One Night in Cali, Colombia
I rode from Ipiales to Cali, Colombia via the Fronteras/Bolivariana bus. The coach was very nice and clean in contrast to the buses I rode in Ecuador. The ride was long, much longer than the 8 or 9 hour estimate that I was given. We left Ipiales at 11:30 a.m., to arrive at 11:30 p.m. in Cali. I was uncertain about the taxis when I got to the terminal so I spoke to two very nice Colombian Nacional Police officers that helped me arrange a ride. They called the hostel and confirmed the location and directions and then gave that information to a cab driver and confirmed the amount I should pay for the ride. The Colombian Police were so nice and helpful and I very much appreciated their assistance.
The quaint and lovely hostel I found online - Casa Agua Canela was definitely not so lovely in person. As the cab was driving along I became concerned as I saw that residential neighborhood was rather downtrodden and the Cali image that came to mind was more of Compton, California. I had prepaid a deposit of $5.00 USD using www.bookhostels.com, but I accept the loss and I assume that the person I corresponded with via email; Esperanza Trujillo, gets lots of $5 deposits but never sees the travelers.
