Shit happens....and why you should never travel with CIAL bus company whilst in Peru

---

So, I thought I should probably do one last blog entry to update those readers (those that exist...?) about what happened to me and Rose (and why I could no longer face updating this blog afterwards).

Ok so we left off in Cusco, the wonderful cobbled, bus-trailing, tourist trap and haven that is Cusco. In Cusco I was hopsitalised for Altitude Sickness, I had to breathe oxygen from a tank for over ten hours, it was boring. However, on my return to the hostel we were surrounded by fantastically short-lived friends (well, some of them at least). Sometimes I struggled to keep up with Rose with my altitude sickness leaving me short of breath on even the shallow hills in Cusco, but we still found time and energy to party with these lovely people in 'Gringos corner' free-drinks galore, so it wasn't much of a big deal to be honest with you.

Of the more, let's say, cultural aspects of our time in Cusco we went to visit the Inca and pre-Inca ruins that overlook the city, towering above the mud houses at a staggering height, out of view from the central squares when you stand there, next to the fountains. Sacsayhuaman - huge rocks, steps and ruins that stand as a defensive fortress with a view over everything...snow-capped mountains, the mile-high white christ watching over the city with his arms out-stretched in a humble act of protection.

But our time in Cusco was extended for one reason only - (the strikes and) Machu Picchu. This seminal experience in my life, better than words or pictures can describe, as I watched the sun rise over a jungle valley (clear river at the bottom, blue steam train trailing it's perfect circle of steam over the green tracks, blue-coloured birds swoop down into the valley) from the top of the guardian's tower and the rays breaking through the mist and cloud of the mountains around us and lavishing down on the massive, deserted, peaceful and sad city below us, the terraces of the city glowing at 6.30am...all the while set to Bob Dylan's 'Boots of Spanish Leather'. The only thing that could ruin Machu is the tourists, loud and obnoxious and disturbing the peace and magic of the place...which seems non-sensical as of course I'm a tourist myself but...the place deserves more.

Rose decided to climb Wayna Picchu, which was apparently one of the most terrifying experiences of Rose's life due to the risky descent, riddled with sheer drops on the side of the path, eek! I'm not one for heights myself...

After Macchu, our minds made up to move along and goodbyes said to our friends, we got a coach at 5pm leaving for Ica and eventually Huacachina (an oasis and lake in the middle of the desert near the coast). At about 3 or 4 am the next morning, after restlessly and unconsciously blaming each other for our lack of sleep, me and Rose had just closed our eyes when a shocking jolt awoke us. We were seated on the top floor of the coach, the whole floor rattling and shaking, the glass bending in on itself like we were driving over rocks...I thought we would stop, the driver had made a simple mistake on a tricky mountain road and we had just veered onto the rocks a little...until I saw the left front window falling down, down onto the dirt and off a mountain for all I knew at the time.

I felt myself falling then. I heard others around me screaming and as I was thrown forward against the railing of my seatbelt I grabbed the seat in front of me as a life-raft from the madness, I have never gripped so tight in my life. I shut my eyes and I screamed too, not from fear and not for my family, but because I suddenly and instinctually felt that I really needed to live and I didn't want to die. I wasn't aware of Rose at this time, she said later that she thought the "Bus would just never stop rolling" - even now we aren't sure how many times we rolled over but I suspect it was just once, on to its' side.

When we stopped, we were hanging from the new 'ceiling' of the bus and I slipped out of my seatbealt after checking mine and Rose's status as 'alive, uninjured' in my head. Rose said, "I saw an emergency hatch" and another British girl turned to me to say "They're saying 'Don't open it' incase we roll down the mountain". Fuck that...I looked up to the window in the ceiling instead and what I thought was water dripped onto my face and clothes. It was gasoline. I felt like we had to get out NOW! Rose held her phone as a torch with a remarkably steady hand and I grappled with the emergency hatch, ripping the cover off and pushing it until it fell open. Rose left first, then an older woman, then me but I had some problems with climbing out but I was relieved to see a flat surface out there and not on the edge of a mountain.

Me and Rose scrambled away from the bus as fast as we could, the shock finally hitting us. We stood with some Peruvians and we all cried into each other's shoulders, freezing cold, as the shock of the event just over-took everyone completely (shock is such a strange thing - I didn't even feel any bodily pain from the crash until the following evening, because of the shock). We heard the screams of a Canadian man trapped under the bus as he fell out the window in the crash, he was riddled with pain and his screams told his story as well as any words I could write here... Eventually, this man was airlifted to Lima and was said to be doing better but we never found out what happened to him, his beautiful girlfriend was so worried and helpless at the hospital (update: we were very very relieved to find out that he survived and wish him and his girlfriend all the best for a swift recovery!).

