 29, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
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South American Adventure
Cocora Valley continued
October 29, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
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South American Adventure
Return to Salento
October 29, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
We took a jeep back into town, chatting to a Swedish couple who are in Colombia for a two-week holiday.

Back in Salento, we bumped into a few people from our group and sat with them in the square yo have a drink. We then went to have a look around some of the many craft and gift shops the town is famous for. There were certainly some lovely locally-produced items, but I resisted all temptations to buy!

The main shopping street is Calle Real (Carrera 6), a colourful road lined on both sides with traditional buildings. Unfortunately, at the moment, the entire street has been dug up to replace the drains, so we didn’t get the full beauty of the place.Read more
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South American Adventure
Lunch in Salento
October 29, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
One interesting thing we did see was whole shell-on macademia nuts for sale. I've never seen them before and had no idea they were so perfectly round and uniform! Sadly, with no nutcrackers with us, I had to settle for a bag of shelled ones 😂.

We then went back to the hotel to repack our bags, ready for moving on tomorrow. At about 4pm, we went out to eat. We ended up in a barbecue restaurant where I had a delicious loin of pork, and Mark had beef, both served with fries and salad. Afterwards, we went next door for ice cream! My blood sugar will likely be through the roof tomorrow!Read more
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South American Adventure
A group meeting
October 29, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
At 5.30pm, we had a group meeting, mainly for Ritchie to explain to us the etiquette of border crossings as we have our first one coming up in a couple of days. We caught up with what everyone else had been doing on their free day. Some had been on a birdwatching tour, some had been horseriding, others had done the full Cocora Valley hike, and some had just had a relaxing time. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed Salento.

Later, we did posts and listened to podcasts.Read more
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South American Adventure
Drive from Salento to Popayan
October 30, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
We were up early again to pack up, have breakfast, and be ready to leave by 7.30am. Nikki arranged taxis to take us to the truck with all our luggage, but some people chose to walk, knowing that we would be on the road for quite a few hours. By the time we got to the truck, we were left with a seat at the back which meant a bumpy ride - not good for Mark’s back!

We stopped after about two and a half hours for toilets and snacks. Immediately afterwards, we got held up in traffic at a peage for while.

We had lunch and afternoon stops. In between, we ploughed on. It rained on and off the whole way. I didn’t take any photos during the journey today as I wasn’t near a window.

We arrived in Popayan at dusk. We dropped our bags and ventured out to explore the local area. We settled on a local Italian restaurant and shared a pizza and salad. It made a nice change.Read more
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South American Adventure
Exploring Popayan
October 31, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
We had no need to be up early today - it was a free day. However, once again, we were awake at 5am! The hotel started serving breakfast at 7 right next to our room, so we went to join the others who were already there.

There was an option to go to Purace National Park today to see condors and hot springs. Only three people chose to go. The rest of us opted to wander around town, catch up on some admin, and watch some of the Halloween celebrations going on.

After breakfast, we went out to explore.

Popayan is a small colonial-era city, nicknamed the White City, due to the chalk-white facades of its buildings. It is second only to Cartagena as Colombia’s most well-preserved historic town. It was founded in 1537 by Sebastian de Belalcazar and became an important stopping point on the road between Cartagena and Quito. Popayan was the capital of southern Colombia for centuries before being replaced by Cali.Read more
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South American Adventure
Student protests
October 31, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Popayan is now home to numerous universities, and the streets of the old city are filled with students. Last night, there were student-led protests in town, and many of the pristine white buildings had been defaced with graffiti and tins of paint being thrown at them. This morning, council workers had already started the clean-up operation.Read more
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South American Adventure
Church of San Francisco
October 31, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We popped into Iglesia de San Francisco, Popayan's largest and most beautiful colonial church. It was built in the late 18th century and houses a fine high altar and a collection of seven unique side altars.Read more
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South American Adventure
Roman-style bridge
October 31, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
We also walked across the 12-arch Roman style bridge.
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South American Adventure
Shopping and admin
October 31, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Later, we stopped for a lulo juice (me) and a coffee (Mark) before going to a supermarket for supplies for two long driving days ahead. I really need to get back to low-carb eating where possible, so I bought some berries, Greek yoghurt, cheese, and tins of tuna. The difficulty is in trying to keep things cool.

This afternoon, the predicted storms arrived, so we had a picnic lunch/dinner at the hotel and caught up on posts and downloads.Read more
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South American Adventure
Leaving Popayan
November 1, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
We had to be up at 5.15 this morning ready to leave by 6am. It was no problem for us as we always seem to be awake at that time! 😀 The hotel provided coffee and cheese rolls, and Nikki supplied fruit, yoghurts, and biscuits so we could have breakfast on the road.

We left town and drove up over the mountains. It was very misty in places, but in between, the scenery was spectacular - very lush and green. As we got closer to the town of Pasto, the road twisted and turned through the mountains and valleys, affording us incredible views. The photos really don't match the reality. At times, we really were up in the clouds.Read more
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South American Adventure
The spectacular drive continues
November 1, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
We had a brief toilet stop and then continued through the mountains, passing through several tunnels on the way.
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South American Adventure
Lunch stop and more great views
November 1, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
We stopped for lunch. Mark and I just had a drink - we're trying not to have a heavy carb-laden lunch every day.

Afterwards, we continued our journey. It was very cloudy and drizzly, but the scenery was still stunning!

Later, we drove through torrential rain, and visibility was reduced to nothing for a while!Read more
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South American Adventure
The church of the Lady of Las Lajas
November 1, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
Luckily, it had dried up by the time we reached The Lady of Las Lajas, an impressive Roman Catholic church built inside a canyon. It looks like something you would expect to see in a Disney movie, and came as something of a shock after driving through epic scenery for most of the day!

The inspiration for the church's creation was a purported miraculous event that took place sone time between 1576 and the mid-eighteenth century (accounts differ!). The story goes that Amerindian Maria Meneses de Quiñones and her deaf-mute daughter Rosa were caught in a very strong storm. They sought refuge between two lajas (slabs of stone), when, to Meneses' surprise, her daughter Rosa spoke for the first time claiming thay the Virgin Mary was calling her and pointing to a lightning-illuminated silhouette. This apparition instigated popular pilgrimages to the site and occasional reports of miraculous healings. An image appeared in the stone that was several feet wide and is still visible today.

The first shrine was built here in the middle of the 18th century from straw and wood. It was replaced with a 7 metre long brick chapel in 1795/96. In 1802, a new, larger shrine was built, which in turn was extended and connected to the opposite side of the canyon with a bridge in the second half of the 19th century.

The current church was built between January 1, 1916, and August 20, 1949, with donations from local churchgoers. It rises 100 metres from the bottom of the canyon and is connected to the opposite side of the canyon by a 50 metre tall bridge.

Ritchie dropped us off at the top of the canyon, and we all walked down to get a closer look at the church. It’s certainly a sight to behold! As soon as the light started to fade, the whole edifice was illuminated in brightly coloured lights! One of our group commented that it was the same lighting as Blackpool Tower!!

We are at an altitude of 2900 metres here and will remain above 2000 metres for the next week. We definitely felt the effects as we walked up and down the hill.Read more
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