Punta Sal Club Hotel Tumbes

We will post trip information here as soon as it starts. For 2010, we will continue planning the project and look for Sponsors that are willing to invest and support the Project. All indications in that regard is ...

... that we´re English and don´t have to pay anything. The man backs off, embarassed and shamed. Never mess with a sleep deprived Nicki.<br><br>1;30am: All the light come back on on the bus again after our trip through no man´s land and we´re herded off the bus once again to go through passport control again. Relief that we might finally get some sleep now and excitement for being in Ecuador washes over us and we hop back on the bus again. After ...

... next two hours our new friendly Peruvian guide, who was with his sister and parents, decided to fill us in on Peruvian Inca history and gave us some recommendations about our onward journey. One of the recommendations was not top go to Piura because we would arrive there about 9pm at the north terminal and we would have to travel by taxi to the south terminal to get a bus to Lima. He encouraged us to get off at Sullana because the same bus to Lima starts here before it gets to Piura ...

... all they had left were mini bread rolls, so I bought 6. We only had a little bit of jam left and a shed load of mayonnaise plus a few sultanas, that would have to do. <br><br>The ride began with cross winds but nothing we couldn't manage. The scenery for the first 15 or 20 kms was quite sad, the rubbish that normally sits in piles at the side of the road (despite the numerous signs asking people NOT to throw their rubbish out of car windows) was strewn all over the ...

... into Peru.<br><br><br><br>First impressions; it's flat (no change<br>there then) the banana plantations have given way to rice paddies,<br>or, scrub land. We've already been warned about thieves snatching<br>stuff off the bikes and we were guided to our hospedaje by a tuk tuk<br>driver (yes, there are lots of them here) who told us we would be<br>safe here as there are police all around us! The first place we<br>tried, Hostal Chico, number 1 in our book was ...

... said&#8230;. Limited Spanish and all that&#8230;) but still, the paintings are great.. very Tim Burton.. Talented *****. So all the art and presents for people came to $100 in postage, so no more presents. Sorry, but I&#8217;m broke. <br><br>The next day we had to leave so farewell drinks were had then off to bed. <br><br>Machala is nothing, just a bus connection town, so we didn&#8217;t stay long, and before I knew it we were at what Lonely Planet describes as &#8216;The dodgiest border ...

... appears to be the major form of transport. We drove towards the coast to our Casa Grillo Hostel, which is located in 3 Puntos. This place is great. It is right on the beach, but has a very rustic feel to it. A lot of the major balconies etc are made from driftwood and everywhere there are hammocks. I encountered a 5 inch gecko and a huge taranchelor in our bathroom. Everyone was pretty exhausted from the big day so far. I ended up having a 2 hour sleep. Some of the group ...

... bus. So when we reached Piura I dashed into a nearby bank and cashed in a $20 US dollar bill for Peruvian soles. Later I got additional money from an ATM. Some of the hostals were filled but we walked a few blocks in the darkening night and found very adequate rooms at Hostal San Carlos. With a shower and the help of some Sour Pisco I slept like a baby for 8 hours.

... the town were breathtaking, and we had a great hike up a sand mountain to gaze at the miles of sandy peaks surrounding us (and then an exhilarating descent down the steeply pitched side of the dune in racing leaps and bounds!) We left Huacachina early in the a.m. in order to get to nearby Pisco for a tour of the Islas Ballestas, hailed as the poor man's Galapagos. The islands were ...

... descendre d'un cran en termes de développement de pays. Piura est un bordel incroyable, et les premières choses vues en descendant du bus sont des chauffeurs de taxis agglutinés autour de nous comme des mouches sur un cadavre, et ensuite les employés de la compagnie de bus qui vous font comprendre de faire ultra-attention à vos sacs, autrement ils vont disparaître. Nous voilà prévenus... Avec tout ça, pas question de traîner ...