Popayán, finally!

The first part of my trip had me discovering a little bit of the southern department (akin to a Canadian province or an American state) of Putumayo. Then I saw a bit of Huila, which is where San Agustín is, and for the past week or so, I've been in Cauca in Southwestern Colombia. I've been based in Popayán, the capital of Cauca, mostly at the home of Hugo and Elvira, dear friends of Gisela's parents from the time they lived in Colombia. They have been so nice and generous, as were other friends of her parents that I visited, Ricardo and Verónica, who live in the countryside of Popayán. They've all known Gisela since she's existed! Ricardo lived in France for many years, and his partner Vero is from France, so we had a great evening of drinking wine and chatting about music and politics in French 😄.

Popayán is well known for its colonial architecture and its contributions to Colombian cultural and political life. It is also known as the "white city" due to the colour of most of the colonial buildings in the city center, where several churches and government buildings are located. There are also many very good food options here - in fact, in 2005, Popayán was declared by the UNESCO as the first city of gastronomy - and of course, no shortage of excellent cafés. It’s also an excellent location for diverse day-trip options, and I've been able to do two of the there I wanted to do. Here are some pictures of my time so far in Popayán and with Hugo, Elvira, Ricardo, and Verónica. I'll post later on the two day-trips.Read more