Colombia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 553

La Casa de Francois 250m along Via El Tablón T 8 837
3847, W lacasadefrancois.com. Situated on a bluff over-
looking the city, this ecologically friendly and sociable
place offers airy dorms (one with fantastic views), an
excellent communal kitchen and a couple of private
doubles. The enthusiastic owner offers home-made bread,
jam and other goodies, plus hearty break fasts (COP $8000).
There's also a campin g area. Camp ing COP$800 , dorms
COP$17,000 , doubles COP$40,000
Casa de Nelly Via la Estrella 1.5km along Av 2 T 310 215
9057, W hotelcasadenelly.co. Tricky to find, as the route
along a poorly lit dirt track from town is not brilliantly
signposted, but lovely once you've made it. Romantic
cabins surrounded by trees make this a great spot for those
who want to hide away and relax for a couple of days. Has
a restaurant servi ng breakfasts and “wh atever's availa ble”
for dinner. Dorms COP$18,000 , doubles COP$50,000
Ì Finca El Maco 750m along the road to the Parque
Arqueológico and then 500m up a rough road T 8 837
3437, W elmaco.ch. This working organic farm with a
gaggle of friendly dogs offers a range of sleeping options
from camping and simple dorms to luxurious casitas
(literally “small houses”). The restaurant serves up good-
value Thai curries, great crêpes and massive breakfasts.
Alternatively, you can buy home-made bread, cheese,
pasta sauces and yoghurt and make your own meals in the
basic communal kitchen, then retire t o a hammo ck and
admire the su rroundin g hills. Campi ng COP$8000 , dorms
COP$16,000 , doubles COP$33,000
El Hogar de San Agustín Cra 14 No. 4-03 T 8 837
3185; W www.hotel-san-agustin.com. The beautiful
garden at this comfortable posada makes it a good option
for those who want both greenery and an in-town
location. There's an attractive adobe colour scheme in the
spotless rooms, a living room with TV/DVD and a book
exchange, and the on -site pastry sh op sells those French
baked goods. Doubles COP$40,000

Restaurante Italiano Vereda el Tablón. A short taxi ride
out of town (COP$4500), this authentic Italian spot with
the most imaginative name ever delivers consistently
good dishes, including home-made pasta, that have
earned the praise of Italian and non-Italian travellers alike.
Mains from COP$15,000. Mon-Sat noon-10pm.

5

TIERRADENTRO
After San Agustín, Tierradentro is
Colombia's most treasured archeological
complex, though far less visited. Its
circular tombs, some as deep as 9m and
reachable by steep, smooth original
steps through trapdoors, are decorated
with elaborate geometric iconography
and are as impressive as San Agustín's
statues. Monumental statues have also
been found here, indicating a cultural
influence from San Agustín, though
again little is known about the tomb-
building civilization other than that
it flourished around 700-900 AD,
with the statue phase occurring around
500 years later.
No large population centres have been
discovered, lending credence to the belief
that the original inhabitants belonged
to a dispersed group of loosely related
farmers. The modern Paez Indian
population, 25,000 of whom live in the
surrounding hillside, is not thought to
be related to the creators of the tombs.
Tierradentro means “Inner Land”,
an appropriate nickname to describe
the rugged countryside of narrow valley
and jagged summits. The area receives
far fewer visitors than San Agustín,
thanks to the poor quality of the road
from Popayán, though that's likely
to change, given the ongoing road
improvements and with the area currently
safe from guerrillas.

EATING
The town's fruit-and-veg market on the corner of C 2 and
Cra 11, where self-caterers can stock up, is open daily
but liveliest Sat-Mon when the campesinos come to sell
their wares.
Ì Donde Richard 750m along the road to the Parque
Arqueológico at C 5 No. 23-45. The best spot to chow down
in town serves high-quality, carnivore-friendly food such as
barbecued pork, chicken, beef and fish, all cooked on a big
grill at the front of the restaurant (mains COP$20,000).
Don't miss the Sunday special of asado huilense (slow-
cooked pork marinated overnight). Daily noon-8pm.
El Fogón C 5 No. 14-30. Extremely popular restaurant
that serves up a better-than-average menú del día
(COP$7000) to scores of hungry locals every day of the
week. Daily 6am-11pm.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
The main village is tiny San Andrés de
Pisimbalá , 4km from El Cruce de San
Andrés, the junction on the main
Popayán-La Plata road. San Andrés
has a picturesque thatched-roof chapel
that dates from the seventeenth-century
mission. Two kilometres along the
road to San Andrés, where you'll find
a smattering of guesthouses, starts