Life on the Border

Hey CC, thnx for your feedback.....And here I was under the impression that you were a prolific poster......thats alright, dont worry, I will figure it out for myself.........soon enuff......

dumluk wrote:

Hey CC, thnx for your feedback .... I was under the impression that you were a prolific poster.

That was my self-concept, too, Dumluk.

Somehow, I missed the fact that you initiated this thread about a month ago .. after I had suggested elsewhere that you do so, no less.

cccmedia at the Ecuador-Colombia border

dumluk wrote:

Hey CC, so howz life on the border? In that area around Ipiales in general? I noticed that you included the Ecuadorian/Colombian border area as one of the dangerous hotzones.

I've been here since October, when I thought I would be just passing through en route back to my condo in Quito.  I have been in Colombia since December 2016 (14 months).

Ipiales, Nariño, Colombia is a border town not known for its beauty or its climate, which is typically cool weather with a good share of partially cloudy and/or rainy days.

I moved around between hospedajes here for a while .. and eventually found an inexpensive -- and brand new at the time -- hotel near the Ventura Casino where I regularly play blackjack.  The casino is inside the biggest shopping center in the area .. and there are excellent restaurants around.  My favorite is one of several Italian joints in the neighborhood around the mall, the Da Vinci restaurant. 

There is a swimming pool -- open to Gringos and the public on Saturdays and Sundays -- near the hotel.   It's an indoor pool with translucent ceiling to let sunlight in.  I have been going downtown (about a mile and a half away) on weekends, where the only massage practitioner I have found does her magic (in the back of a sofisticado beauty shop).

My car, with Ecuador plates, is 'sequestered' ten miles away at a secure parking lot in Tulcán, Ecuador, through March 8th, due to a combination of arcane Colombia rules including a visa-related prohibition.  However, there is a convenient bus system in this city that has been taking me anywhere I have wanted to go since December 1st for the equivalent of 40 cents US.

cccmedia in Ipiales, Nariño

dumluk wrote:

Hey CC, so howz life on the border? In that area around Ipiales in general? I noticed that you included the Ecuadorian/Colombian border area as one of the dangerous hotzones........lotsa of arms and bad guys cruising around there?

Outside the Coffee Zone, Medellín and some touristy spots on the coast, Colombia is largely an untamed Wild West.  I wouldn't drive between cities after dark or use intercity ground transporation at night except in the Coffee Zone.

On my first day driving in Colombia, heading north (December 2016), I had delays that resulted in my driving late at night and encountering the infamous moto night riders.  A high-speed chase with the moto in hot pursuit of me ended up with my car doing a spin-out south of Popayán.  Somehow I survived unscratched .. the cobardes sped away .. and I had the car repaired in Popayán during the ensuing days.  The delincuentes had destroyed the rear windshield by throwing rocks at it .. during the chase.

----

Here, inside the city of Ipiales, especially in the better areas, it's generally peaceful .. and there are plenty of officers around -- police, border patrol, security guards and an army post near downtown.  I have had no problems walking in the neighborhoods around the hotel, the mall, the restaurant sectors or the swimming pool building.

cccmedia in Departamento de Nariño, Colombia

Ipiales, Colombia, is hours from any Ecuadorian beaches .. and my suggestion is to check andestransit.com or other bus websites for schedules as needed.  I highly doubt that coming from Esmeraldas or Atacames there would be any need to travel through Quito to get to the popular border crossing known as Rumichaca.  Quito is way out of the way unless you have a reason to go to the Ecuadorian capital.

As always, this caution:  travel during the daytime.

If you take a bus to Tulcán, Ecuador, you will arrive about ten miles of the international border.  Three-dollar taxis (and cheaper shared transportation) are readily available from downtown Tulcán to the border.  Ipiales, Colombia, is about a mile and a half past the border crossing.  If traveling from Tulcán to Ipiales by taxi, you probably will have to change taxis after literally walking across the border.  On that walk, you can enter the government buildings  and pick up any passport-stamped salida o entrada you may need.  There are typically money-changers near the Colombian taxi stands at the Rumichaca crossing if you want pesos, although I don't use them so I can't vouch for the exchange rate.

cccmedia in Ipiales, Nariño

dumluk wrote:

Also, howz Ibarra? Anything to particularly recommend it?

As I recall (from 14 months ago), I found an excellent ribs restaurant in Ibarra.  (The Spanish word for ribs is costillas.)  It's right on the main drag on your right-hand side if you're traveling from Quito  headed toward the Rumichaca border.

I was only in the White City long enough for a rest stop and dinner that rainy December evening.

cccmedia

Hi,
I live in Tonsupa/Atacames area. Recently travelled to Colombia by car. There is no need to go to Quito, nor Sto. Domingo.
The highway "Ruta del Sol" , will take you up north through Esmeraldas Airport towards San Lorenzo, then (I believe Highway #10, but, not sure, any way, it's the only main route.) eastbound towards the junction of The Panamerican Highway. (about 40Km. N. of Ibarra).
Estimated travelling time to the border: 5hr.
Roads are in very good condition. No issues re: "bandidos".   Two army check-points and police / customs stations along the way.

Bon Voyage!
Marco Mueses

Wow! Comprehensive information. More than I could have hoped for....Thnx so much for all your info........See ya there in the barrio.......

Howz the weather there in that neck of the woods right now? Are we talkin summertime like here in Panama at the moment....? Late in coming this year, but here in force now......

Weather in TONSUPA / Atacames, late winter arrival (raining season), a mixture of rain, sunny and cloudy days, great combination !, a bit of everything to satisfy  everybody's temperament.