...Quito

The border crossing yesterday evening was a bit shady, as expected. My bus from Mancora arrived 30 minutes late, and when I finally got on I felt like I was interrupting some Peruvian family gathering as there were people (adults and kids) sprawled out across many of the seats, including my assigned seat so I decided to pick a new one. When we arrived at the Peruvian immigration checkpoint in Aguas Verdes, we were filed into a dimly lit hallway where we had to get our departure stamps one at a time. There were a couple giant cockroaches running around, and they provided a nice accent to the process. Within ten minutes I got my stamp, handed in my customs form, and got back on the bus. One minute later a mom sat down next to me and started breast-feeding her child. So that was interesting. But I was unfazed and ready for the next checkpoint. On to Ecuador.

A short while later after crossing the ¨bridge¨ we arrived at the checkpoint in Huaquillas, Ecuador. The customs window there was outdoors so it thankfully lacked the feel of a third world prison. Got my temporary visa for Ecuador, and then I had to get into a taxi with a woman who worked for the bus company through which I bought my ticket to Quito. Apparently there are no direct buses to Quito from Peru, which I was told while on the bus. I wouldve rather known that ahead of time, but oh well.

So Im in the taxi with this woman in the backseat (she seemed trustworthy enough, relatively speaking, and I had no other choice), and I sat right behind the driver. I may have looked tense as I was watching the cabbie and ready to pound him if necessary. We drove to the bus station in town, and drove around crowds of people in tiny dirt streets with all types of people selling all kinds of things. When we turned onto the last side road on which the bus terminal was located, the scene from Clear and Present Danger came to mind - the one where Harrison Ford´s motorcade gets gunned at from the rooftops in Bogotá. Thankfully that didn´t happen, and I got on the bus one hour later (and I seemed to be the only gringo on this bus and the first bus).

The bus ride was not that smooth - kind of a crappy bus and the roads in Ecuador are mostly two lanes and all seem to have speed bumps every 15 minutes. Doesn´t make for a sound sleep. But there were only a couple stops (including one where police boarded our bus asking for documents) and 12 hours later we arrived to Quito on time.

A bit exhausting. Definitely was the most eventful travel experience I have had down here, and I am glad it´s over. I need a shower.