Columbia, land of kidnappings

Fellow hikers on the island in the lake outside of Pasto

Santuario Las Lajas
Our Students
Yes kidnapping is alive and well in Columbia. We were grocery shopping in Ipiales when suddenly we were approached by a Columbiano who is an English teacher, and taken to a classroom where we were required to talk English for 2 hours one night and then 5 hours the next day. They also made us eat the traditional barbeque of lamb and potatoes and other grilled veggies!! We were also invited to have breakfast with them and stay another day, but having only a limited time in Columbia, we decided to move on and jumped on a bus to Pasto. So if you ever are in Ipiales and happen to go grocery shopping, don't be surprised if you too get kidnapped for an afternoon......or more.
Once we arrived in Pasto, it was just in time for the Celebration of the Day of La Paz or peace. Hostages had been released by the FARC and the entire country was celebrating with parades and music all day in every city across the country.
Later we traveled to the nearby Laguna to enjoy the scenery and eat trout.