Day 60: Blanco - Negro Parade in Pasto & Drive to Ipiala - Thursday January 6, 2011

Pasto was full of anticipation of the big parade ending Blanco-Negro festival. The hotel guests were carrying their cans of spray and clearly excited by the forthcoming action. I had a great perch on top of the hotel’s roof and took lots of pictures. Enjoy the parade and the surroundings from the Day 60 pictures. (Note: The Sony – iPhoto interface messed up the sequence of the pictures in a way that I couldn’t fix.)

The high mountain drive from Pasto (8500’ elevation) and Ipiala (9500’) was a thrill. These are the steepest mountains I have ever seen – the pictures don’t capture the feeling of steepness. There were springs, waterfalls, raging rivers, steep cliffs and roadsides, hairpin turns, rock falls, slow trucks, etc. The road was generally in good condition with a lot of the inundation damage repaired.

When we arrived at Ipiala, we undertook the mandatory asking for directions once we reached the neighborhood. The fiesta is celebrated in all the towns we’ve been through in southern Columbia. Some miscreant revelers lay in ambush as I came out of the car at the hotel and got me good with something like shaving cream. I was fair game! They were so proud, they posed for a picture. We go out for cuy dinner tonight – it looks like a giant hamster!

I am sad that tonight is our last night in Colombia. I am glad that we didn’t postpone our visit to Colombia till May due to the inundation. My buddy, Chac, the Mayan rain god was most gracious during my visit. Maybe he is part Colombian.