Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Popayan, day two

Monday was the day that setup the rest of the trip.  Often a traveler arrives to their destination tired, does a quick whirlwind tour, sleeps soundly for 10 to 12 hours, and quickly becomes restless.  I fought the inclination to be restless and take things as they came.  I was awakened at 7am by the telephone.  It was my hostess Elsa setting up a time to pick me up and start showing me around. 

We saw the town between some errands she had to run.  We took in the center of town again, and moved on to the Hotel Dann Monasterio (see below) and the Law School.  Popayan experienced a strong earthquake in 1983 and you can still see some of its effects.  There is a cracked wall or window here or there, or more likely yet another parking area.  Many of the beautiful homes were not rebuilt and became parking lots. 

After a delicious lunch we went to walk around a modern mall whose land was until recently owned by the Catholic Church.  Elsa made a couple of references during the day of how the Catholic Church holds much money, land, and power in Popayan.  Finally we stopped by their house on the tony north side to visit with Jose again and see some unimproved land he bought in the area.

Most importantly in the morning after much effort on Elsa's part we connected with a tour guide who would be able to take me on a climb of Volcan (Volcano) Purace or a trip through the Purace National Park with various sights and experiences.  Thankfully I opted for the latter.  Cristian, my indigenous guide, would be picking me up at the Hotel La Plazuela at 7am the next morning.


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