Just in case you think this is all just beers, beaches and sunshine my trip to Pasto was a case of "mammy can I come home now?".Wake at 5am. Ant bites hurt like hell. Neck looks like I could win the Mid-Western all comers Redneck championship.
Yeah, Yeah, pain is transient.
Bus arrives nicely late. Only a couple of seats left. Squeeze myself in beside dribbling local (not a toddler).
5 hours of rock, roll and dust surfing and we arrive in Popayan. I look like a grey Frosty the fecking snowman.
Next bus, Popayan - Pasto. Only back seats left. It looks all good as all the seats are leather. Forget that leather is slippy and that the ride is a curvy, bumpy uphill and downhill roller coaster special. Spend next 2 hours squirming in the seat as every time the driver brakes my arse flies forward and I practically end up on the floor. Added to this is the attractive young lady beside me with a toddler (not dribbling) in her lap. The kid choose to use my elbow as a headrest. I never realised that kids had such hard heads. My elbow definitely came away the worse for wear after being constantly head-butted by dangling kiddo. Next the mother starts to fall asleep on my shoulder, so here I am seat surfing with a headbutting toddler and a Colombian chick sawing some logs on my shoulder.
It all ends at 7pm. Only 13 hours on the road. Piece of piss, but at this stage the small of my back has gone into spasms. Taxi downtown and check in to only vaguely hostel-looking place. Massive building over 3 floors. Room on the top floor looks decent enough so I check in. When I get back in I throw myself on the bed. Might as well have thrown myself out the window. The mattress was only slightly softer than concrete. Oh well, I can sleep on anything, probably good for my sore back etc. etc. Then I notice a sound coming from the ceiling, I am on the top floor so I reckon it is pigeons. There is definitely some cooing going on to support this theory. Then a slightly louder sound starts emanating from up there. Is that the sound of 4 legs?? No, no, it's just a very large pigeon. Honestly.
I decide to brave the outside world as I haven't had anything to eat all day except a sugary cup of coffee at 6am. I am immediately accosted by a beggar outside the door. I dodge him only to be accosted by another. Pasto appears to be poorer than a blind door mouse. I play hide and seek between beggars and dodgy looking gentlemen who I am sure would love to relieve me of my last pesos and make it to a restaurant. Needless to say the food was not the may west, but the highlight of the day was of course a nice frothy beer. I paid the bill and legged it back to the hostel, turned the light off, ignored the noises and had my last night in Colombia.
All just rock 'n' roll...
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