Day 93 - Our last bus journey in the Northern Hemisphere

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Up early to get to the bus station in good time. We'd done our homework and checked out the various bus companies' windows around the edge of the terminal building, and we'd picked a bus for our trip to Ipiales, a small town on the Colombia / Ecuador border. They weren't selling advance tickets though, so that's why we got there early.

Anyway, when we got there it turned out that the bus we wanted mysteriously didn't exist. Either the bus company's staff don't really know what they're talking about, or our Spanish remains vulnerable to misunderstandings; we're going for the former explanation.

The journey was uncomfortable (see photo) and, frankly, quite scary. But we won't dwell on that topic. But the scenery was somehow able to hold our attention and stop us from falling asleep.

The bus felt like it was going fast, but we were making very slow progress - probably averaging less than 25mph (that's roughly Rob's cycling speed). Despite the early start and the relatively short distance, it was dark when we arrived. We checked into Hotel Belmonte at GBP2 for the room (a 6 month stay would be 1 night at Loch Torridon!), which with hindsight was a fair price. Although it's a very friendly place, the bed was without doubt the worst we've had in our 90-something days so far.

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