Ipiales Services

By Lorraine Caputo

Money

If coming from Ecuador, exchange only a little money at the border; you’ll get a better exchange rate in Ipiales.

Bancolombia (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Calle 14, on Parque La Pola) is the only bank in Ipiales that changes travellers cheques—and only American Express. Its ATM handles all banking networks, with a daily withdrawal limit of $600.

Other banks and casas de cambio (exchange houses) will change U.S. cash dollars to pesos. You will find many around Parque La Pola, and on Calles 14 and Carreras 5 and 6.

Most casas de cambios are open 8 a.m.-6 p.m., some until 7 p.m. Restaurants and shops at the bus terminal may be able to change money, also.

For wiring money, the local Western Union office is at Giros & Finazas (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-noon, 2-5 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon. Carrera 6 13-23).

Communications

A fair share of internet cafés scatter throughout Ipiales; most charge about $1 per hour.

Mundo Net (Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., 2-8 p.m., Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Carrera 7 10-67) additionally has Skype and can burn your digital photos to CD.

To make a local or national phone call, just keep an eye out for the frequent llamadas signs; the going rate is $0.10 per minute.

For international calls, try Sai Telecom (Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Calle 16 6-47), which charges about $0.80 per minute.

Old-fashioned snail mail can be posted at the Correo in the Alcaldía building complex on the Plaza de la Independencia (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-noon, 2-6 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon).

Shopping

Befitting a border town, the shops in Ipiales proffer almost anything you might be needing. Just stroll through the streets and stop in.

The city has a number of droguerías, or pharmacies, to cure your ills.

For the market scene, head for the daily mercado on Carrera 10, between Calles 14 and 15. Here you can pick up on not only fruits and veggies, but also the latest in fashions. Ipiales is host to two weekly markets, both carrying out business the full length of Carrera 7. On Fridays is an indigenous market, featuring the produce and products from both Colombian and Ecuadorian pueblos. A run-of-the-mill weekly market is on Saturdays.

If you are bicycling your way through the Americas, you can find parts for almost any type of bike, as well as repairs, at Bicicletería JJ (Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 2-6:30 p.m. Carrera 7 16-84, Tel: 725-1087; accepts Visa and MasterCard) and Ciclo Cadena (Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon, 2-6 p.m. Carrera 7 16-73, Tel: 725-2149).

Photography Services

You can find a number of photo shops on Carrera 6, between the two plazas. They sell everything from print film to digital cameras. Foto Almacén Rollei (Daily, 8 a.m.-7 p.m., Carrera 6 12-133, Tel: 773-3811) has 100 and 200 ASA film in stock, digital chips, camera batteries and a wide array of conventional and digital cameras. IOt can process your color-print film in one hour (24 exposures, $7.50) or burn your digital photos onto CD (unlimited number of images, $3.50, including CD). Foto Almacén Rollei also repairs both analog and digital cameras.