And so...we waited with no passports, no money, no shoes and no emergency services due to the lack of cell phone reception, it was quite scary. The locals, brave in their mistrust of the police, started to go back into the bus and searched for all they could find to bring back to us - handbags, jumpers, money - as they knew the bus would be looted the next day. Which, of course, is precisely what happened while we were at the hospital and I am very thankful to the Peruvian woman who brought out some of my stuff from the bus although I wish she hadn't effectively risked her safety to do so.

At the hospital about an hour from the crash site, minimal bits of information began to filter through - the bus driver fell asleep at the wheel and was arrested, the bus company CIAL are known for crashes like this, last month the Dr who was treating us saw a terrible CIAL bus crash where everyone died and he has seen "More dead people than alive" from bus crashes in the area, we were very lucky and thankful to be alive and relatively uninjured, if a little traumatised.

If anyone reading this is about to go to Peru for a visit, I believe that it would be best NOT TO USE CIAL BUSES TO TRAVEL ANYWHERE, THEY ARE RENOWNED FOR CRASHES AND ACCIDENTS BECAUSE THEY DON'T CHANGE THEIR DRIVERS ON LONGHAUL JOURNEYS AND THEY DRIVE TOO FAST in my personal opinion. Sometimes you only realise the reputation of some companies after talking to locals, as they have the best idea of what is what, obviously.

In my opinion CIAL are a TERRIBLE COMPANY and are not backpacker or local-friendly and it makes me angry that lots of people (locals & backpackers) seem to have to travel with companies like these, as they are cheap - I think they could put your life in danger and I think they only care about the short-term profits not loss of human life...in fact, their driver ran off straight after the crash leaving everyone behind to fend for themselves and people with broken arms, cuts on their face, black eyes and internal bleeding with no emergency services. They weren't even going to send a replacement bus service to get us out of Pouqio and those that needed it to better equipt hospitals until the British Embassy bullied them into submission on our behalf (thank you!). The whole experience was really quite traumatising for everyone involved I think but thank god that there were no fatalities (to my knowledge) this time around as Peru is well known for having a high number of road accidents and I have read some terrible Peru bus crash stories online since returning home. There seem to be some good bus companies to use in Peru - the best we have found was Cruz del Sur, who are meant to change drivers every four hours and who we found to be quite reliable.

HOWEVER Cruz Del Sur has also had some terrible and fatal bus crashes within the past few years and if you are travelling to Peru, I can only recommend that you do as much research as possible as to the best and safest ways to travel around the country. The standard of driving in Peru is generally very poor and bus drivers seem to have little to no regard about keeping their passengers safe - drink driving can be common on buses, as well as drivers falling asleep on longhaul journeys; drivers also overtake on blind mountain corners (very common) and generally everybody drives VERY FAST, regardless of dangerous weather or roads. The quality of the roads can also be very poor.

---

Some tips I could recommend to backpackers who want to travel around Peru by bus:

- It's advisable to do your research before you go and speak to hostels as well as locals for recommendations on the safest ways to travel and for the most reputable bus companies to travel with

- Before you buy your ticket you could ASK the bus company how often they change their drivers on a single trip, every four hours seems to be the accepted norm in Peru although many do not change their drivers at all on longhaul trips

- It's advisable to AVOID longhaul bus journeys which take place OVER NIGHT wherever possible

- You could use your EYES and take a good look at the bus before it leaves the station...if it has cracks in the windscreen or the emergency hatch covers are already missing in the ceiling, then chances are you are on a bus that has already crashed. It's up to you to decided whether or not you want to stay on the bus then. In general, before the bus leaves you could take a good look at where the emergency hatches, exits and windows are as it could save your life in the event of an accident.

- It's advisable to ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. It seems that the people who are always the worst injured in bus crashes are those that are not wearing their seatbelts (I saw it happen in front of my eyes) or who are injured, sometimes very severely, by others who are not wearing their seat belts bashing into them. In Peru THE LAW IS THAT YOU MUST WEAR YOUR SEATBELT AT ALL TIMES WHILST SITTING ON THE BUS.

- You could TELL the driver to SLOW DOWN ('Despacio!') if you feel they are driving too fast or if you feel uncomfortable with their driving in any way. If they do not slow down I would personally get off the bus at the next suitable stop (i.e. where I knew I would be safe and have somewhere to stay)

- When travelling on a bus, you could keep your passport, travel insurance details and telephone number for your embassy in Peru on your person/very close to your body. This could be helpful as you hopefully would not lose documents that could help you get medical treatment in the event of an accident - for example, my passport & insurance details were in my bag which got lost when the bus overturned, if I had been seriously injured this could have been a MAJOR time waster/problem. One could also take insurance details and passport numbers of any friends/family that you are travelling with (as long as you trust each other!) and put it with your documents, as in the event of an emergency this could also save valuable time - you could also leave a list of these details with someone you trust and would be able to contact at home. You may want to consider keeping a mobile phone near to your person during the journey as well as it could come in very handy in the event of an emergency.

