Two days ago I started out on an adventure to see the wild untamed edge between Ecuador and Peru. The ¨sheet of paper¨(love my map!) explained that it was 16 to 17 hours of travel, however I had no idea what I was up for.
A 520a wake up buzz to my wrist watch was more than I wanted this morning! I crawl out of the upper loft where my single bed is cozy with wool blankets. Off to sit on the side of the road until the 6a to 630a bus picks me up! I wonder how long I will actually have to sit out here! After 45 minutes a bus comes by, so I assume it´s the right one, but just in case I ask the ayudante if he is headed to Zumba, and he says ¨¡Si!¨ I was excited that I was on my way to Peru!
About 5 minutes after being on the bus we see another bus go by in the opposite direction, so I ask the guy next to me if the bus was going to Zumba, and he chuckled and said, ¨No, Va a Loja!¨(Hmm that is one hour in the WRONG direction!). Crap the bus I need just passed, there are only 2 buses a day to Zumba. ARG! I am now really mad! I asked the guy and he said yes, so I trusted him. I KNOW I said the right thing, and I know that he said Yes. Si is a very simple thing to understand in Spanish, so I am pretty sure that I didn´t mess up in understanding! So now ... what do I do. Jump off this bus and wait for another bus back in to Vilcabamba, and then spend the day there getting a $18 massage for 90 minutes, or head to Loja in hopes to get another bus to Zumba so I can get on my way to Peru! I decide the latter! I hope I made the right choice!
When we arrive at 7am in Loja, mind you one hour in the opposite direction of desired travel, I find out I have to wait 2 hours for the next friggin bus to Zumba! 9a! I will never make the border! It´s now a 7 hour bus ride (instead of the original 6), and the border closes. PLUS, I don´t know if the connecting forms of transportation will be there after the one bus that arrived there at 1p! No choice now, wait for 9a bus and see where I land. Good thing I have a tent, if all else fails I will make friends with a farmer and ask if I can camp on his land! Maybe then I would get some fresh milk from their dairy cows. Sounds like a fun adventure! (Guess I will use my spanish today!)
The bus...to be continued... part 2
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