August 19 – 28, 2024.
Getting to the church was easy enough. We just ordered a taxi through Uber and had it take us to the teleférico (gondola). We rode the teleférico into the canyon where Santuario de Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Las Lajas spanned from one side of the gorge to the other. Getting back to our Airbnb was a little trickier. We left the church and ascended out of the canyon and up to the streets of Las Lajas, passing one gift shop after another. We made our way to the main highway and found a good spot to be picked up. I ordered another Uber. We knew there would be a wait, as the taxi was coming from the city of Ipiales, about 5 miles away. Our ride seemed to be taking longer than expected when my phone rang. Oh, shit! It was the taxi driver. I would have to converse with him on the phone in Spanish. I understood enough to know he would be there soon. I told him, “Está bien. (It’s fine.)”
When he finally arrived, we were greeted by an older gentleman. We got in the car, and he immediately turned on Google Translate on his phone so we could chat. He asked us where we were from, and we asked him if he was from Ipiales and how long he had lived there. Yes, he had lived there all his life. He spoke in slow, clear Spanish, so we quickly stopped using the translation app.
As we left Las Lajas behind and got on the ridge overlooking the canyon below, he asked if we wanted to stop at the overlook. Figuring time is money to taxi drivers and not wanting to impose, we said no. He stopped anyway. We all got out and looked at the small town and the church nestled in the gorge below with the rolling hills of Colombia in the background.
That was our last full day in Colombia. After 3 months, we were about to cross the border into Ecuador. We had met so many remarkable, friendly, and outgoing people, like our taxi driver. Colombia is full of life, color, and surprises. We had come to South America to learn Spanish. I was determined to stay put until we were fluent. But we are travelers, and after two months in Medellin, it was time to move on. In my last blog about Colombia, I told you about Jardín, Salento, and Guatapé. Here are our last 10 days in the country visiting Cali, Pasto, and Ipiales.
Cali
Cali is the second-largest city in Colombia. It is known as the ‘Capital of Salsa.’ We thought about taking dance lessons while we were there, but Cali was really planned as a rest stop.
After 6 days of being tourists, including three days of bus rides, I knew we would need a place where we could relax for a bit. I booked a nice apartment in the San Antonio neighborhood, where we did our laundry, bought groceries, ate out a few times, and spent a lot of time walking around.
Our host, who met us at the apartment he had stocked with a few snacks, sat down with us and showed us his guide to what to do in Cali. We told him what we were interested in, and he offered some suggestions. We were up for anything within walking distance.
Luckily, the neighborhood was attractive, and we were close to anywhere we wanted to go.
We strolled through the nearby Parque San Antonio several times, doing some birding and taking in the Cali skyline.
We enjoyed the Bulevar del Río, a wide pedestrian path that runs along the Cali River.
And we went to Parque de los Gatos to see the Monumento El Gato del Rio and his girlfriends along the river.
The night before we left, we got to experience the Friday night dance party on Bulevar del Río. Live music, DJs, dancing, drinks, food, and good times are to be found on the Riverwalk every Friday night.
Pasto
I had read mixed reviews about Pasto. On the one hand, the city doesn’t have any significant monuments or a charming central area. On the other hand, our Spanish teacher from Medellín told us he loved Pasto. He talked about walking around and looking at the beautiful churches. He was also enamored of the Carnaval de Negros y Blancos (Black and White Carnival). This festival is named by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. First celebrated in 1546, the festival has roots in the indigenous cultures of the Andes, Amazon, and Pacific. It also combines a “holiday” for enslaved people granted by the Spanish Crown after a slave rebellion in 1607. It is held in January, so we didn’t think we would even experience the lead-up to such a significant event. Or so we thought.
Actually, Pasto was already preparing for the carnival. In the morning, on our only full day in Pasto, we made the short one-block walk from our accommodations to the central plaza. There, we found a large tent where prototypes of costumes and floats were being displayed.
And outside the tent, people sat at rows of tables making small mask sculptures. They all seemed to be creating individual interpretations of the same drawing. We weren’t sure if it was a contest, a workshop, or something else.
After looking at the prototypes and watching the sculptors, we made a mile-and-a-half hike to the Museo Del Carnaval De Negros Y Blancos De Pasto (The Black and White Carnaval Museum). There we found a colorful museum full of larger-than-life sculptures and a dance troupe practicing their moves. We also learned a little bit about the history of the festival from displays written in Spanish and English.
And of course, we couldn’t miss the churches. We found 8 different ones that seem photograph worthy.
Like most places we visited in the country, the people of Pasto were friendly and outgoing. As we stood in front of a church taking pictures, an older woman approached us. Earlier in the day, a few people tried to panhandle us, so I thought she was just going to be another one. We were polite and chatted with her mostly about family, and then she moved on. Perhaps she was just curious about the two gringos wandering around her city.
Ipiales
Ipiales was our last stop before we crossed the border. Many people only spend one night here or skip it altogether. The parts of the city we saw were a bit depressing. But we planned a full day here so we could visit the big church.
About 5 miles outside the city, the stunning El Santuario de Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Las Lajas, is built into a small canyon.
The origin story of this church begins in 1754, when, according to lore, an indigenous woman and her deaf and mute daughter, Rosa, were passing through the canyon when they took refuge from a storm in a cave. On the stone wall, the image of the Virgin Mary appeared, and the daughter suddenly spoke, exclaiming that the mestiza (woman of mixed race) was calling her. Soon after this event, construction of the sanctuary started.
It started as a small wooden hut but has evolved over almost 200 years into a 328-foot-tall neo-Gothic structure that spans the canyon.
The sanctuary and the setting were stunning. We walked along the river and took photos of plants and bugs to identify in our wildlife app. There was a museum located in the basement of the church, but we didn’t visit it as we were saving our pesos for lunch and our taxi ride to the border the next morning. After taking pictures of the church from every angle possible, we climbed the long stairway out of the canyon to the town above. There, we found gift shops and places to eat. We grabbed a quick and cheap snack before making our way to the street and calling an Uber.
The next morning, we ordered a taxi, hefted our backpacks onto our backs, and went to wait outside the front door of the apartment building where we were staying. We must have been making some noise because a tenant from the building came out to talk to us. Who knows why he came to speak with us? Maybe he was worried about two gringos standing on the street alone, or perhaps he was just curious. Or possibly it was because he was Colombian and just couldn’t help but be friendly. Soon our cab arrived and we were off to the border of our next country.
We didn’t visit Cali as we took another mountain road south in Colombia, but we did stop in Pasto and at the Las Lajas church in Ipiales. Both were interesting sites. I liked the churches of Pasto and walking around for a bit, but because it was Sunday, the nice French bakery I had looked forward to was closed. We didn’t visit the carnival museum, which had come recommended by expat friends of ours.
And Las Lajas was a highlight in the country for us. Not only because the church is impressive, interesting, and in a scenic setting, but we met a Belgian couple there as well, who were selling their truck camper. I think it’s the only Belgian overlanding couple we met in our three years in South America.
Yes, we found that many restaurants and all the bars were closed in Pasto on a Sunday. It was very disappointing. But we finally found a mediocre pizza place where we could get a beer. But I feel really fortunate that we were able to see some of the Black and White festival preparations. I think I stumbled on the website of your expat friends before we went to Pasto and read about the museum there.
It has always got to be nice to meet people from your home country!
Great pics! Cali looks wonderful.
Thanks, Rick! Cali was very relaxing and fun!