- From what I have heard and read personally, the roads from the Pan American/Lima to Cusco and Arequipa (basically all of the Andes) are well known for bus crashes due to the bad conditions & dangers of the roads, the extreme heights you will be travelling at and often due to speeding or the drivers falling asleep or being drunk at the wheel. Looking back, I would personally have opted to fly to and back from Cusco as it seems to be much safer than getting a bus (although allow time to adjust to the altitude if you fly...or even if you take the bus for that matter!).

- Most importantly, if you are in a bus crash it is advisable to stay calm and it is advisable that you DO NOT LOOK FOR YOUR BELONGINGS, JUST GET OUT OF THE BUS AND AWAY FROM THE CRASH SITE AS SAFELY AND QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE IF YOU CAN, as the bus could still have the potential to explode after a crash. I would also probably expect that belongings will be looted from the crash site (the police can be corrupt) so comprehensive travel insurance is probably a good idea to get before anyone leaves for Peru so that one wouldn't have to worry over trivial things like this during or after the accident. I would not expect the emergency services to arrive, especially if you are in a remote region of the mountains. It is more likely that passengers will have to help each other to safety and wait to be picked up by other passing buses to be taken to safety - again, it could be helpful to be aware of your surroundings/dangers around you if you are in a position where you want to help someone but are afraid for your own safety. You may have to wait hours to be seen by a medical professional and even then you may not be at a hospital that is equipt to deal with your injuries.

- Lastly, it's advisable that you DO NOT THINK THAT IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO YOU...because it still could, no matter how many preventative measures you may take beforehand. Sometimes one needs to accept that travelling can be dangerous and therefore one should prepare for emergencies as much as possible beforehand. If this means spending three days looking for comprehensive medical insurance then it could be a small price to pay for getting help when you may need it most.

DISCLAIMER: The above bullet points are my personal opinions regarding tips and measures that a person could take in case of experiencing a bus crash in Peru and preventative measures that could be taken to help avoid such an experience. I have no expertise in the area and I am writing my opinions down here to share with other backpackers to Peru, out of the kindness of my heart. Therefore I accept no liability for any of the aforementioned points/advice if anyone decides to use the above advice in any way. Taking these steps will not necessarily mean that you WON'T be in a bus crash in Peru, because in my opinion, it basically all comes down to chance anyway. Anything I have mentioned on this blog regarding the Peruvian bus company CIAL Buses is my own personal opinion and a recounting of the events of 13th July 2009 from my personal memories - I accept no liability/damages for anything that is said about the company on this blog because everything I have mentioned about CIAL Buses here comes from my own personal opinion and not from known fact (which can only be proved inside of a court of law). SO IN MY OPINION, THEY ARE ASSHOLES.

---

Thinking about it a couple of months on, I feel much better about the whole experience and it hasn't put me off travelling again in the future - I have learnt a few things along the way which would hopefully help me out if I ever find myself in a sticky situation whilst travelling. It's still a little hard for me to travel in cars, buses and airplanes because sometimes the bumpy motion takes me back to the first few moments of the crash when everyone was screaming, which is the worst part, and it reminds me of other much worse horror stories I have read about bus crashes in Peru on the internet. I'm just SO happy to be alive, moving on and I feel SO LUCKY...also happy that it didn't ruin many of the memories of my trip or the country, because I actually had a great time otherwise, believe it or not.

Luckily, the next part of the trip was safe and enjoyable....we flew to Mancora in the North of Peru and enjoyed the sun, the beach and some good company. We stayed at the Loki hostel which has a nice pool and bar as well as being right next to the beach. The weather was great, the food wasn't so great! Mancora has a sweet little market and a nice feel to it but I can see it becoming a big seaside resort (the buildings are already going up, uh oh) and being ruined by tourists in the not-to-distant-future, especially as you can cross the boarder into Ecuador from there so there are lots of people passing through. I think it's worth going if you want some chill time from travelling for a little while.

Please feel free to email me or leave me a comment if you would like to know more about our trip to Peru or if you have any information regarding the bus crash we were in on the 13th July 2009. Thanks.


x

---

Photos

Second home/inescapable prison
Cusco I love you, you could never bring me down

Comments

[Sam]

The good thing
is that you are still with us.