With constant rains on the easter slopes of the Andes and having another 10 days left into my trip, I decided to drive north all the way towards Columbian border. The weather had defiantly improved as I arrived in a little town of El Ángel in the Carchi province. I found an amazing hotel in the heart of the town which has very friendly atmosphere with smiling locals and great little restaurants.
Just north of town is El Ángel Ecological Reserve. The Reserve was created specifically to protect Frailejones plants. Frailejones look like a big, upright tube with bunny ears on top. Evidentially, the early Spanish explorers thought they looked like Franciscan friars wearing hats (the word fraile is Spanish for friar) and the name stuck. There are 142 identified species of them and are only found at over 6000 feet in the high paramos of Venezuela, Colombia, and the very north of Ecuador. The park itself is also a home to more than 125 animal species.
Lots of people were warning me about growing violence of the border region, but it proved to be one of the most peaceful regions I visited. The road to the park proved to be an adventure once again, as its condition deteriorated rapidly outside mountain villages. I spent the whole day painting at the park, focusing on the wonderfully play of light and shadows over mountains below me.
‘El Angel View’ 14” x 11” oil on board
‘On the Colombian Border’ 11” x 14” oil on board