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El Espinal, Colombia
October 16, 2025
El Espinal, or just Espinal as it’s usually called, sits in the south-central region of Colombia, about halfway between Bogotá and Cali. The town itself has around 60,000 residents, with about 77,000 in the greater metro area. To set the geography straight: the Río Coello flows a few kilometers west of town, and the Río Magdalena a few kilometers east. Some blogs and even Wikipedia like to suggest those rivers run right through town — they don’t. What Espinal does have are two smaller streams running through it, neither celebrated nor accessible. One is even boxed in with concrete like a drainage canal. On the cultural side, Espinal has a monument to the tambora drum and is “said” to be famous for them, though in my time here I haven’t seen a single tambora or tambora-maker in the town. The town's economy is bases on agriculture, mostly rice, cotton, corn, soybeans, and some lesser commodities.
References:
City Population
Wikipedia
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Guamo, Colombia
October 14, 2025
Guamo is a small town in Tolima with a history that, at least according to Wikipedia, seems longer
than its streets. Founded in the early 1600s, it was relocated a couple of times before settling in its current spot in
1801. The local Indigenous people resisted the Spanish conquest fiercely, but as in much of Colombia, the Spanish
eventually prevailed. The town then developed as an agricultural hub, producing rice, cotton, corn, bananas, and
citrus, while never really growing into a major city.
Reference: Wikipedia
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Natagaima, Colombia
October 13, 2025
Ntagaima is small, around 15,000 people in the town, and maybe 23,000 in the metropolitan area. The town dates back to 1608. The local indigenous people were not easily subdued, they fought long and hard against the Spanish. But, in the end, the Spanish won. Some years later the town was moved, and then moved again. Finally, in 1801, the town found its home in its current location. As for the name, there are at least three stories that try to explain its origin.
Reference: Wikipedia
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Reflections about Ecuador
January 29, 2023
I'm in the town of Moyobamba, Perú, population of around 55,000. I'm going to stay here for a week and recharge my batteries. After two and a half months of backpacking through Ecuador and northern Perú, it's time for a break.
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Sucúa, Ecuador
January 1, 1970
Sucúa, Ecuador, was first founded in 1963, and has a population of around 11,000. The town is located on the eastern outer flanks of the Andes Mountains in the Amazon basin, sitting in a valley at about 831 meters (2726 feet). The temperatures range from a nightly low of about 18° C (64° F) to a daily high of about 28° C (82° f). The climate is what you would expect for a town in the Amazon - a fair amount of rain and a lot of humidity.
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