Sunrise in Ecuador, Sunset in Peru!
Trip Start
Sep 11, 2008
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33
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Trip End
Jan 03, 2009
Chiclayo,
Peru
Monday, October 27, 2008
I had to be up early to get to the bus station in Loja before 7am, so I saw the sunrise that morning! Today I spent a total of 11 hours on a bus! An 8 hour bus ride from Loja across the border to Piura in northern Peru, then another 3 hours from Piura to Chiclayo. Actually, it wasn't too bad. I scored a reasonably comfy window seat, and although the bus was packed when we left Loja at 7am, by the time we reached the halfway point of Catacocha, almost all the locals had left, and for the last few hours across the border and to Piura, there was only myself and 4 other gringos on the bus!
The border crossing near Macara was really easy. No hassles whatsoever. Iīm glad I chose this route and not the one through Tumbes on the coast, about which I'd read nothing but dramas
11 hours on a bus - YAY!
. It was simply a matter of getting an exit stamp in Ecuador, then walking across the international bridge to the Peru side and getting an entrance stamp etc.The bus waited while we did it all, and then continued to Piura. No one hassled us for taxis / money changing / souvenirs / tours or anything. In fact there were hardly any people besides officials there.It felt strange to be leaving Ecuador behind after almost 7 weeks there. I could say the time has gone fast, but the truth is I have completely lost track of time now. Am definitely in holiday mode!
I really enjoyed travelling in Ecuador. Itīs surprising that itīs so off the radar for many travellers, because there are so many beautiful places to see - for such a small country, itīs landscapes are incredibly diverse - itīs easy to get around because buses are frequent and go just about everywhere, and the people are great. Part of me wishes I could stay and explore more of it, but Peru is beckoning, and a bigger part of me is excited to be moving on.
Doing the long bus trip during the day was interesting, because I was able to watch the passing scenery and observe the goings-on in the towns we passed through
view 1
. After the green pastures around Loja, the landscape became progressively drier and more barren, and by the time we reached Piura we were driving through desert!The land around Piura though, is irrigated, so many crops are grown there - especially sugar cane.
I have to say, that my first impressions of Peru were not great. It is filthy. There is rubbish literally everywhere, at least in this part, and outside the cities, people live in dusty settlements that would barely qualify as shanty towns. It looks and smells awful. Piura didnīt look the least bit appealing, so I went straight to the Linea bus company when I got of the border bus, and jumped on the next bus to Chiclayo, closer to the coast and a litle further south. The ride there took 3 hours, so I saw the sunset over the desert from the bus window.
In Chiclayo, I had booked a room at a relatively expensive hotel (for me anyway), because it was close to the bus station, and had a restaurant and 24hrs room service, which I thought would be much appreciated after spending all day on a bus. But, what they failed to mention was that on Sundays, the restaurant is closed and there is no room service! So I ended up having to catch a taxi to a nearby shopping mall for food - my first meal in Peru was Pizza Hut!
