Still can´t escape Ecuador

We set off from Loja with a heavy heart at having missed the children´s park but looked forward to reaching Peru on a nice international bus. The bus company, Loja International, were the only company with buses straight through to Peru. We decided to get a daytime bus as the FCO had given us fears about night buses being held up. Highway robbery is alive and kicking in Ecuador. We waited outside for our bus to arrive. When it pulled into the slot we hoped ours was a different one as the driver swerved into the space bashing both kerbs with the already fragile looking bus. This wasn´t going to be the comfortable ride we had expected.

We were first on the bus and took our designated seats at the front. The bus eventually filled up with kulaks and across the aisle from us was a crinkly old granja and her blind husband. The old man was forced to sit on a box and thus continually facing us. Granja had the luxury of a seat but never faced forward and continued to stare at us with her watery gaze. The stare was added to occaisionally with gestures but without speech. Charlie and Lisa decided the woman was rude and we were not going to entertain any notion of giving her money. We had brought with us a bag of snacks for the journey but as soon as they were noticed by Granja more gestures were made. Lisa hid behind Charlie to drink a yoghurt. Before we sound like very ungenerous people, I would like to state that a small boy came onto the bus sang a little song and begged, so he got money from Lisa. If granja had had the foresight to do a little song or maybe even a dance than money would be more forthcoming. It just takes a little bit of entertainment and they earn the money. Anyway granja continued to stare and scare the poor white travellers.

The bus was climbing over a particularly large hill when we suddenly stopped. Steam could be seen rising from the engine and the kulaks were right there with water. Confident that we would be on our way again soon we settled into our seats and ignored granja´s continuous staring. Two hours later and the bus still hadn´t started and Granja was still staring. Eventually they left and got another bus and we waited for one to Macara and debated whether to get a car with strangers or stay the night in Macara. The strangers lost out! We then got another Loja International bus to Macara, a town on a little used border. The bus was comfortable until some naughty little children climbed into the seats behind us and smelled of fish - hence they were termed "Naughty Pescadas". The climbed about like monkeys until they made the mistake of pushing our armrest forward, Charlie responded by banging it back with as much force as possible. The Naughty Pescadas were then quiet and soon fell asleep leaving us in comfort again!

We arrived at Macara feeling quite drained and dispirited so we got in a man´s car that wasn´t registered as a taxi and went to a cheap hotel to rest. The weather was very different here and it was humid and very hot. It is also in Malaria danger zone.. But this was forgotten as it was an unexpected destination!

The day had been traumatic and the hotel was not going to make us feel any better. We ventured out in the dark to get water and scurried back to the hotel as this place didn´t feel safe at all. The hotel felt no safer and Lisa was distraught to find that the only toilet with a seat had wee all over it and no lock on the door. There were only 2 shared toilet/bathrooms and both caused an automatic retching response! We chose to remain dirty with our own filth, than have a shower and risk being dirtied by other people´s filth. It was the last straw for Lisa and she decided to inspect bathrooms thoroughly before agreeing to a room. On returning from the bathroom, surprisingly alive (though with possible malignant diseases), Lisa tried to get to the room but a strange man mumble something and thrust a bottle of very suspicious looking liquid at her. She merely screamed at him and ran for the room, bolting it behind her! This hotel is definatley in the crispy category!

The next morning we tried to find out if we had to go to get our passports stamped in the town or at the border 3 miles away. We asked a women who seemed to be walking us somewhere but then just left us! Confused we just got a taxi out of tumbleweed town and to the border.

Final Thoughts: A hideous journey, a hideous town and malaria danger... Depression thoroughly set in.

Mark out of 10: 0.5

Next Time.........  Huanchaco, Peru