EcuadorColombia2015: Pasto and Laguna de Cocha

Pasto, elevation 2551 m., with 450.000 inhabitants lies only 9 kilometers from Volcan Galeras, 4276 m. high. Galeras is one of the South American country's most active volcanoes. Historic records of eruptions at Galeras date back to the 16th century, and the active cone is part of a volcanic complex that has been erupting for more than one million years. Galeras is only a few kilometers from the city of Pasto, and poses an immediate threat to the more than 400,000 people who live there. It has erupted many times, also in the recent past. The volcano erupted on January 3, 2010, forcing the evacuation of 8,000 people. There were 10 such eruption of the volcano in 2009, and this was the first of 2010. It erupted again on August 31, 2010.

interestingly, people living in endangered areas close to the volcano often refused to evacuate. A major eruption could destroy the city of Pasto within minutes!.

I did not have a chance to see Volcan Galeras as it is hiding in the clouds. The weather here was rainy and very cloudy today.

Pasto is not a pretty city, so I made an excursion to Laguna de Cocha, a lake about 45 minutes from Pasto with a lovely village on its shore and an interesting island which I visited with a taxi boat. This island has a beautiful ecological trail through the jungle where you can walk and admire the trees and plants on both sides of the trail.

The whole island is covered by jungle and surrounded by Totora reeds. Totora reeds also grow on lake Titicaca and the Uros, pre Incan people living there, have built floating islands , their houses and boats with them. (see my blog about Peru)

here some more, growing in the lake.

The lake is at an elevation of 2800 m. and it is cold there, as you can see

the little village near the lake where the port is has especially cute houses in a very different style from what I have seen in other places in Colombia. Let me take you for a sightseeing tour.