My First Big Mistake!

So where do I start...

01 The Chileans at our Hotel

Bought a bus ticket to get me across border and onto Quayaguil in Ecuador but had to get a local bus to Tumbes where I was supposed to be catching a Cifa International bus which stops at the appropriate locations for border formalities. I had been told in vague english what I think now must have been to stay with Peruvian girl who was goin same way not get off at same place as I believed at the time. Anyway what did i do? I got into a dodgy bloody taxi and ended being taken for a right old ride across the border.

The two blokes began by warning me how dangerous the border was with mafia, pickpockets and general degenerates who would try to nick my passport and beloñgings so to hold onto them tightly. I thought that I was being taken to the bus station and should have noticed somethign was wrong when I showed them my bus pass and they tried to keep it. So this set me up in a state of paranonia but all was well and I got my stamps on the peruvian side and off we went to the border.

02 Daniella, Hanz and Claudia

Then the clincher, the one in the passenger seat explains that I need to pay the driver $60 for the ride and safe passage across the border... The penny dropped. I of course bartered to $40 as everyone does when they are in self preservation mode and gave this to him. By this time I had started to worry if I'd ever see my bag again. We walked across the border and was placed (bags and all)  into a new taxi. The bloke got in also and thought "Shit what now?" I ended up giving him another $20 just to get rid of him and was taken to the Ecuadorian immigration point where all my paperwork was finalised while I hung onto my bags for dear life. The taxi driver was safe(I think) and got me Q jumped to front probably because he realised I was not in the mood for anymore playtime due to the sweat pouring down my face in the blazing sun as I  came to terms with what exactly had just happened, or he knew and felt sorry for me.By this point I had of course lost my trust in humanity, and my bus which would probably have picked me up from exactly where they did. 

So total damage was $70 including payment for real taxi in Ecuador and a new bus ticket to get me to Quayaguil and a very valuable lesson learnt.

Looking back on the situation I reckon I could have bailed on them at any time and walked the border myself in perfect safety, if only I'd been in control of my bag and that the stories were just bullshit intended to lower my gaurd. After taking a while to collect my thoughts the day was saved by 4 Chileans who adopted me and we continued to Quayaguil together and spent entire night listening to Bob Marley and attempting with varied success to translate each others words.