I am getting physically stronger. I felt much better on the ride to Popayán from Cali. I took two days to do it. It always seems to take a while to get into and out of cities. The first day I had a good start, but stopped for lunch. After lunch, the sun came out strong. I was having difficulties getting sweat mixed with sun screen pouring into my eyes. I had to stop. The next day, the sun came out strong and I was encountering the same issue, but fortunately clouds came in late in the morning allowing me to reach to Popayán. I have ordered a Halo sweat band and some different sunscreen to hopefully resolve the issue.
Popayán
Popayán is a nice town. Due to the recommendation of a man on the street, I found nice hostel to stay in, Park Life Hostel right at Parque Caldas, which is kind of the historical center for Popayán. The hostel was comfortable and there were some interesting people there. There is not a lot to do in Popayán besides walk around and check out the architecture of the buildings. You can also take a couple short hikes to a church, a hill with three crosses and a hill with a monument on it. I walked to the hill with the church on it; very nice. I did not have time, but you can also go to Volcano Purace.Even though there is not so much to do, I really liked Popayán. I just felt very relaxed and comfortable there. If I were not in a rush to get to Quito, I might of stayed another day or two just because of that comfort feeling I had. I would have preferred to spend a day or two less in Cali to spend that time in Popayán.
Bus to Ipiales
Since I needed to be in Quito by the 18th to meet my mother and sister, I decided to take a bus from Popayán to Ipiales. By doing this, I was hoping that I would not feel rushed going through northern Ecuador on my way to Quito. I believe I made the right decision. The bus ride covered a section that I believe would have taken me at least 5 days. Additionally, there were parts where the road did not look so good for bike riding; curves with very small shoulders. The downside is that I definitely missed some very nice scenery. Starting at about 60 km north of Pasto, there are some amazing mountain ranges along the road. By the time we got to Pasto, it was dark. So, I could not tell what scenery was like from there on into Ipiales.On the bike ride from Cali to Popayán:
Parque Caldas in Popayán:
Iglesia de San Francisco in Popayán:
Parque Caldas in Popayán:
Puente del Humilladero in Popayán:
Iglesia La Ermita in Popayán:
From Iglesia Belen overlooking Popayán:
Parque Caldas at night in Popayán:
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