Guatape

     Guatape is a small but extremely colorful town. It had lots of activity and plenty to see and do. We walked the town with many stops along the way. We also took a Tuk-Tuk ride to see an extended portion of the town.

     Our local guide told us that Guatape used to have miserable weather. She said it was always overcast and wet and never sunny. For that reason, the town's people painted their buildings and houses very colorfully, to keep up their spirits. But more recently, Guatape has become a very sunny and fair-weather town. But it's still colorful.

     The Guatape Church was not too colorful, which is probably why it stood out so much. It's located just off the main square and is on the simple and elegant style. 

     When I say we walked around town, that involved a lot of up and down walking and not so much level walking, as you can see in the next photo.

     To give you a flavor of Guatape and the Medellin area, we had lunch here at the Laparilla Burgers and Beef restaurant (the ground floor place, not the second story one). We didn't have burgers but that's not what I want to point out. If you look in the lower right corner of the photo, you can notice a plant growing in a pot. It is, in fact, pot growing in a pot. It's a marijuana plant, in full view and with no notice by anyone, perhaps except me. Perhaps it has some culinary value.

     Before lunch was finished, the thunder roared and the rain poured, so no rock climbing today. We used the next hour to shop in town on our own. It might have been raining but we still enjoyed our time walking around Guatape in the rain.