On Monday morning we left early for Pasto. There was nothing in particular to see in this town but it was a useful overnight stop off to break up the journey across the Colombian border, and avoid crossing this supposedly shady border at night.

We were of course late arriving into Pasto. The 'direct' bus from Cali actually involved us having to wait 2hrs and changing at Popayan (luckily out driver was nice and showed us where to go and where we could leave our bags - we would have had no idea if he hadn't told us) eventually getting in at around 8pm, having left at 9am. We got a cab to our hostel (Koala Inn, which was the only hostel I could find any mention of on the internet) and found a place for some much needed food. The hostel was a huge 4-storey house and reminded me of something out of a horror film. Most importantly for the morning though, we had a nice hot water shower (Pasto was freezing!).

We were up before 7am on Tuesday and headed straight for Ipiales, the border town on the Colombian side. We took a collectivo from Pasto, which took around 1hr 45mins. Having left our big rucksacks at a 'secure' storage spot, we took a collectivo to Las Lajas cathedral. I wasn't quite prepared for what I saw. The walk down to the cathedral was very average - just a path past a bunch of bakeries and artesan stalls. However, once the cathedral came into view it was breathtaking. First you see the waterfall cascading down a cliff face. Then you round a corner and see the cahedral nestled between two cliff edges which line a river below. There was a service running and as we strolled around outside and in the inner depths of the beautiful building, we could hear a girl singing hymns. Her voice was incredible and really added to a feeling of total serenity that seemed to envelope the place. We had set out early so we could take a short detour here before crossing the border. So worth it.

We had heard all kinds of stories about the border crossing. Muggings, cons and problems with immigration. It seemed to be our lucky day - no problems whatsoever. One guy tried telling me that unless I took his help (for which I'd surely have had to have paid a handsome sum) I'd have to pay heavily at Colombian immigration. I was on full alert and told him several times as I walked towards the office that I'd see what happens. Surprise surprise; nothing. I was in and out of immigration in less than 5 minutes. One more to the bus list. Things were equally easy on the Ecuadorian side (minus the a******) and were soon on a bus from the Ecuadorian border town of Tulcan to Quito.

I could see why the crossing might be shady at night. The border is totally open to all kinds of shady characters. Definitely glad we took the hit on losing a day and crossed during daylight hours.

All in all, I really enjoyed Colombia. I wish I'd given myself more time for Cartagena, Bogota and Cali but the North of Peru was calling! Colombia must have the most beautiful women in the world and some of the happiest people in the world. The image we have of Colombia back home is so far from the truth it beggars belief. We seem to portray it as a drug-ridden hellhole where you might get shot on any street in the middle of the day. I never felt in danger in Colombia. The people there are genuinely amazing and the country itself is varied and beautiful. I can't wait to go back.