I crossed the border at Rumichaca to Colombia. Crossing the border was so much easier than I thought it would be. For some reason we all have this idea in our heads that Colombia is such a dangerous place, but it isn't any more. I went to the border town on the Ecuadorian side, took a taxi to the border, stamped my passport to leave, walked across the border, stamped my passport to enter Colombia, met 2 other backpackers to share a taxi to Ipiales - the border town in Colombia - and then took a bus to Popayan no problem. At no time did I feel unsafe, there were a lot of people, backpackers and vehicles crossing at the border with security.
The countryside from the border north was incredible! The road runs in a beautiful canyon and then along green valleys and rolling hills. Welcome to Colombia.
I originally didn't want to stop in Popayan because I didn't know what was there. I decided to stay a day because it's a really nice Spanish colonial town. All the houses in the center were white with tiled roofs. I spent the day just exploring the city. The viewpoint on a little hill was a nice place to relax and see the whole center and countryside.
The churches were a completely different Spanish colonial style than I've seen so far in South America. It's really interesting to see the influence the Spanish had in South America in different places.
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