Popayan and Silvia

Traveling by bus in Colombia is an art that has to be learned. There are many different kinds of busses. if you travel over real long distances, especially in dangerous regions, take a big bus from a good company like Expreso Bolivariano. You will feel very safe. In the front, next to the driver is another driver or security man, I couldn't figure it out. The bus is not allowed to stop and open its door until it reaches its destination, for security reasons, and there is a video camera that makes sure the driver won't stop and open the door somewhere, even if it were to buy some water, which I was dying to. 

There is also much security at the bus terminals. Policemen with dogs, checking every bus and its luggage for drugs.

Then there are the busetas, smaller busses or minibusses, of different companies, you should compare busses ad prices. Some are bad and expensive and some are good and cheap. And most drivers drive like crazy. In the big busses they have to drive at the allowed speed , otherwise the bus starts making some alarm sound. 

And then, there are some very special busses called chivas

They are just too cute! I first saw them in Silvia, a beautifully located mountain village where there is a very interesting Tuesday market. On Tuesdays indigenous people from the Guambiano culture come from nearby villages to sell fruits, vegetables and handicrafts . Almost all the Guambiano come in traditional dress; men in blue skirts with a pink fringe and bowler hats, women in hand-woven garments and beaded necklaces, busily spinning wool. They come in chivas (these colorful buses). The Guambiano are considered one of the most traditional indigenous groups in Colombia. They speak their own language, dress traditionally and still use rudimentary farming techniques. They’re also excellent weavers. It was such an interesting experience to visit this market and meet some of these people, who are very friendly. Here some impressions from the market:

and the pretty palzza with the church 

Popayan has a nice historical center with white houses and some nice architecture.

pretty churches

a nice theater

a beautiful university- this is the faculty of law

and the main plaza with the cathedral and many pigeons.

and a woman selling food for the pigeons, with them waiting eagerly for someone to buy some.

In Popayan I just strolled through the streets, enjoyed the architecture and watching people. Here a Colombian Coke delivery truck:

From Popayan I today took a buseta to Pasto in South Colombia. it is a 6 hour drive but it passed so quickly. the scenery is fantastic. I was sitting at the wrong side of the bus, so I got to photograph only a little bit of it, not the best. 

We were only 4 persons in the whole bus. The driver waited for almost an hour before he left Popayan, with the hope to get some more travellers and then he gave it up. He was so nice. He stopped at one place on the way because 2 women wanted to buy some fruits (or are those vegetables? They look like the fruits of a palm tree, you have to cook them and they taste a bit like a mixture of potatoes and artichokes). I forgot their name.

When you don't have enough money to take a bus or don't want to spens any, that's the way to travel:

The children here don't have fancy playgrounds like we do, so they make their own:

and this is just a cute girl having lunch in our bus.

have a good day.