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The Group
Leaving Ecuador Sun 4th May
We´re in Peru, but we´re not really officially here. We haven´t had our passports stamped. We left Ecuador and have now disappeared. We met our new guide who hadn´t realised we hadn´t had our passports stamped and it was only about 40 minutes into the bus journey to Mancora that he noticed. Hopefully we´ll go back in a day or two or we´ll have trouble trying to get in to Bolivia!!
Our first experience of Peru was heat, dust and brown earth. So different here to the lush greens of Ecuador. We´re in a coastal town called Mancora where apparently it hardly ever rains.
The first introduction to Peruvian transport was interesting. How many people can you fit in a 12 seater van?
Apparently 19 plus all their backpacks. It was not pleasant particularly in the heat. The seats are also designed for Peruvians not westerners so they are small and have little leg room. We had four squashed into the back seat that should really seat three, then three more people sitting on each other´s knees in the aisle, then the rest in seats, plus two more sitting on the rucksacks and the guide
and a local squashed by the door, plus three in the front seat. It was interesting and for nearly 2 hours not very comfortable. Apparently because we were an hour late at customs our bigger bus had left!!
The smells as we were driving along were pretty disgusting too. There are apparently quite a few dead animals just left lying around until the vultures clean them up so in the heat it absolutely stank as we were driving along. If that wasn´t bad enough we´d drive passed shrimp farms which smelt foul as well. Finally got to the seaside though and to our lovely little lodges - Kimbas Bungalows. They are really nice although situated right next to the Transamerican Highway so it´s quite strange hearing lots of massive lorries thundering passed. The lodge is only about 500metres from the beach (you have to walk under the highway).
Mon 5th May
Mancora has a bit of a surfy feel to it. Apparently it´s the wrong time of year for proper surfing but some of the group had a go. Raoul our new guide is a surf instructor so he gave people a lesson. I´m afraid I wimped out
- but purely because I wanted to watch the others and take photos!!! Yes, a poor excuse!
Peruvian Money
I took out some Soles from the bank and they were all in 100´s. It seems impossible to use big notes in any town here. No one accepts it and no one has small change. We went to the bank to get some money and even they struggled to change it all. Very frustrating.
The rest of monday was spent chilling out by the beach and eating and drinking. Great to have a bit of time off. Our rooms have hammocks too so it was really nice.
Also we heard some shots near the restaurant when we had lunch. Then a police car with 5 policemen and guns drove sedately away. They had been trying to catch a wanted criminal who´d escaped them two times before. They didn´t catch him that time either. Raoul said it was probably because they were drunk and couldn´t be bothered - it´s all happening here!
Tues 6th May
We´re now officially in Peru. Yesterday involved another long van ride back to the border (this time without luggage so a bit
more comfortable) to get our passports stamped. We arrived only to be told by the officials that we´d have to go back to the Ecuadorian side to get restamped there as we didn´t have the right date on our passport. Raoul had a quick chat to the officials and he ended up paying a regularisation fee (definitely not a bribe!) to allow us to get our passports stamped. Thankfully they accepted that and I now have a stamp in my passport. However, one of the people on the trip who is typically there for the duration is a little bit away with the fairies. She didn´t even get her passport stamped for her to exit Ecuador so we nearly had to go back to the border anyway - luckily she made it through but it could only have been her! She doesn´t try to learn spanish either - just speaks more loudly- oh well!
After that excitement we headed to some mangroves to see the birds and the mangroves. We were taken out by boat and had a few islands pointed out to us. Love Island - we were told that whenever two people go there, three people come
back. We decided that wasn´t surprising as there didn´t seem to be much to do there! Bird Island - full of birds! We were told it was great to get off the boat and walk on to bird island to see some of the birds nests etc. That was an experience. Stepping off the boat with no shoes on into disgusting mud that was full of little shells and sharp sticks that you couldn´t see was a little painful. We wandered on to the island - well slipped and slidded and wobbled - and the stink was disgusting. We were walking through god knows how much bird shit and we were having to avoid either being shat on or slipping over. Not a time to lose concentration. It was pretty interesting though and we spotted people underneath the mangroves collecting clams and muscles - they were nearly camoflauged in the undergrowth. The guys in the boats then called to us urgently to get back on the boats. The tide was coming in pretty quickly and we had to wade back to the boats again trying not to slip over with water to just below our bums! An experience. I didn´t
get shat on though which was a relief - definitely would have felt it - they were big birds!
We then made our way to a fisherman´s house for lunch. Fresh tuna sandwiches. Yes I ate it and yes it was good. In fact since being in Mancora I´ve had fish nearly every meal including Ceviche which is raw fish marinated in lime juice with red onions and coriander. Really good. Doesn´t mean I´ll be a fish addict when I get back but it´s so fresh here!
We´re off to another town tonight and have a full overnight bus journey to contend with which should be an experience. Hopefully I won´t be stuck next to some screaming child.
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Bryan
non-member comment
Hey Georgie, great blog! I am very jealous about your daily adventures. But, they offer a nice break from the office! Keep them coming!