Author’s profile:

Hi friend, my name is Juan Camilo Hurtado. I’m a student of Industrial Engineering at the ICESI University. I’m 19 years old. I want tell you about one Colombian city full of culture, history and tradition. I wish you to travel to this destination after reading this blog; it will be the best experience of your life.

Introduction:

You can make this face when you hear about Colombia… o.O…and possible you can say…”I never will travel to Colombia, it is a dangerous country”… contrary to what you think about this country, Colombia has many things to show. One of them is this beautiful city of which I'll talk to you about: Pasto, located in Nariño, south of the country.

Pasto…rural food!

If you decide travel to Pasto, you can eat a lot of food. The most representative plate in this city is CUY…that's like a rabbit, but a little smaller. This animal was domesticated by Incas, and now the people eat it. I was impressed just when the Cuy came to mi table, because it is usually serve with head and feet. But when I tasted it…oh my God it is delicious! ... I think that it tastes like chicken, but with an indescribable feeling. 

Other representative food in Pasto is El Hornado. It’s fabulous. It’s a big roasted pig. The portion of Hornado is potatoes, pork hide, a lot of meal and finally mote. This portion is usually accompanied with chili peanut. Mote is a special form of corn. It’s used as a companion in a lot of typical plates in the region. There even exists a delicious soup of Mote…I recommend it.

Nariño has a wide variety of desserts. When I was in Pasto, I ate the popular Helado de Paila…This ice cream is made in a copper pan that is on a bowl filled with ice… you should eat it fast or ice cream will melt!. xD 

Celebration in Pasto

Pasto is famous for the Inca cultural legacy. Since the city have Andean climate, you can feel the history on the streets. And the biggest sample of this legacy is the tremendous black and white carnival. If you decide to attend this carnival, you must travel early in January.  This celebration is incredible, because artisans make gigantic floats symbolizing various aspects of Inca culture; mythological characters, mother earth, and others. This has three important carnival parades. The first of these is the parade of the Castañeda family, representing the multicultural integration in the country. 

The second important parade is the black’s day. This commemorates the day of the slaves day. Before, during and after the parade, the people are dancing and celebrating on the street and public places. People play to paint black their faces on this day. And the people say euphorically “Que vivan los negros, carajo!” .

Finally, the most important parade is the white’s day, also called “magno” parade. On this day the artisans show their creations on the carnival path. It Is the largest and most famous parade. In contrast of the black’s day, the people play to paint white their faces.

What can you do in the city or near?

There are other things to do besides carnivals. You can go to visit the shrine of the Virgen de las Lajas, located in Ipiales, near Pasto. This sanctuary is located between two mountains. Also you can go to La Cocha lagoon, a mystical place. So you can go shopping in the center of the city, when you can buy infinity of beautiful crafts. For example, I bought a glamorous leather jacket at a very reasonable price. But this city is full of things to do.

Great people in Pasto

 The people in Pasto are so friendly! They treat you like you're part of their family. Most people in the city have peasant spirit, which is reflected in their warmth and humility when interacting with "Paisanos" and tourists. The women in Pasto are so beautiful and some are very flirtatious :D .

I only can to say you… come to Pasto, come to Nariño, come to Colombia. You’ll not regret it. Que viva Pasto Carajo!