Colombia: Ipiales

From Cali we drove to Ipiales. This was our last leg in one of those amazing Colombian double-decker first-class buses. However, the bus ran out of fuel shortly before Ipiales, so we had to wait for a replacement. Surprisingly, it arrived quite quickly, so we were soon able to transfer and continue our journey.

Ipiales is the border town between Colombia and Ecuador. We stopped here to visit the Las Lajas Church. The church was built in a gorge using gray and white stone in the neo-Gothic style. It is truly stunning. Since it was Sunday when we visited, there were also Masses taking place, but the church was too crowded. There is also a museum on-site about the history and construction of the church, as well as various viewpoints where you can have a wonderful view of the church. When we were there, we also learned that the church is illuminated in the evening. So we decided to stay there until it got dark to see the spectacle.

We ate at a restaurant overlooking the church, visited the museum and viewpoints, wandered around, and also took a cable car ride. However, the cable car only led to a parking lot on the mountain, so this activity was really just a way to pass time rather than offering anything to see.
But when we rode the cable car back, it was already getting dark, so we could see the illuminated church from afar. The church was glowing and blinking in all colors, and it was truly breathtaking. So it was worth staying there for so long. However, I would recommend arriving later in the afternoon for future trips, as you would have already seen it after a few hours.

So this was our time in Colombia. And I must say, we are truly impressed by the country. At first, I had some scruples, maybe even some fear, to go to Colombia, considering all the horror stories you hear, but I have almost fallen in love with the country by now. Of course, there is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of safety, and one should be wise and use common sense when traveling, and there are places where you simply shouldn't wander around.
But the people are so warm, lovable, and helpful. They are happy that tourists come to their country and are proud to welcome guests and show them around. When you tell them that there are still great fears in Europe about Colombia and people hesitate to travel to the country, the locals react with sadness.
The advantages of tourism outweigh in Colombia (for now), tourists are warmly welcomed, treated well. Mass tourism has not yet taken hold everywhere, and the problems that tourism brings are still not very noticeable.
However, it also becomes clear from time to time that tourism is still (or again) in its infancy. One always has to be vigilant and defend oneself against getting ripped off. And I don't even assume that one is intentionally deceived, I didn't feel that way (unlike in other regions of the world). Rather, I think it is because the standards are simply not yet high enough to meet the "European" expectations of reliability, efficiency, and organization.
And there is really so much to see and do, the country has infinitely much to offer. Whether you are interested in sports, culture, nature, history, beach life, etc.: There is something for everyone. We spent a total of 7 weeks in Colombia and could have easily spent twice as much time there without getting bored. I can highly recommend Colombia as a travel destination.