Pasto, Colombia – Unplanned Awesomeness On The Way Out Of Colombia

Pasto was a wonderful experience, though it’s a bit hard to describe.

I hadn’t planned to go to Pasto. Upon finding out that it takes 16 hours to go from Popayan to Quito, Ecuador, I decided to stop in Pasto  to split up the journey a bit. My couchsurfing host Ana was nice enough to host me.

The journey started by riding the Ghostbusters 2 bus from Popayan to Pasto. Lots of buses in Latin America have funny designs, logos, and modifications. At some point I’ll have to put up a post with all the pictures I’ve taken of them, but for now enjoy the Ghostbusters 2 bus.

When I arrived in Pasto, I realized the city is right next to a huge volcano. It reminded me a bit of Antigua, Guatemala.

The first day I got to try two new things – chicken foot soup and a thick gelatin sweet. I can’t say I liked chicken feet very much, but the soup was good. The gelatin desert was great as well!

That night Ana and I intended to go to a theater for a free performance, but it was full by the time we got there. So we went to a park and hung out instead.

Pasto isn’t very warm. It’s elevation is quite high at 8290ft/2,527 mand it’s often cloudy.

The next day I went to the museo del oro/museum of gold and saw lots of exhibitions about the indigenous people of the area. Very interesting and informative.

Here are a few pictures from around the city. Pasto is famous for its Black and White Carnival, which takes place January 2 – 7 every year. It’s one of the biggest festivals in Colombia.

That night we went to a free musical performance at another local theater. There was a belly dancer, a blues group, a harmonica player, and then salsa dancing.

It was really fun and I couldn’t believe the voice on the guy in the blues group. They were all teenagers, but somehow this guy has a voice made for singing blues.

My third day in Pasto was a day to relax. I hung out with Ana and her awesome family, and just generally had a pure relaxation day for the first time in a long time.

Ana is planning her own solo trip through South America. She isn’t sure when it will happen, but it was quite nice to be able to share my tips and advice with her. I wish her the best of luck in her journey and thank her for a wonderful three days in Pasto!