Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [219]
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Drinking
Pasto has some cozy bars and a couple of decent discos. Numerous drinkeries are located a few blocks north of Plaza de Nariño. Av de Estudiantes has a number of budget restaurants and bars. Centro Comercial Valle de Atriz (cnr Carrera 42 & Av Panamericana), about 1km from town, has a number of discos (plus a movie theater).
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CARNAVAL DE BLANCOS Y NEGROS
Pasto’s major event is Carnaval de Blancos y Negros (www.carnavaldepasto.org) held on January 5 and 6. Its origins go back to the times of Spanish rule, when slaves were allowed to celebrate on January 5 and their masters showed approval by painting their faces black. On the following day, the slaves painted their faces white.
On these two days the city goes wild, with everybody painting or dusting one another with grease, chalk, talc, flour and any other available substance even vaguely black or white in tone. It’s a serious affair – wear the worst clothes you have and buy an antifaz, a sort of mask to protect the face, widely sold for this occasion. Asthmatics should not attend – you’ll be coughing up talcum powder for days afterwards.
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Two good bars on Calle 20 (along the stretch known as Av de Estudiantes) are Absalon ( 731 0695; Calle 20 No 31C-23; 6pm-1am Mon-Sat), a mellow spot that plays Colombian music, and Capitán Nirvana ( 317 668 3038, 316 865 9699; Calle 20 No 30-56; 4pm-2am), the place for rock ’n’ roll in Pasto (the name is a reference to Metallica).
On the weekends, don’t miss the live, amplified Andean panpipe music at Andina Peña Bar ( 316 690 6933; CC Sebastián de Belalcázar; 6pm-2am Wed-Sat) . Get here before 10pm if you want a seat.
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Shopping
A wide range of barniz de Pasto artifacts can be bought at Casa del Barniz de Pasto (cnr Carrera 25 & Calle 13). Plaza de Bomboná (Calle 14 btwn Carreras 28 & 30; 7am-7pm Mon-Sat, to 1pm Sun) is a covered market with craft shops that sell bargain leathergoods, plus lechona (stuffed pig) if you get the munchies for some roast pork.
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Getting There & Away
AIR
The airport is 33km north of the city on the road to Cali. Colectivos go there from Calle 18 at Carrera 25 (COP$5000, 45 minutes). Pay the day before your flight at the airline office or at a travel agency, and the colectivo will pick you up from your hotel.
Avianca and Satena service Pasto, with daily flights to Bogotá and Cali and connections to other cities.
BUS
The bus terminal is 2km south of the city center. Urban buses go there from different points in the central area, including Carrera 20A at Calle 17, or take a taxi (COP$4000).
Frequent buses, minibuses and colectivos go to Ipiales (COP$8000, two hours); sit on the left for better views. Plenty of buses ply the spectacular road to Cali (COP$38,000, nine hours). These buses will drop you off in Popayán in six hours. More than a dozen direct buses depart daily to Bogotá (COP$90,000, 22 hours).
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AROUND PASTO
Laguna de la Cocha
2 / elev 2760m
Set amid rolling green hills, and often shrouded in mist, this spectacular lake is a must-do day trip on your visit to Pasto. At the mouth of the Río Encano, where it empties into the lake, are numerous restaurants serving roast chicken, grilled cuy, sancocho and of course trout, which is farmed along the shores of the lake.
You can take a boat ride around the lake, stopping at Isla Corota (admission COP$1000, 8am-5pm) along the way. The island is a national park, and at an altitude of 2830m offers a rare glimpse of a well-preserved, evergreen cloud forest. There