Before making it into Ecuador, we stopped in three small towns that other backpackers had highly recommended. Once again, we didnt have any plans of stopping until we spoke with some travelers who convinced us otherwise. The first stop, Popayán, was only two hours south of Cali and is usually a pass-through town since it doesn't have any major draw outside of its laid back atmosphere. We only spent two days there, however, we enjoyed this town since it had a genuine and non-touristy feel. We'll remember it for the whitewashed walls, great cafés, and the best empanadas we've tasted in a while. We'll also remember it for having some of the worst pizza we've ever had. They couldn't make a regular pepperoni pizza taste normal if they tried. It was our punishment for ordering American food outside the states.
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| Side street led us to this small square |
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| Whitewashed walls and colonial architecture |
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| Looking down the main street |
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| 180 degree view of the town |
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| Common area at the top of the hostel |
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| The mini empanadas that changed our lives |
The second stop, San Agustin, started with an extremely bumpy five-hour drive through the mountains. Shanta was saved by her motion sickness pills, but we were still crammed in the back of the bus shoulder to shoulder in toddler-sized seats. San Agustin is an archaeology buff's dream in the middle of breathtaking scenery. The outskirts of the town are strewn with carved stone statues and tombs from the 1st to 8th century. While there is still a great deal of mystery surrounding the ancient indigenous people, it's widely agreed that they were one of the first complex societies in the Americas. We took a few days to explore the amazing statues and enjoyed our daily "menu del dia" from a restaurant in town. For $2.50, you get a soup, salad, entrée (rice, beans and beef/chicken/fish) and a fresh fruit drink. We explored the surrounding waterfalls and hiking trails the last day before taking off down the road.
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| The mountains on the way in |
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| Looking upriver |
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| Wish we went down this |
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| Getting a tan with a view |
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| Looking downriver |
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| Good spot for swimming |
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| This shows how narrow these roads are |
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| ...and how steep |
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| Archaeology! |
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| Ancient tomb |
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| Interesting since no crocodiles were ever in the area |
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| Tomb entrance |
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| Tomb for a lesser important citizen |
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| One of the smaller falls in the area |
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| View from the top |
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| Everyone wants to see the view |
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| Quite a fall to the bottom |
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| My lunch on the way out of San Agustin |
We left our hostel planning on going straight to Pasto, a border town, but changed our agenda once we realized we'd arrive there well past dark. Mocoa is the midpoint between San Agustin and the border, but it isn't typically found in guide books. In the next few years, it will become a backpacker hotspot since the town is quickly building a reputation as a waterfall mecca. When we got off the bus, we ran into our friend Martin from San Agustin and opted to book a few nights at the same hostel together. The three of us took off the next morning to see Fin Del Mundo, a huge waterfall that drops hundreds of feet into the rocks below. While hiking to the waterfall, we passed by several smaller falls that people were jumping from. The drops were about 15 to 20 feet and we immediately joined in. This made the grueling hike worth it. Right before we made it to the end, I slipped on a rock and got a nice cut on my hip (which required a few stitches) but after a day or two it was water under the bridge.
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| Hanging out with the monkeys |
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| Eating the leftover food from the hostel |
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| The bridge could use some help |
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| Before the hike began |
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| Pointing us towards a grueling hike up the mountain |
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| After we reached the top, the way down was easy |
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| First pool (jumping ledge was to the right) |
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| Navigating the path to the ledge with Martin |
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| First jump |
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| Jumping off the second waterfall |
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| Just before I slipped and took a tumble on the rocks |
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| Taking the $1 taxi to town afterwards |
After a few days in Mocoa, we took an early morning bus to the border, got our stamps, and hopped on a new bus to Quito.
After 7 weeks, it was time to say adios to Colombia!
