San Agustín Services

By Lorraine Caputo

TOURISM OFFICE

The municipal tourist office gives out good maps, but the service is a bit lacking (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-noon, 2-6 p.m., weekends and holidays, closed. Calle 3 and Carrera 12, in the Alcaldía building, Tel: 8-837-3062, E-mail: webmaster@sanagustin.com.co, alcaldia@sanagustin-huila.gov.co, Web site: www.sanagustin.com.co. If the official tourism office is closed, stop by one of the tour operator offices. World Heritage Travel has many years experience orientating visitors to San Agustín.

MONEY

Banco de Bogotá has a Mega Red ATM (accepts all cards) open 24 hours per day on the main drag at Calle 3 12-73. To change U.S. cash dollars, go to Almacén De Todos (daily 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Calle 3 12-28) or Tienda Don Lazo (Calle 3 11-62); both give well-below market rates. If you are journeying with travelers cheques, you are out of luck in San Agustín; stock up on pesos before coming. Neither Moneygram nor Western Union have offices in San Agustín; the nearest are in Neiva and Popayán.

KEEPING IN TOUCH

San Agustín does have internet—four cafés, in fact. Internet Galería Café is the cheapest, at $0.70 per hour, and has a digital camera card reader. While pounding away on the keyboard, you can enjoy a coffee, beer or smoke, or let your eyes rest on the artwork decorating the walls. (Daily 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Calle 3 12-24). Enter.net charges more, $0.95, but has Skype; this non-smoking establishment sells no refreshments (Daily 8 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Carrera 11 3-10). Other communications services in San Agustín seem to hide out in stores. Make local, national and international calls from Telecom in the t-shirt silk-screening shop near the Alcaldía (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-noon, 2-6 p.m., Saturday 2-4 p.m. Calle 3). Adpostal, the post office, is in the Maxitodo de la 13 store (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-noon, 2-6 p.m. Carrera 13 4-09). (136 words) *Medical* Hospital Arsenio Repizo, the public hospital for San Agustín, is at Calle 3 and Carrera 3. There are many pharmacies on Calle 3, especially between Carreras 9 and 13.

CAMERA

It appears there's only one camera shop in San Agustín: Foto Color. Besides developing your film in one hour, it also carries 100, 200 and 400 ASA Kodak and Fuji 110 film; digital camera cards; and disposable, analog and digital cameras. However, it does not repair cameras (Monday-Friday 8-11:30 a.m., 2-6 p.m., 7:30-10 p.m., Saturday 2-6 p.m.).