Although our last few posts have been all about the current volcano frenzy in Baños, we still have lots of things from before Baños to recap!  So here we’ll continue where we left off after San Agustín.

Las Lajas Cathedral on Colombia and Ecuador Border.

Las Lajas is a beautiful neo-Gothic cathedral outside the Colombian border town of Ipiales.  The church spans a gorge where, a legend has it, an image of the Virgin Mary appeared to a deaf-mute girl in 1754, causing her to speak for the first time.

Drawn by both the spiritual legend and the glorious architecture, the church is a popular spot for Colombian tourists.  It’s definitely worth a look if you’re on the road to or from Ecuador.  It’s an easy detour; just take a shared taxi to and from the Ipiales bus terminal.  It only takes about an hour to get there and see the church.

Candles lit by pilgrims.