After our 18 hour journey from Cuenca last night to Chiclayo, Peru today, we are finally getting the hang of bus travel. I think we have logged over 40 hours of distance traveling in buses since our trip began 3 weeks ago and we still have many more enjoyable hours to go. Peru is a big country!
I now recognize immediately that the gentleman who gets up into the isle right after we depart and starts talking to the entire bus is not conveying important travel information that I can't understand. These guys are just selling jewelry or sewing kits and apear to do well. They are charasmatic and engage the riders during their pitch. It is like being in the audience of those infomercials on cable TV, except it is all in Spanish and you're on a bus.
From there, the sales continue on the ride as vendors hop on and off the bus at the briefest stops or stalls and make one pass up and down the isle pushing snack food. You will not hunger on these trips.... plantain chips, nuts, corn, candy and helado, lots of helado. It's like a ball game on wheels (without the ball).
Last night we took an all nighter which left at 9pm and was to take us to t.he border, switch buses to a semi-sleeper and continue south to Puira. It went well until the switch at the border at 1:20 in the morning. Everyone gets off the bus which is pulled off on the side of the road in the middle of no-where. We have to get our bags out the storage compartment and assume that we are getting right on the double-decker sleeper bus that has pulled up right behind us. But then we learn that our bus is the next one, and should arive at 3am. We are pointed to a lit area across the highway that everyone else is heading to, dragging our luggage. It is actually the Ecuador immigration office/waiting area... specializing in waiting. It is the recognized scene at the airport gate when a flight has been delayed in the middle of the night except we are outdoors on concrete benches in the middle of now-where with a tent vendor frying up something in oil an old dog begging for food. There are several other travelers with us that speak english so we all (all but me) decipher information and spread it around.... word is soon passed down
that the bus won't arive until 4am. Joy.
Well... it all worked out, our bus did come, right at 4am, as promised the second time. It was a double decker with seats that reclined almost horizontally. The girls were great sports and very excited that our seats were on the upper level. After our termination in Puira we caught a cab to another bus company and jumped on a third bus to Chicklayo. We passed on the silver necklasses that came with a matching bracelet for 5 Soles.
I now recognize immediately that the gentleman who gets up into the isle right after we depart and starts talking to the entire bus is not conveying important travel information that I can't understand. These guys are just selling jewelry or sewing kits and apear to do well. They are charasmatic and engage the riders during their pitch. It is like being in the audience of those infomercials on cable TV, except it is all in Spanish and you're on a bus.
From there, the sales continue on the ride as vendors hop on and off the bus at the briefest stops or stalls and make one pass up and down the isle pushing snack food. You will not hunger on these trips.... plantain chips, nuts, corn, candy and helado, lots of helado. It's like a ball game on wheels (without the ball).
Last night we took an all nighter which left at 9pm and was to take us to t.he border, switch buses to a semi-sleeper and continue south to Puira. It went well until the switch at the border at 1:20 in the morning. Everyone gets off the bus which is pulled off on the side of the road in the middle of no-where. We have to get our bags out the storage compartment and assume that we are getting right on the double-decker sleeper bus that has pulled up right behind us. But then we learn that our bus is the next one, and should arive at 3am. We are pointed to a lit area across the highway that everyone else is heading to, dragging our luggage. It is actually the Ecuador immigration office/waiting area... specializing in waiting. It is the recognized scene at the airport gate when a flight has been delayed in the middle of the night except we are outdoors on concrete benches in the middle of now-where with a tent vendor frying up something in oil an old dog begging for food. There are several other travelers with us that speak english so we all (all but me) decipher information and spread it around.... word is soon passed down
that the bus won't arive until 4am. Joy.Well... it all worked out, our bus did come, right at 4am, as promised the second time. It was a double decker with seats that reclined almost horizontally. The girls were great sports and very excited that our seats were on the upper level. After our termination in Puira we caught a cab to another bus company and jumped on a third bus to Chicklayo. We passed on the silver necklasses that came with a matching bracelet for 5 Soles.
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