Talking with other backpackers I’d met in Ecuador I got similar responses regarding Colombia. Everyone agreed that the people there are some of the friendliest they have met in South America, its safer than they would have believed, and its sure to soon be a popular travel destination. I’ve been in this country not even two weeks yet, but I can emphatically agree. It’s amazing how quickly people here are to open up to you (even with limited Spanish ability), and everyone is willing to share tips and recommendations on local sights and safety. Several of the places I’ve ended up now are not from recommendation by other travelers or guidebooks (which cover very little here), but from locals.

The ride up from the border with Johan (Swedish), Anne (Canadian), and Lois (Welsh) lead through the towns of Ipialis and Pasto and some stunning scenery. The valleys and forest in this area are beautiful and have provided some of the best bus-window viewing of my trip so far. My first real stop was in the colonial town of Popayan situated in the southern hills of Colombia and surrounded by local indigenous communities. Popayan’s central district still contains most of its original colonial architecture, and all the building are painted white. The towns university and a handful of coffee houses provided a comfortable atmosphere to base ourselves in for a few days. High on my list of things to do was to find one of the many streams we had been crossing and spend a few hours doing a little fishing. After a bit of prodding and promises of tasty trout the others decided to give it a go as well.

Our fishing trip started as one of those days that you know is going to end interestingly. A day where you have a plan but know it won’t last. The only information we had for our day came from an undated and handwritten strip of paper on the bulletin board of our hostel, but it sounded promising. A trout farm and stream where they clean and cook what you catch for a cheap rate. We made it to our first destination easily enough, Silvia, a small rural community in the hills northeast of Popayan. We hopped into a collectivo and after 40 minutes of travel realized we still hadn’t seen our destination, a “colorful bridge” over a small stream that was supposed to be 20 minutes up the road. We hopped out of the truck and made the hike back down the road, hoping we would find something that looked like a trout farm on the way down.

We spent a couple hours hiking back down the road chatting with lots of the indigenous Guambiano people along the way. In our sneakers and rain gear we stuck out against their bright purple fleece wrappings, white shirts and black hats. We received several startled looks, but as everywhere so far in Colombia, everyone had a smile and hello for us. Eventually we came across the bridge and trout farm we were searching for and settled in for a little fishing. It wasn’t quite the fishing trip I was looking for, but it sure was plentiful. The pond they set aside for fishing was so overstocked that the trout were practically jumping out into out bucket. A few seconds in the water and our bread covered hooks were snapped up, and another trout added to our plate. For just a couple dollars we all had a great lunch of trout about as fresh as they get. I’m hoping my future fishing trips down here will prove just as rewarding, if maybe a little more challenging.

The return trip provided a little more unexpected excitement as well. Johan and I spotted a 1956 Chevy 3800 for sale along the way and quickly imagined great plans for road trips around the continent. The red and white truck\wagon looked perfect for a couple adventurous backpackers and was in surprisingly great shape. Sadly our bid of $1000 was only half the price the owners (the local church) wanted and our dreams were shattered. After hearing about the amount of gas the thing used though we were both pretty relieved that the dream fell through.

There is still plenty to see in this region but I’m saving a bit for later when I pass back through on my way south again to the rest of the continent. So instead I’m setting off west towards the Pacific to find what’s there in the region maps and guidebooks don’t seem to cover. With the recommendations and warnings I’ve collected from the people here I’m hoping to uncover a couple gems and am sure to meet many more interesting characters.

Categories: fishing, Colombia, Photos, Travel