Popayan, Colombia

We decided to stay a second night in Popayan to make it a rest day.  Carmen had gotten ill with stomach cramps.  We washed all the clothes and layed them out to dry.  
We walked the city and watched the people.  We went for lunch - carmen had salmon and I had langostinos.  They were nothing like the ones we had by the river in Mexico when Carmen's cousin Chaco took us to the river.
We slept in a bit but the workers doing construction made so much noise. 

We then decided to try again to go for a walk.  We decided to go to the highest point of town where there was a church.  We got lost and ended up in someone's house with a barking dog.  They told us how to get to the church and made it up there at the end of mass.  Carmen walked up to the back of the altar where the Santo was and said a little prayer.  The locals were also going back there to hug the Santo Ecce Homo, Amado Senor Jesucristo.  The church had a very interesting history.  It was built on land that had been a Rancho de paja/ hay farm.

The owner built a small chapel for the Carmelite nuns. In 1717 they lifted the big Santo Ecce Homo, carrying him up to the chapel.  After the 1776 Earthquake the chapel was rebuilt due to damage.  There have been two more earthquakes that caused damage and the people rebuild and continue to have the church in the same land. The large cross outside the church is one piece that has withstood the test of time and earthquakes.   

​We started to walk back down slowly and found a place to eat.  The place was very old, with a big wood oven.  We ordered a pizza, beer and lemonade.  I mixed my beer with lemonade. They were very slow,  and had a big group of people upstairs. When we got the pizza we were pleased with the thin crust and the flavor. 
After eating we walked slowly through the streets to get back to the Airbnb.  Carmen bought the girls some earrings and I bought a small trinket for our Christmas tree.   


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