Bus to Tacna

7 hours on a bus and £20 later, I'm in Tacna. The most Southern City in Peru. I needed to change buses to get to Arica in Chile so thought I'd just stay here tonight and head there in the morning. These big buses are SO comfortable. I was able to stretch out almost horizontal! Not to mention the 3 films I watched....well I say watched.... Got the just of. They were american films, dubbed in Spanish then also SUBTITLED Spanish too! How rude!!

The scenery was like something from a sci fi movie most of the time. We had to stop for a bull fight in the middle of the road...2 stray bulls locking horns while their mates egged them on! Then we stopped at some check point. People started grabbing their bags and getting off. Passport? I asked one of my fellow passengers. No they all said then went on to tell me exactly what was happening. I had no idea. Some people were staying on the bus so I thought I'd do the same. I looked out the window and the passengers who got off were taking their bags to some officials and allowing them to search them, then walking about 50 yards ahead and waiting. One of the officials came on the bus, looked at me and wanted to search my bag too! He found the gorgeous satsuma I'd bought for later and confiscated it! Then told me to go downstairs and join the others, where my bag was searched again! He left some of the other passengers alone sleeping on the bus. I must have looked like a fantom fruit eater! So as I was standing, I looked at a poster and video. I think there are beasties in some fruit that they are not allowing in some parts of the country. The pictures of huge oversized insects put me off fruit for life I think! But this wasn't even a border control. Anyway, we waited for the bus to move forwards a few meters, got on and continued watching our films!

I need to try "Cui" today before I leave Peru! (sorry heather but I must)