Ipiales
COLOMBIA
The Bordertown of Las Lajas
By AARON
Thursday, September 11, 2008
So it was kind of bittersweet pulling up to the small town of Las Lajas, Colombia. On one hand, we were going to see one of the most beautiful cathedrals in all of Colombia, yet on the other hand, we knew that this was our final stop in what was to become one of our favorite countries that we have visited so far.
Las Lajas is situated about 4km from the border of Colombia and Ecuador, and is best known for it’s “Our Lady of Las Lajas Cathedral” which sits in the side of the mountain valley, half of it built over the Rio Magdalena. On the weekends, Catholics and tourists alike flock to this mecca of miracles where they can purchase empty jars to fill up with the water of the river that flows under this church. Not that we planned it this way, but the 2 days that we spent in Las Lajas just happened to be a Saturday and a Sunday. Pulling up at around 4pm on Saturday, we were instantly greeted by a large festival of kiosks, food stands, and authentic Colombian dancing performed by kids from all over the country.
We stayed at Casa Pastoral, which for $3/pp, we got a place whose patio overlooks the valley and the Cathedral in the distance. It is actually a parsonage for 3 different bishops who live and preach at the cathedral. We decided to walk down to the cathedral that day, since we had an early departure for Ecuador the next morning. The cathedral itself was stunning, set in any other atmosphere it would have been “just another church”, but set in the side of the Andes mountain range, with the river flowing below made for an empowering scene. We had heard that the church (and the water) was famous for it’s miracle performing power, but on most of the plaques that people had donated to thank the Virgin for her “miracles”, most were thanking for getting good grades, or for my 2 kids (who are healthy and ages 5 and 6). Now don’t get me wrong, maybe the kid got straight Ds all year, drank some miracle water while dabbing a bit behind his earlobes for his teacher, and then next report card: straight As! I guess Lyndi and I were looking for the more “flashy” miracles, you know, the ones you see at revivals and such, but hey, miracles come in all shapes and sizes. (someone actually complemented one of my blog entries, which in itself, is a miracle. I’m ordering my plaque now to post at the Cathedral.)
After doing our dutiful picture taking and people watching, Lyndi decided it was time to buy a winter jacket for our upcoming months in the Andes mountains. She scored a sweet $10 hooded jacket that we hope will not fall apart before the coming cold weather that awaits. We also enjoyed another “Plato del Dia” at a small comedor, shunning off the cuy for now (guinea pig), and deciding to wait until Ecuador to try that delicious delicacy. After splitting a beer at a small bar, and watching “Resident Evil” with the owner’s little boy Sebastian (who was enthralled with our wicked English-speaking skills), we headed back to Casa Pastoral and called it a night. The next morning would bring about the sad goodbye to Colombia, our Cinderella Story in this tournament of traveling, and say hello to another country we were quite excited to visit, yet hoped that it would hold it’s own to Colombia: Ecuador.
