Ipiales

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Our Arrival

We arrived in Ipiales from Pasto at 11:20am. The bus terminal is right next to some hotels where we decided to stay. The town centre is within walking distance of the terminal however if coming with your backpack you might not want to walk into town as it is up a very steep hill.



Where We Stayed

Hotel India Catalina - opposite the bus station. COP$20,000 for a spacious double room with private bathroom with really hot water, TV and internet. The shower was the nicest I have had in a long time and the matress was really soft although the bed was on the small side.



What We Did

Visisted Las Lajas - a pretty church on the side of a gorge where a miracle took place. You can see the painting that appeared on the rocks at the back of the church however it is a bit done up with stuck on crowns and multi-coloured changing lights. There are 2 waterfalls and a lookout point for the church. When we were there people were collecting water which was coming out of a rock near the river so I assume it must be holy water.

To get there we caught a collectivo from the bus terminal, on the middle road, on the far side past the taxis. COP$2,000 per person each way or COP$8,000 to hire the whole car. We had to wait about 10mins for the car to fill and left at 11:55am. We arrived in the town about 10mins later. To get to the church you have to walk down a long slope. We spent about 1 hour 20mins there. Colectivos leave from the same place you get dropped off and it took less than 5 mins to fill the car. 10mins later we were droped off in the bus terminal.

Went into the town - a short walk from the terminal but you have to go up a steep hill. The town is bigger than I thought it would be with a busy main street and a couple of parks and churches.



Where We Ate

We had a nice set meal of soup and chicken frr COP$5,000 on carrera 3a near the bus station.

There is an Exito supermarket on the main road opposite the town side. To get there walk up carrera 2 from the bus terminal, turn right up calle 12 and walk until you reach the main road. Exito is on the left.



Where We Went Next

Next we will cross the border into Ecuador (see next post for details).

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Photos

Heading to Las Lajas
The walk down to Las Lajas church from where the collectivo drops you off

The miracle
The miracle painting at Las Lajas - see the over the top lights and the stuck on crown