Entering Colombia

Ipiales and Pasto, Colombia
8 - 11 May, 2010

   Oh I wish I hadn’t stopped overnight in Ipiales. It was one of those dodgy border towns. For the first time in my life I saw a real life police man chasing a real life man down the street.... previously in my life this was only something that happened in movies and cop shows. Then there were the prostitutes so obviously standing outside the cheap hotel (not my cheap hotel), the warnings about not walking anywhere, even in broad daylight, in case of being robbed, and then my hotel having an all night party upstairs to which I never got an invite but was forced to try and sleep through.
   I expect that what I should have done was have gone the extra 7kms to Santuario de Las Lajas and stayed there overnight. It should have been a far nicer experience.
   I did go out to Las Lajas in the morning. It’s a Neo-Gothic church built directly into the rock wall of a spectacular gorge, at a sight where they believe the image of the Virgin Mary appeared in the rock face. The rock walls of the canyon surrounding the sanctuary are lined with plaques giving thanks to the Virgin Mary for prayers answers and help received.
   At Las Lajas I had a fruit salad, imagine my surprise when they topped it with Condensed milk and grated cheese!
   The next stop was Pasto, the town didn’t have a lot to keep a person there, but 45 minutes away is Colombia’s biggest lake (Laguna de la Cocha). I took a ride out to it and was fortunate to have the company of a Swiss guy and German girl going at the same time as me. The 45 minute ride out there took about 2 hours. We had to wait for extra passengers and then the car broke down.
   The lake itself is not spectacular, but very cute. The approach to it is surrounded by Swiss styled chalets (the swiss guy confirmed this) of wood panelling, and red geraniums, selling lunches of trout from the lake. On the lake a boat trip was taken to the island in the middle, where there was a 500m hike across the island. The 45 minute trip back took 45 minutes.

 Fresh Goats milk, couldn´t be fresher, being sold by the glass in the plaza of Ipiales.

 Llamas, or maybe they are Alpacas... I´m confused, but so are they, they think they are Mexican.

 Las Santuario de Las Lajas.

 Laguna de Cocha

 The Swiss Chalet restaurants beside the lake.

 The chalets are really only pretty from the front.

Notes: 
Accommodation, Ipiales: Hotel Belmonte $8. This hotel has its listing in Lonely Planet and Footprints guides now, so I expect it has risen it’s prices and stopped trying, since business will come anyway. 
Pasto: Koala Inn $8, very friendly place. 
Transport: Collectivo to Lake $2 each way. Trout Lunch $3.