so everything has gone a bit t*** up since the last blog.

Arriving in Piura late at night we grabbed a taxi to a hostel near the plaza de armas. The first one that we tried was offering us a double bed for the three of us so we tried the place next door. This gave us a double and single for the three of us for a cheap price of 50 soles. This and the laundry service sold us. The room was small and with lots of bugs around, but one can't complain at that price.

Tried to get money out of the bank later that night, and for some unknown reason my account wouldn't work. Luckily Mez was at hand and she lent me some money for the room and for the bus that we booked the next day.

The next day we spent along time walking in the wrong direction due to what the police officer had said trying to find the station for the buses going to Guayaquil. In the end a taxi tuk tuk thing took us there which turned out to be round the corner from the hostel. Oh well, we knew for when we went back that night.

There wasn't much to do in Piura, so we went to a neighbouring village called Catacaos which cost us 12 soles each way in the taxi. This is the place to buy crap from the markets, assuming that you have money, which by this time I still did not.

I had been online and was hoping by the time that I arrived in Ecuador the next day everything would be sorted. Night buses are always cold, and with the lack of jacket (due to an unfortunate lose earlier in the journey) was an uncomfortable night. None of us were sitting next to each other on the journey since we hadn't booked in enough time.

Boarding crossing was long and painful, getting of the bus at the Peru boarder with my bag waiting for what felt like at least an hour at 12 o'clock at night. We got back on the bus, I put my bag on the seat and went to the toilet. Now here I think was when I made my mistake. Leaving the bag for 5 minutes maximum. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed have occured and I took my seat back on the bus, waiting for the next time we had to get off for the Ecuador Boarder. Took my purse out just before I got off, thinking that if there was some water I could buy there with my dollars then I would. I was sure I had at least 20 dollars, which were no longer there, neither was my 5 euro note.

The first time I had ever just had money in my bag, and the first time I hadn't locked my bag and someone steals my money. They kindly left the one dollar notes, which later paid for my taxi so at least that was something. But for all those travelers out there, don't leave your bag even for a minute on a bus. I really should have known better.

Slept the rest of the bus journey, with my bag tightly wrapped round my legs. Emma and Mez had people throwing up all around them at the back of the bus, so maybe I got of lightly losing $20 and 5 euros.