Southbound Gnomads

Our road traveled to Pasto- 4 hours through the mountains. (Guardrails optional!) Where do we even begin? Arriving in Pasto for the Negros y Blancos festival was something else. It's really hard to sum up this experience in a blog post, but we shall try!  Everything we read about Pasto as a destination was underwhelming- nothing to set this city apart, or reason to really stop off there on your way to the southern border- except from January 3rd-7 th , during the Carnaval. Finally we time ourselves right!  Festival goers  This festival is on the UNESCO list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”, and arose hundreds of years ago through influences of native Andean, Hispanic, and African traditions. Although there are various events through the week, the highlights are Jan 5 th and 6 th , Negros y Blancos days. From what we read, these celebrations have some roots in Andean agrarian cultures who danced to honour the moon and pray to the sun for pro...

Post-Christmas we made our way to Cali , a city pulsing with vitality. It didn't offer too too much for the daytime (on the whole the city felt a little on the grungy side) but at night the city really came to life. Cali is known as the Salsa (dance) capital of the world, and the people here can really move! We timed our visit for the Feria, or Salsa Fair which happens every year at this time. During one of our walkabouts during the day we happened upon two pairs of dancers who were showing their stuff in front of a TV reporter up on a lookout beside Inglesia San Antonio, with frilly red pants a-flying. We enjoyed the many cat statues in Parque del Gato, and later on some chocolo (corn on the cob, but not sweet like Ontario!) from ladies fanning their little grills on the sidewalk. When the sun went down was really the time to go see the sights, and on our last night we shuffled through the bustling park Paseo Bolivar along the river, where Christmas lights were still in fu...

Hike to the Rock!  You must excuse us for the blogging delay, the writers were on strike! ;) Here's a run-down of the weeks that were, back in the later part of December. After our stay in Medellin it was off to the lake in Guatape, where we stayed at Mi Casa right on the water, under the shadow of the famous Guatape rock. Amidst some low-rolling hills and water, this enormous volcanic rock looks entirely out of place, and is a huge tourist draw.  Who doesn't want to climb 740 steps for a pretty lookout? We thoroughly enjoyed having our own space here, with a kitchen to cook our own meals, a deck that looked out over the lake, and a giant net hammock to chill out in. We had a nice hot afternoon hike up to the top of the rock, complete with masses of other tourists at the lookout tower and a fresh juice at the top. The view from above Streets of Guatepe Rasta kayaker!  Turns out it was first ascended back in the 50s, and now has co...