We have arrived in Equador and it was no mean feat getting here. The story begins at Trujillo (Peru) Bus Station at 8.30pm Sunday night. Bus stations are slightly intimitating by their nature, usually cited in themore run down area, bustling full of all types of people moving chaoticaly from one queue to another. There is a lot of shouting too which is incomprehensible most of the time, but apparently is the official announcement system telling you when your bus might be leaving. We were faced with a challenge as soon as we got there. Following a number of telephone calls to the bus company to change our booking and then confirm it, we realised that we had omitted to get the official stamp which would validate our reserved seat. We were faced with trying to argue our case against a brick wall of beauracracy and in the end we were forced to plead our case to the supervisor using every scrap of Spanish in my vocabulary, and practically begging for the sake of my poor children to be let on the bus. I am please to say that after a good ticking off we received our tickets duly stamped and managed to begin our journey to Equador.
Our efforts to get on the bus were rewarded with seats on what proved to be the most uncomforable night bus to date. Once seated we were treated to a song from a "bus entertainer" with his hand outstretched for contributions. Once the bus had departed we were expected to sleep as all of the lights were turned down, that is until the bus stopped which it did with annoying frequency to pick up various people along the way for the entire journey. At this point we blinded with lights to allow people to find their seats....it was the longest night known to man!
Finally we arrived at our destination at Tumbes were we intended to cross the border. It was there that we were blessed with some luck when we bumped into two fellow travellers, one German (Thomas) and the other Portuguese (Pedro) who were going in the same direction. If it wasn t for Pedro I m not quite sure how we would have managed the border crossing. It went something like this (Grannies I suggest you stop reading now!). From the bus station we were piled into a taxi (yes all 6 of us), with our precious baggage strapped to the back of the boot of the taxi. We then had to drive 5 km to the Peruvian Checkpoint were we were hurded into a room and given the appropirate forms to fill out and then into another room where we had our passports stamped - they like to spread out the jobs in Peru! Then we piled back into the taxi were he drove us to a crowded street in the border town and dropped us at a bridge where we would have to walk baggage in hand across to Equador. It was at this point that Pedro came into his own, negotiating the services of two locals who guided us to the nearest bus station and he negotiated their fee down from $5 to about $1.50! After that Pedro the hero negotiated our bus fares and we sat in a local cafe for 3 hours whilst we waited for the bus to Cuenca (mid point between the Border and Quito the capital). Heaven only knows what we would have done without Pedro (Grannies I hope you re not peaking!). Next we endured the day bus from as we had another border check point to go through and also as we had chosen the grand prix bus driver from hell - I hasten to add he was not dangerous, just fast if there is a difference?
At this point I have to tell you that Equador is absolute beautiful. I was totally distracted from our speed king driver by the beautiful scenary. Tall brown peaks of the Andes Mountains reached up into the clouds, their lower peaks dappled with yellow sunshine followed lower down by lush green populated with almost Alpine buildings. It was truly breathtaking and well worth the Journey.
We were again rewarded when we reached Cuenca which is a beautiful colonial style city with the most amazing Cathederal dripping in Gold Leaf. The people of Equador struck me as far more sofisticated and colourful then their Peruvian neighbours and the streets seemed more alive and bustling. We all really like what we have found in Equador and we look forward to discovering much more of it. After a day indulging in Cuencas sights and being introduced the the Comidore Municipal where we were able to eat for a dollar with the locals and buy the most wonderful fruit for our journey, we left for the bus station and waited for our night bus to Quito. It was very interesting to observe the people at the bus station. At one point we were accosted by a small boy begging at our table. Thomas gave him and apple and I spied him hurrying off to a young girl just a couple of meters away where he was stripped of his prize and sent off again. There seemed to be so many people watching us which was quite unnerving. In the end you have to come to terms with the reality of their need and just be as vigilant as possible. We left safely and endured a much better sleepless night on our more upmarket and sedately driven night bus to Quito.
And what of our wonderful children in all this travel and toil. They have been truly brilliant, waiting without complaint in bus stations, sleeping like coiled cats in squashed buses, talking to local children and putting up with numerous pats on the head from the local adults. They have received each hotel with interest and acceptance, put up with luke warm showers without complaint and told us how much they are loving their advernture despite everything I mention before. Both John and I are truly proud of them. They make us work hard at truly looking at what we are showing them because we have to make it come alive to maintain their interest and they reward us at every corner with their observations and interpretation. Travelling with children is truly a wonderful experience.
