Silvia, Cauca

[buencamino3]

While I’m at it here’s a mini report on another place I visited recently that’s much safer than Naranjal. The place is Silvia in Cauca Department. It’s a large and thriving village and on Tuesdays (that’s the day to be there) hosts the huge guambiano market. The guambiano are an Indian group whose reserve is not far out of Silvia. They are entirely different from other Indians I’ve come in contact with in that they are relaxed with strangers and don’t mind having their picture taken if you ask nicely. I also got the impression that they are far better off economically than the other groups which everywhere else I’ve been are very poor. (When I commented that to my doctor he said oh yes they are happy after all they have control over large tracts of Coca).

Anyway they proudly maintain their traditions including their peculiar and very colorful dress. Both men and women wear skirts though of a different type and both wear bowler hats and clunky black boots. Some of the women opt for slightly more elegant footwear. By the way if you’re curious about the origin of the bowler hats it turns out the fad started when British and Scottish railroad workers built the first South American railroad in Peru. The quechua fell in love with their hats and the style spread to Indian groups in other countries.

Silvia is a completely safe destination and is very popular with caleños  as a weekend getaway. There’s an extremely comfortable Comfandi hotel with excellent dining. (There are a number of Comfandi tourist hotels at popular tourist destinations. The rooms are colonial style with antique like furniture. I’ve stayed in two of them.) It is quite high up and cool but with plenty of sunshine. You will feel like you’re in Colorado.

The best plan of action is to go on a Monday in order to be present Tuesday morning for the market. You can take a bus from Cali. Don’t go with out a camera!

Here are a few photos from my visit.

[Elexpatriado]

You must be trollin BC

Thats freakin Bolivia you posted fotos of..

[buencamino3]

Nope it's Cauca, Colombia all right. Never been to Bolivia.

[utopiacowboy]

Very cool pics and report. Thanks!

[Elexpatriado]

Nope it's Cauca, Colombia all right. Never been to Bolivia.

If you posted thosevfotos in a gallery for latin American travellers and asked them.which country they were taken in, 80% would say Boliviano, and the other 20% Perú or Ecuador.

Are those people Quechuas?

[buencamino3]

No they are guambiano. Also called misak.