ASCENT OF THE PARAMILLO 121 



A few hours later, after crossing a low ridge, we came sud- 

 denly upon Sopetran, a beautiful little town completely 

 hidden in groves of palms, mangoes, and other lovely trees. 

 The cluster of some hundreds of snow-white houses with 

 red roofs, wide, well-kept streets, and the abundance of 

 multicolored birds fluttering and singing among the deep 

 green foliage, render Sopetran one of the most attractive 

 towns of its size I have seen in tropical America. 



At noon we reached the Cauca and crossed that sluggish, 

 muddy stream on a suspension bridge about eight hundred 

 feet long. The cables are anchored in picturesque brick 

 piers built into the face of the steep banks, and hundreds of 

 swallows utilize as nesting sites the small openings where 

 the wires enter the masonry. Gravel flats flank the sides 

 of the river, and bare, sandy islands divide the water into 

 several channels. The elevation is approximately two 

 thousand feet. 



One league beyond the Cauca lies the town of Antioquia. 

 If Sopetran is the last word in attractiveness, Antioquia 

 must be placed at the extreme other end of the scale. The 

 wide, arid valley supports no vegetation except occasional 

 clumps of cacti and dwarfed mimosas, which rather add to 

 its desert-like appearance. The heat is almost unbearable, 

 as the Western and Central Andes, hemming in the valley 

 between huge walls of pink clay and sandstone, shut off 

 all ventilating winds. 



Although it was still early in the afternoon, we decided 

 to spend the rest of the day in Antioquia, as the pack-mules 

 seemed nearly exhausted; but it was not long before we 

 heartily regretted not having avoided the town and made 

 camp out in the open plains. Our arriero had guided us to 

 the little hotel, where a matronly sehora received us with 

 evident joy and a great deal of ceremony, probably because 

 we were the first guests in some time; we soon discovered, 

 however, that she was not the only one to whom our visit 

 gave pleasure. Fleas in droves appeared from the cracks 

 in the brick flooring and made their way through leggings, 



