12.16.10 Ipiales, Colombia to Otavalo Ecuador

Today was both a happy and sad day. Sad because it was our last day in Colombia which has been fantastic for both of us but happy because we were about to move on to another adventure
We started in Ipiales which is famous for it's cathedral Santuario de los lajas , a beautiful Cathedral that is perched on the hill side near waterfalls and over a river. From here we headed into Ecuador where the crossing was relatively pain free. On the Colombian side I had to first turn in my motorcycle permission slip which involved simply turning in my paperwork I was surprised that they did NOT go out to see the bike to verify the VIN or engine #. I also had to have my passport stamped out as well.
On the Ecuador side I did the same. But first I had to get my Passport stamped which involved waiting in a line for about 2 hour. From here I got the permission slip of my bike done at the aduana which took no more than 10 minutes. The guy working here was pretty solid and shook my hand and wished us a good trip.
Once in Ecuador the scenery was spectacular! We climbed to about 10,000 then back down to around 8,000. After riding for a couple hours we ran into another motorcyclist. He was on his way back from a month long trip in Colombia and was on his way back to Ecuador. He gave us some great advice and we ended up take a detour to Cuicochi and then up to Cotacahi a beautiful lake that was on top of a volcano. We also ended up riding most of the perimeter of the volcanic lake which was mostly rainy and offroad. Because of the rain unfortunately we did NOT get a chance to take any photos Regardless the memories will be in my head forever 

12.16.10 Ipiales, Colombia to Otavalo Ecuador

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