Friday 16 March 2012 - The Last Farewells

We woke up to a slightly overcast but dry day and immediately started to finish the last packing up: squeezing and pushing things into our overfull backpacks - certainly true in my case - including dismantling our mosquito nets and stripping our beds of linen.

We made our apologies via Alex for not wanting to take part in a last-minute interview comparing La Hesperia/Ecuador to our respective countries and made our last-minute preparations for departure, having also been handed our references by Alex.

It was a hot slog down with all our gear: me having had to leave out the sleeping bag from my main backpack so as to fit everything else in. Also, Anya had volunteered to take my sleeping bag to Monika to look after in Quito. At the bottom, Eva and Anya were inspired to buy some oreo cookies before catching the bus, so I said goodbye to Anya, Eva, Gabriel and Sebastian as our bus stops are on the opposite sides of the road.

I had the dubious satisfaction of seeing them get a bus almost immediately, whilst I flagged down bus after bus, with no luck. Eventually, one guy got off the bus and we chatted (at least, he did and I did my best to respond) and I told him where I was from (the usual) and that I was headed to Santo Domingo, then Pedernales and then Canoa. To my surprise and delight, he told me that there is a Pedernales bus that I could get directly from the bus stop, and that it was due in about 10 minutes. Seeing as he is a bus vendor, I thought he sounded like he knew the buses, so I said goodbye whilst he took the next bus back up the road.

He was right: the Pedernales bus came along about 16 minutes later; it was also the first bus (after about 6 or 7) that stopped when flagged too. I got my main backpack in the undercarriage storage area and made my way onto the bus. A guy at the back kindly got up and gave me his seat, whilst he went and sat next to the driver, I think. I paid the conductor ($6) and in about 50 minutes later (about 10 am), was in Santo Domingo, whilst we waited for more passengers for Pedernales, on the coast. We finally left at 11 and made our way to Pedernales: I watched the usual vendors get on selling miracle creams, snacks, CDs/DVDs, etc, and bought a bag of grapes and an ice cream lolly. Apart from those who feel the need to lecture you into buying their products, I mostly find the vendors really useful although I frequently chafe at them possibly holding up the journey time as they jostle to get on and off again. I was especially charmed to see a vendor selling mobile phone top-ups (wireless terminal) the last time I took the bus back to La Hesperia: that was a new one on me, and you can top up your mobile from as little as a dollar!

I did a double-take when I saw a woman get on with a chicken (live) poking its head out of a nylon woven sack (like the ones I imagine, rice and potatoes are sold) in. We got to Pedernales about 2 pm and I was able to immediately get onto a bus for Canoa, as they were calling out to people.

However, the bus conductor was less than helpful, after I loaded my luggage under the bus. When I tried to pay for Canoa, he mentioned something else (I found him very difficult to understand him), and I had to get the amount requested from someone else (in Spanish). I realised that he'd told me that I had to get a ticket to Jama, despite me having been told and me confirming that Canoa was the ultimate destination before boarding. I again asked him if Canoa or San Vincente was the ultimate destination, San Vincente being the further destination south. He confirmed that Canoa was the last destination. We then reached Jama and he then wanted more money for Canoa (not Jama, which I realised he'd been getting me to pay for before).

However, when we did get to Canoa, he never announced it and everyone stayed on the bus. I thought perhaps there was a later stop in Canoa, but I got a bit worried when we then lost sight of the beach. I asked the guy in front if we'd passed it and he said yes, so I went to the front and said to the conductor that we'd passed Canoa (giving him a bit of a glare), and he let me off with my baggage and gave me to understand that I would have to hitch-hike, no thanks to him.

With the mugging incident in Atacames very clear in my mind, and aware of being a lone female on a possibly not too-frequented road, I was thinking this could get a bit shirty now. I saw a local guy look at me for a few minutes before he sauntered up to me and started to make conversation. Luckily, he was friendly and asked me if I was going to Canoa, and I tried to explain my situation as above and he said that there would be a bus in the next half-hour which would drop me off at Canoa, if I asked. He asked where I came from and told me that Canoa was very nice, safe and full of all sorts of people from different countries. I told him that I had heard Canoa was very nice and would I have any difficulty getting accommodation as I had not made any reservations. He said yes, there would be no problem. Very soon after, a bus came along and he helped me flag it down and spoke to the conductor.

So, I finally made it to Canoa for 5pm (my latest estimated time) and walked three blocks down to a recommended hostel in my guidebook (no motorised bicycle taxis being in evidence) and booked a room: a double with private shower for $8! However, no breakfast is included for this price (same price for a dorm room in Quito, but with breakfast included). The room was equipped with a fan and mosquito net and I immediately had a shower to wash off all the travel grime (water wasn't heated, but it didn't need to be).

I had a quick look at the beach, with its long strip of sand and colourful tents along the beachfront before I then ended up in an internet café for a couple of hours. It had started to rain by the time I left the internet café and started thinking of food and making my way to the nearest likely prospect. The rain got heavier and I soon wanted to make tracks back to the hotel to avoid being bitten even more at the restaurant and to see if I could change my plans and stay an extra night here before moving on, as well as to avoid even heavier rainfall.