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Published: December 9th 2009
PC060229
Such a comfortable seat....So I wrote my last entry not too long ago. In the last entry, I was heading to Copacabana the following day. I made sure on this holiday that everything was flexible as I wanted to be able to change plans at my will... and so I did. I write this blog as I too read the warning in Lonely Planet about night buses in Peru regularly going off the side of the road but payed it off as "it would never happened to me." So I want to reinforce the warning, and highlight the lack of help and care from local people on the side of the road (the locals at the hospital and airports were far more accomodating... thanks).
It started out with a lot of talk about all border crossings to Bolivia being closed off because of the Bolivian elections. With this in mind and a number of people telling me they had rather enjoyed Puno, I decided instead to catch a night bus to Puno, wait there the day (and see lake titicaca islands that day) before making a border crossing to Bolivia the next day, alas it was not to be.
The Bus Lucky
Had we gone off the road 10m later, the drainage wall would have made us roll.... so lucky I boarded my bus in Cusco at 10pm a little skeptical about what the sales person had told me regarding the quality of seat, but when I got on I was stoked, full cama (entirely declines to a bed so easy to sleep.) I had the front row in first class for the princely sum of 45 soles (about $US15). This meant in front of me was a glass window that looked into the side entry and stair well up to second class and the toilet door. A little extra leg room, beauty! So I settled in to what I expected to be an easy bus ride. As soon as we left the station, the doors opened and a whole bunch of locals flooded into the upstairs (I was down stairs first class) and filling the aisle and stuff. One lady couldn't get a seat and was asking to sit in a spare seat in first class to which the driver refused. In the end, the driver offered her a spare seat in the drivers cabin. We made a few stops and I woke a couple of times to see people come and go, the last time I woke was
PC060235
........ about midnight and luckily it looked like enough people had cleared off the bus so at least no one was sitting in the stair well.
The accident At about 3.30am, the whole bus (and I assume the driver too) were suddenly awaken by the bus bouncing around alot. My first thought was actually that we were going on some really rough unsealed road (ah, so naive is my mind!) But that rapidly changed when i found myself now lying in the stair well with broken glass all over me. We had veared from the right side of the road, across the left lane, down a sharp embankment and stopped teatering on the edge of the lake by running head on into a drainage wall. The driver? Escaped, no where to be seen!
The aftermath As everyone began to leave the bus I gathered my stuff and made for the exit. Threw my carry on bag next to the road and gave people a hand getting up the embankment (at this stage my should felt fine!) Finally, it seemed everyone was out of the bus so I thought it best to grab a couple of snaps for insurance etc... Some passing buses by this stage had stopped and were asking if anyone needed a lift to the next town, for the oh so kind once only cheap fare of 3soles. Thanks for the humanity in helping. A lot of locals couldnt afford this and we were all still in shock, I don't think too many people took up the offer at this stage as the bus drivers got impatient and left.
We slowly pulled out the luggage from the cargo hold and sat, waving vehicles down. Most wouldn't stop but the few that did took women and children off. Meanwhile, we also found the lady who sat up front dead, still in her seat. none of the locals who knew about it caring at all.......
Eventually, we waved another bus to down which took a few of us to Puno for 5 soles. My saviours that i just met, esmeralda and Luis, acted as my interpreters whilst i had x-rays and had the cheapest medical assistance ever, just byo toilet paper and drugs and any consumables to the hospital. Thank god to you two, i dare not imagine how i would have gone on my own.
Now i sit back in australia after a rushed bus ride and flights back, missing 5 of my 7 weeks of the dream holiday just lucky to be alive..... others weren't so lucky. The only reason i write this is to pass on the warning that I ignored in Lonely Planet, night buses in Peru are dangerous. Select carefully and reconsider the necessity to travel by night, it may not be worth it!
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