Nov. 5, 2023
Another of my short stories, "The Blackberry Popsicle" has been published. Take a look at the My Published Stories link in the menu.
During my travels in South America I visited 36 towns/cities in Ecuador. In Perú, I visited 38; in Chile, only five; and in Argentina, I visited 16. In Uruguay, I visited five, and in Brazil, three. And in Paraguay I have visited 26. In Colombia I've visited 82. That's 211 towns/cities in South America.
I'm in Roldanillo, Colombia.
Sevilla, Colombia, has a population of about 46,000. The town sits in the north of the Valle del Cauca department at the base of the Central Range (western side) of the Andes Mountains. "Mirador del Valle y del Quindío" means View of the Valley and of Quindo - referring to the Valley Cauca and the department (province) called Quindio, actually just a part of it, of course. Yes, Sevilla has amazing views, being that the town sits on top of a hill with the Valley Cauca on the west side and the entire northern half visible, and the mountains of Quindio to the east. The town is in the foothills so it is very hilly, the average elevation appears to be around 2000 meters, compared to the elevation of the floor of the valley below at around 950 meters.
Toro, Colombia, has a population of about 17,000. The town sits in the north of the Valle del Cauca department at the base of the Western Range of the Andes Mountains.
The Gorrone indigenous people inhabited the northern Valle del Cauca until the Spanish arrived. The new settlers started a town in 1573 in the neighboring Chocó department with the name Nuestra Señora de la Consolación de Toro. The word Toro was added because many of the founding soldiers were from Toro, Spain. The indigenous people didn't like the newcomers and attacked the town repeatedly. That caused the people to move the town to a district called El Bohío. In 1575, the Spanish King Phillip II recognized the foundation of the town. In 1587, the town was again moved but this time only one kilometer to the west. That location is the current location of Toro. In 1632, the town gained the status as a municipality. It was growing. Well, looking at the current population, one would say it never grew much.
La Unión, Colombia, has a population of about 39,000 in the urban area and about 47,000 in the greater metropolitan area. The town sits in the north of the Valle del Cauca department at the base of the Western Range of the Andes Mountains.
La Tebaida, Colombia, has a population of about 30,000 in the urban area and about 35,000 in the greater metropolitan area. The town sits in the Quindío department about 20 kilometers south of Armenia. The only thing to mention about La Tebaida is the Armenia Airport sits just outside of the town.
El Dovio, Colombia, has a population of about 5,000 in the urban area and about 8500 in the greater metropolitan area. The town sits in the northwestern part of the Valle Del Cauca in the center Andes Mountains' western range.