From Pasto, we continued north for another seven (should have been five) hours to the capital of the Cauca Department (state) called Popoyán. Now, we must admit, this had us on edge un poquito because Cauca itself is still not the safest, but we also heard and read that if we stuck to the Pan American Highway corridor, and Popoyán itself, it should be fine. And it was. 

In fact, we encountered some of the most phenomenal roadside scenery in the entire country as our bus barreled through mountain passes and along twisting roads (amidst stops and starts for what often seemed to be the driver’s personal shopping.)

We thought we had already seen some of the most beautiful parts of Colombia, but it just kept giving and giving. 

The entertainment as seen from our bus window. In one instance, the driver and his assistant stocked up on sugarcane treats. If you zoom in above his head, you’ll see they were selling entire bricks of these sweets. We couldn’t believe it when they each walked away with four bricks. 🤣 Well, they do say sugar is more addictive than cocaine anyways! 

When we finally arrived to Popoyán, we were famished after a day of eating bus snacks peddled by locals, which in Colombia means mango, plantain chips and bananas, as well as our last of the Mani en Pasta (peanut butter condiment) from Ecuador. We grabbed an Uber, dropped our bags in our apartment, and went to the nearby Terasse Monk bar and restaurant, immediately noticing how trendy and enticing the historic center of Popoyán seemed. This particular restaurant had adorable sit-on-the-floor options, as well as lofted booths that you reach with ladders! So fun! Maybe not for the servers though. 🤨

Our booth of choice was a bit boring. We had settled in before we noticed all the other more enticing options. Also, as we plunged into giant burritos, an unexpected visitor came and crawled on Mandy’s lap. Not that she minded.

Our studio apartment (Airbnb) was $23 a night for the the two nights we stayed in the charming historic center of Popoyan. It was on the fourth floor of a secure building, had a fully stocked kitchen, and a much needed washing machine.

It also had a lovely view out the window. And finally, we found idyllic weather. Mid 70’s F (upper 20’s C) and bright blue sunny skies. Oh yes, Popoyan is nice!

The street we stayed on was a perfect introduction to this captivating city.  

Popoyán, known as “Ciudad Blanca,” is a ravishing gem in Colombia…a ravishing gem that very few talk about. But this spellbinding city of less than 400k is well worth a visit and second in historical colonial preservation to the city of Cartagena. But the reason we loved it more? Unlike the booming Caribbean city, hardly any foreign tourists were here, which meant it was far cheaper as well. In our opinion, it’s seriously underrated. In fact, it easily shot to the top of our favorite larger city we’ve visited in Colombia. 

It’s known as the white city because the old town is whitewashed and also, the fertile city, because no other town has contributed as many Colombian presidents.

And, it is simply photogenic.

And very walkable…although walking alone at night probably isn’t the most brilliant idea. 

The city was once an important transportation hub between Bogota and the border and still makes an ideal stopping point between the two.

Although we only had two nights, we could have easily stayed longer. The only downside was we weren’t able to do the plethora of nearby day trips due to safety concerns. 

Greg relaxing in the main plaza, Parque Caldas. Popoyán is one of the oldest and best preserved cities in South America founded in 1537 by Spaniard Sebastian de Belalcazar who was traveling to southern Colombia in search of the El Dorado treasure. 

The streets of Popoyan are utterly charming.

The main cathedral, Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption has been rebuilt several times due to earthquakes.

We were a little disappointed to see that Juan Valdez was closed at 9:00 in the morning. JV is basically Colombia’s version of Starbucks, but way cheaper (and better…because…it’s Colombia!)

Some streets of Popoyán had some resemblances to Arequipa, Peru and Villa de Leyva, Colombia.

Others reminded us of our favorite place in Colombia (the world?), Barichara. No wonder we fell a little in lust here.

Stopping at the museum home of great Colombian poet, Guillermo Valencia, who evidently hung out with JFK. His son, Guillermo Leon went on to become president of the country in the early 1960s.

Infinite cute churches in Colombia.

A pro at hamming it up, this llama is obviously good at his job.

The main clock tower.

Locals congregating on this beautiful day. Nearly everyone has a coffee or ice cream in their hands.

The streets are flooded with appeal. 

As usual, our $3 Menu del Dia started with soup, with an obnoxious chunk of unappetizing carne byproduct floating inside. But the pescado entree was terrific! 

For another meal we headed to Empanaditas, where we had our first Salpicón Payanés: a cold delicious drink mixed with blackberries, lulo and pieces of guanábana.

This was served alongside Empanadas pipián, which is a mix of colored potatoes, typically from this Colombian zone, ground peanuts, onion and achiote. They are served with three sauces which are peanut, spiced pineapple or Cajun flavored and soooo yummy! 

Puente de Bolivar is a bridge with 12 arches of Roman style. It was built in 1873, however and not hundreds of years before.

Time for Mandy to bring back her hit single…”I Like Big Bells and I Cannot Lie.” Indeed…San Francisco Church claims to have one of the largest bells in America called the bell of San Antonio, cast in gold and bronze.

The oldest church in Popoyan dating from the 1500’s.

Even though it’s a big city, in many ways, the historic center of Popoyan resembled one of the dozens of irresistible villages throughout the country. We’ll definitely come back for longer!