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Published: August 7th 2007
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What a day and deserves lots of swear words. We planned a very long day of travelling as were trying to get to Chiclayo in Peru about 600 km away for a reasonable time.
We were on our first bus at 5am for a 5 hour journey to the border, I hate getting up early for border crossings as you always end up knackered all day and from experience you always need to be very aware as everybody is on the make and trying there best to rip you off. The bus we were on was a decent bus and when we got close to the border the driver stopped at immigration and was nice enough to wait as we were the only gringos on the bus. They usually kick you out and leave you to it and drive off. I was still a bit paranoid waiting for the exit stamp and just waiting for the bus to drive off with our bags. Fortunately we were all sorted and got back on the bus with no problems. Then we arrived at the border and it was pure bedlam we were inundated with people trying to sell us this and that,
Locals selling fruit.
Ingenius,they use long poles to reach the top windows of the bus. The fruit they were selling was called Packi and it was delicious. Locals selling fruit.
Ingenius,they use long poles to reach the top windows of the bus. The fruit they were selling was called Packi and it was delicious.change dollars to Peruvian Soles and also sell us bus tickets to places in Peru.
First up was to get some local money. As usual we only changed the bare minimum, just enough to get us where we our going and then we can always use an ATM, so we only changed 15 pounds worth and then headed in a taxi to the actual border which typically was only a few minutes away and we could of walked it. Once over the border we had to get to the passport office for the entrance stamp and there was no sign of it! We had picked up a few 'friends´ on the way directing us in a number of different places which didn’t help too much. We picked the least dodgy looking which was pretty difficult and then headed with him to his car which he pointed out over the river. A number of dodgy streets later where I was very nervous and just waiting to get robbed we got to his car. We
Peruvian desert
Our first views of Peru! got to his car where we spotted a number of different travellers looking as anxious as us and looked like they were travelling the opposite direction
Peruvian desert
Our first views of Peru!to get to Ecuador. There was lots of shouting and people arguing over prices for taxi rides. Our driver was only charging us a pound to get to the passport office so no problem. The taxi took off to the passport office now with a friend he picked up on the way. We got to the office where I just stayed in the car watching the bags and Michelle got the passports signed. I didn’t even have to show my face! That was a first!
We then headed to the bus station, well so we thought. Then the taxi driver and his friend stopped in the middle of know where and began to renegotiate our price as there are no buses to where we want to go and he will take us in a taxi so we can get the bus we need that leaves at 1pm, it was now 12.30 and we were about 30 mins away from where we needed to be! The lonely planet
fake money!
The real one is the bottom note also said there was a bus at one so it backed them up. They wanted 10 pound for a 35km ride. We just laughed and stated to haggle but they would not
fake money!
The real one is the bottom notego under 7.50 and we were expecting to be paying 3 at the most. They were very pushy and trying there best to intimidate us by saying we can get out here and try and hitch a ride but it is a very dangerous place and we would get robbed. I was getting pissed off as time was crucial, which they were not arsed about we were stuck. Michelle was being sarcastic saying should we get out and get robbed or let you rob us with your stupid prices! As we were waiting and playing chess over the prices I noticed a few police cars and buses went past so thought fuck it we will just try our luck on the road so started to get out of the car. This surprisingly helped in negotiating a price and we got it for 4 pound which is still double the fair price but had little choice, fuckers. We eventually got to
fake money!
The real one is the bottom note! You can clearly see the watermark. Without any money to compare it with its a lot more difficult! Tumbes and after 10 mins of looking found the bus company to get us to Chiclayo which left at 1 pm so at least he was honest with that what he forgot to mention was there was also one every
fake money!
The real one is the bottom note! You can clearly see the watermark. Without any money to compare it with its a lot more difficult!hour!
The few minutes it took to buy our tickets summed up our day. For one the bus prices were double we expected and the Peruvian money we had was counterfeit (we only had two 50 notes worth about 7 pound each)! The fucking money exchangers had done us. It only worked out to be about 14 pound but it was the principal. I have mentioned before that I was surprised that this doesn’t happen more often as you have no idea what the money looks like and it could have any old bloke or women on it and you would be none the wiser. We try and take precautions. We always check for a water mark, foil strip and the feel of it. Problem is they don’t always have the strip and the feel of money is different in each country. Due to this we always take the risk and make sure we change very little. A few things I should of checked. The notes were new as in 'freshly printed´ and the date on them was 2003, there is no way a note after four years would look new but I have never looked at a date before as its in the small print. Saying that I am looking at some money now and they are 3 years old and still look new so there goes that theory. Once we had some 'real´ money we compared the notes and the main difference was the water mark it was a lot clearer in on the real ones and they felt a bit different as in more paper like but apart from that we would never know. Just have to hope for better luck in the future!
We finally arrived in Chiclayo 8 hours later tired hungry and pissed off. We asked the hotel to look at our monopoly money and they could tell they were fake but one of the notes were a lot better than the other and struggled to tell the difference. They were saying there is a lot of counterfeit money and it’s something you get used to and never change with money exchangers.
We bumped into a few travellers and looked on stories on Travel blog and the same has also happened to a few other people and a lot worse. Quite a lot of stories of people having to pay about 10 pound to leave the car park we were in, using the old chestnut of its an exit stamp charge and sometimes the guys in the car park getting a bit violent. Maybe that’s what the other travellers were arguing about. In the end it looks like we got off lightly! I usually like the hassle of border crossing, but Michelle hates them, I think I might start changing my mind if the last one is anything to go by!
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