Popayán day four, part one Silvia

My wonderful hosts Jose and Elsa were lifelong residents of this area but oddly had not been to many of its places, or if they had it been limited and long ago.  Today was going to be even better than the trip around Purace because I was with friends that were good conversationalists.  Also, they have a nice car and most of the roads we were going to drive on were paved.

About an hour's drive from Popayan is a city of 35,000 called Silvia.  When I remarked that on the roads  my hosts told me that the famous drug kingpin Pablo Escobar had invested in the area because he and henchman liked to visit the more temperate Silvia on the weekends.  Their city of Cali can be very hot and is only about an 90 minutes away.  In the years that had passed their houses became unidentifiable but the roads that Escbar funded remain a legacy. 

Silvia also has an indigenous influence.  One of the better-known groups in the area are called the Guambianos.  When we arrived to Silvia there was a parade that was about to start.  We watched the parade, then climbed up to see a small church, and then visited the city square.  The parade seemed to be part celebration of themselves and part protest and the Colombian government.  Guambianos wear traditional vestments of black and blue.  They do not seem to be approachable, and are used to being looked at by foreign tourists and Colombians alike.

Here's a look at the city from the hilltop church.

One way to get a picture with a Guambiano is to sit next to one in a nonchalant way.

In this one we pressed our luck.  We sat by a group of young girls.  A couple got cold feet
during the process while the rest stayed and had a laugh with us.

I remember the car ride and tour of Silvia as the part of the trip as when I started realizing the benefits
of being on vacation.  Occasionally I read about how Americans have less vacation than Europeans or our puritanical streak causes us to forgo vacation or work while we're taking them.  I've improved at taking them over recent years.  The world is not going to end because I'm not at my desk.  It's best just to leave my impatience and other flaws back home and enjoy the ride.