First Adventures

ALL PHOTOS

A long wait to exit Ecuador and a short walk across the international bridge, and I was looking at the sign welcoming me into Colombia. How I have waited for that sign, and only the sign welcoming me back to the States will mean more. I spent the night on the Colombian side in the border town of Ipiales, a pleasant enough place as far as border towns go. In the morning I took a short but pretty drive to Pasto, where I got my first dose of good old Colombian hospitality.

After checking into my hostel, I went to grab a bight to eat. A Colombian girl who worked in the restaurant owned or run by her father wanted to practice English, so I invited her to sit down and I ate while we practiced English. I told her my plans to visit a nearby lake and she offered to tell me how to take the busses in order to get to the taxi station about a kilometer (half mile) away where I could then find a ride to the lake. Upon reflection, she figured I would just end up getting lost and offered to take me herself (most likely true after we finally got to the taxi station). Leaving the restaurant behind, we took a bus ride that wound through the city before getting off and walking a few blocks to the taxi station. We passed a park where she introduced me to some friends of hers, who were also very nice. From there, she left me at the taxi station and returned to work. Find me this in the States.

The lake was big and pretty, and the little town on the shore had some good restraunts and interesting atmosphere. I really liked that part of it. I then took a boat ride out to the island, walked on it, and came back. Didn't really like that, but that is because I paid too much to do it. I returned to Pasto, spent the night, and then left the next day for Cali.













Cali is the plastic surgery capital of Colombia. I should note here that, true to the rumors, Colombian women are very beautiful, but that becomes not only a natural phenomenon in the larger cities but also a plastic one. One's sex can also become plastically determined (or hidden?), a prevalent and interesting, if a bit twisted, aspect of the city. Cali is unremarkable in the realm of tourism though, and I stayed merely to break up two long bus journeys. So soon enough I was on my way into coffee country in the midlands of the country with a destination of the quaint little town of Salento.

Both busrides from Pasto to Cali and then Cali to Salento were gorgeous. Lush, green mountains continued throughout, and the mountains provided some amazing vistas and steep drops. At one point we entered into a cloud as we traversed a steep mountainside, and it looked as if we were traveling along the edge of a flat world. It was very cool.

The friendly nature of Colombians continued to make itself known. People were so willing to help you, and not just in telling you how to get someplace, but actually taking you there. They would randomly say hello just to say hi and see what you though of their country, and they were talkative on busrides and bought little treats to share with you since you hadn't ever tried that fruit or that sweet or that delicacy before. One week in, and I am loving this country!