"I'm Pissed!" and So Were A Few Peruvians

So this past Wed (July 9th) we boarded a bus for crossing into Peru just in the nick of time ( you have to pay a 10 cents toll and we only had $1 and had to go somewhere else for the change.) That is the precise moment our adventures began. Little did we know what we´d gotten ourselves into. An 8hr ride turned into 15!!!! Yeap it was a long day.

We knew something was up when the bus pulled over and stayed there for longer than normal. When we checked it out we were stationed at the front of a military base and waiting for a group. Strange. We paid for tickets and no one had said anything about a group. Why would we wait for them? Turns out they'd privately hired the bus and instead a few strangers were added to the mix. It was shortly after 7 am and the group wouldn´t be ready until 9 am. It turns out we´d meet this group of high school aged kids in Cuenca at the native ritual ceremony. Yes we had nothing to do but wait. This became the theme for the day.

The ride was decent. After three hours we began to wither a little. We were no longer in the Andean highlands but something a kin to the a hilly, warmer, remote place. The open windows did little to keep us cool. The bus was beginning to get stinky wit hot and sweaty bodies.

When we arrived in Maraca, the Ecuadorian border town where we were given the bad news. At approximately 3km away from the border we were going to have to be patient. There was a nation wide transportation strike in Peru. In an attempt to show support for farmers and to protest rising food prices drivers were taking the day off and creating havoc by setting up baracades and rioting. In addition to this the group had a scheduled meet and greet with the local politicians and community.

A fellow traveller needed to get across to catch flights later that evening and was longing for other options. A local, rather adamant woman on our bus couldn´t taking the waiting any more. After getting some of her money back she was determined to find her own way. She jumped ship and invited us to join her. Speaking Spanish makes it so much easier. We declined. Either way was bound to be full of adventure. The energy of the group was appealing to us. The group´s purpose of engaging in the culture was what intrigued us.

What we didn´t sign up for was the uncertainity. Would the group go ahead? Would they stay the night in a school? The leaders of the group strategized as they waited for the local politicians to join the parade. School aged kids lined the streets. Everyone was WAITING. The order disintegrated when we produced a camera. They swarmed around us like flies asking us questions, pushing to get our attention. They were thrilled when we taught them to count to 10 in English. It was intimidating because there was so many of them. I began to get tired. It was about that time that I spoke of my frustrations ( hence the title). Jay was very patient.

The plan kept changing. We looked into renting a room. Thankfully not putting down a deposit because when we got back to the party rumour had it that once the dance performance was done we were on our way. Just a few hours late! The group was lacking efficiency and simple tasks took forever. When we finally left got to the border it took 2 hours to get across. To be fair part of the problem was there was a single boarder guard. There was a paper to be filled in but it was random as to the length of detail that would be required, so you couldn´t even hand it out before hand so everyone would be ready. Crossing borders in the dark doesn´t leave you a good impression of a place. They didn´t even have a flush toilet on the Peru side!!!

We were flashed down by police about an hour into Peru. We couldn't go any further because the road was blocked by a group of rioters. With a group of over 50 people you hear every imaginable explanation and in general there was chaos. Maybe we´d have to walk. Couldn´t we just turn around? Ohh people´s argumentative spirits were up being tired and fed up with the confusion. One of the leaders disappeared with the police to investigate. Shortly we got a cell phone call from him giving us the go ahead. They´d bribed the locals. This was 9:30 at night. Our options were pretty limited. So with much relief we continued.

The rest was smooth sailing. They gracefully invited us to join their group for the evening or even for a few days. They´d be sleeping at another military base. After using the bathroom at the first place I was more than willing to take a chance at finding our own accomodations. We seriously thought about the offer considering the safety of being in a big group. We unloaded the group first and decided to go out on our own.

Though a little uncertain about being in a new country and town, finidng a taxi and a room we easy. It was now 11:30pm and we just wanted something clean and safe. We paid too much for our noisy room. Morning came quickly and we did a little walk about town.

We discovered there really wasn't much there. Alot of the city (lonely way up north in the desert) and its' infrastructure were destroyed by a flood. It seems like it is still recovering. Also we were reliefed to discovered it had been a single day strike. By early afternoon we were on a plush and well cared for bus. It felt like luxury. Our hopes were restored and we were much better prepared for enjoying our next place.