There are 467 blog posts for you to enjoy.
My upcoming second journey of South America
February 27, 2024
I am heading out for my second backpacking journey of South America on March 2. My plan is to spend a couple of months visiting many pueblos in Ecuador, then the same in Perú, then a month in Chile, a month in Argentina, and finally end in Paraguay. At this moment, I haven't made a final decision of where I will live. There are a couple of towns I like - Moyobamba (Northern Perú), Arequipa (Southern Perú), Formosa (Northeastern Argentina border with Paraguay), Encarnación (Southern Paraguay border with Argentina). Moyobamba is the smallest with a population of around 55,000; Arequipa has a pop. just under a million in the metropolitan area; Formosa is at about a half-million; Encarnació has about 100,000. Those numbers are very general as the websites with population data have numbers all over the map for all of those cities. Arequipa is definately bigger than my preference but I have visited that city two times and I really like it. The others are all in the size range that I prefer.
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Argelia, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
December 26, 2023
Argelia, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, has a population of about 6500, and about 3500 live in the urban center of the town. The town is located in the western range of the Andes Mountains and has a river running through a very narrow valley. The town is built on the slopes of the mountains. The only flat, horizontal streets are the few that run along the sides of the mountain. To connect those there are a couple of switchbacks at one end and a road that drops down to the river. Other than those ends, in between are five stairways connecting the streets, and they are steep and long. The town has a central plaza with a church on one side and bars and discos on three sides. There are two actual proper sit-down restaurants and many small fast-food-type restaurants.
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Tuluá, Colombia
December 13, 2023
Tuluá, Colombia, has a population of about 220,000. The town sits in the center of the Valle del Cauca department between the Central and Western ranges of the Andes Mountains. The name Tuluá came from the Tulué indigenous people who spoke the Pijao language. The Pijao language went extinct in the 18th century, so nobody knows the meaning of the word Tuluá. So, because the Pijao people referred to the land as "easy to navigate" the city adopted that as the meaning of the word Tuluá. Also, due to its geographical location in the center of the department Valle del Cauca, Tuluá is also known as the Heart of the Valley.
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Sevilla, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
November 30, 2023
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.
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Toro, Colombia
November 25, 2023
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.
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