#126 – a 56 hours bus trip

I got up at 7:30AM because I needed to go back to my appointment in Ecuador and I lost one day because I missed the bus in Uyuni. I ate breakfast and took a little van that took me to the borders with Peru which took about an hour and half. I walked across the border and was lucky enough to find a bus that will leave at noon from the borders to Lima. I was told the trip will take 24 hours. The bus stopped 3 times to take more passengers and we were allowed to stretch and in one stop it was long enough to eat something. We were also provided 2 meals/snacks by the bus company. Finally after 26 hours, we arrived in Lima around 2PM. I checked for the bus that will go the furthest close to the border with Ecuador and was told it will leave at 4PM. I went to have a quick lunch. When I went back to buy the ticket the lady raised the price but when I told her that she gave a cheaper fare 2 hours ago, she agreed to give me the ticket at the lower price. The bus’s fare in Peru varies a lot, it depends on the bus company; its safety record, whether they stop along the way to pick other passengers, whether they provide meals and the type of buses they have. In Bolivia, I read an article in the newspaper about the customers’ complains regarding bus fares the bus companies do not follow the set price. In two instances when I asked them why they don’t follow the set price, they claimed it’s an outdated price list. The bottom line, you have to bargain and shop around, and sometimes you will have no option but to pay the higher fare.
Anyway, after another 18 hours I arrived in Piura which’s the closest city to Ecuador. We arrived around 10AM and now on the last part of the trip getting to Ecuador. I was very hungry and after asking about the bus I thought I will have enough time to go and eat. The food was so tasty it was shrimps with rice, I felt it was the best meal I had in a long time, and I guess it has to do with being on the bus for a long time and not having good meals. It was Saturday and the last time I slept in a proper bed was Wednesday and it was only for few hours. At the same time, I wished I had 2 more days; I wanted to spend another day in Lima and few more hours in La Paz. But I am going back for work and at this point some cash would be helpful.
I needed another 8 hours to cross the borders to reach South Ecuador. We were only 6 passengers crossing from Peru to Ecuador. Along the way, there were many street vendors selling mangos. One of the passengers asked the driver if he could stop to allow us to buy mangos. I went to get 2 mangos and the vendor didn’t have change, he said to take the mangos for free, but I went and got some change from another vendor and paid him. Although I didn’t have a knife to eat the mangos, I just couldn’t wait and started to peel them with my teeth, you can imagine the mess I made, good thing I had my towel.

Crossing the border was quick, I saw the Welcome to Ecuador sign and I started to walk across the border. I was happy to be back, I felt Ecuador was more organized and cleaner than Peru or Bolivia. I liked the people in Peru, they were very friendly and they like to socialize and have small talks, but both Bolivia and Peru lack in infrastructure. I think was also tired and felt I am finally arriving close to my destination.
Right away when we crossed to Ecuador the streets were cleaner, there were some light rain but it wasn’t cold, it made the air feel so fresh. After few minutes driving up the mountains and I could see the rainbow. Clean streets, clean air and now the rainbow, sometimes things have more meaning because of how we associate the experience at that special moment.