Advertisement
Published: July 20th 2010
Edit Blog Post
So Iv just arrived in Colombia (all good so far, very friendly people and even more importantly, some very fit guys!). Mission Get To Colombia As Fast As You Can has been completed and I am here for pretty much the last 4 weeks of my trip (when I get a flight to Buenos Aires for 2 days before home) so thats exciting. The initial plan was just to get a bus straight through to Quito and then to Colombia, but Im really happy I decided not to. I didnt stop much, but the two stops, at Cuenca and then at Baños were amazing and Iv got some great first impressions of Ecuador.
My last 2 buses in Peru involved me being hassled a lot by some disgusting guys so that meant I didnt leave on the best note! Being a girl is usually enough to get comments, being a gringa even more so, and a gringa travelling alone? Well that opportunity is way too much for most machismo guys to miss! lol. But normally its harmless and as long as you just ignore the comments without denting their rediculously sized egos then alls good. The last couple of buses
Huanchaco
These are the boats the local fisherman use I for some reason managed to attract the even more annoying ones which luckily hasnt then happened again since leaving Peru. I dont necessarily think the machismo in Peru is that different to other Latin American countries, but maybe the high indiginous population (basically meaning I stand out big style) combined with the increased tourism (in many countries leading to an increased lack of respect for annoying tourists) probably dont make the ride any easier for many girls travelling solo. Especially girls like me who dont always just want to hang out in Gringo bars and not venture outside the tourist trail and designated tourist buses!
I would like to say though that normally the attention is well intentioned, and the vast vast vast majority of people are generally protective of me and really eager to try and help me, which is lovely. I would like to think travellers would get the same response in the UK (though im not convinced!) but most people Iv encountered are really very helpful to me.
The further north I have gone though through Ecuador and now Colombia, the more mixed the population has become so although never managing to blend in properly, I
attract slightly less attention than in Bolivia and Peru! I even waited at a bus station for 3 hours this morning without anyone trying to start a conversation with me, or try to "help" me! Lol.
My first Ecuador stop was Cuenca. This was a logical first stop as I had taken the border of Loja and Piura which is slightly more inland because I had heard so many bad stories about the other at Tumbes (some people I met in Quito actually got their bus hijacked after changing buses at Tumbes so despite how rare this is, Im still quite glad I steered clear).
Cuenca was beautiful though 😊. It was one of the only places I have stopped where it just made me feel like I could want to live there! As in most cities, there was a central plaza and cathedral- this cathedral though had some massive domes on top and was unlike any other i had seen. There was a beautiful river running alongside the city and as a whole,the people have been some of the friendliest I have met 😊. Apart from the upsetting lack of Diet Coke in the city (I know, Mental!)
and also the midnight mouse visiter in my bedroom, I had a lovely day there. I also visited the museum which was really interesting, and they had a big collection of shrunken heads. An indiginous tribe in the Amazon do this as a way of ceremony and preservation, but use sloths as practice 😞. This practice is illegal now, but they are still allowed to do it to sloths which is quite upsetting.
Next stop was a town called Baños. After the drivers dropping me on the side of the motorway to catch another bus (hate it when they do that!) I made it there for a few days of relaxing. Cos an 8 month holiday is pretty stressful you know! lol
Baños was tourist central, for both Ecuadorians and Gringos, which meant that my relaxing visit to the hot springs was actually the most unrelaxing thing in the world, cos you know how much I love screaming children and about 30 people being crammed into one small pool?! I had a fun night out there dancing salsa and also went on a bike ride to find waterfalls which I loved so had a great time there having fun
which was nice.
Normally I find the cheapest guesthouses (hence the mouse episode) and ignore Lonely Planet and other websites cos you end up being crammed with other travellers for more money, but it does lesson your chances of meeting other like minded travellers. So Baños and Quito I decided to pay a bit more and meet some other people for a bit which meant I have spent a fortune but have had a really good time. Quito, I had heard SO MANY horror stories about. It seemed everyone I spoke to had been mugged or pickpockedted there, but I got through unscathed luckily. There were some beautiful viewpoints around Quito as it is quite high (altitude of aobut 3000m) and with some beautiful hills and volcanoes around. I also went for a visit to Mitad del Mundo (the equator line) which couldnt really be missed! As we went on a Sunday too, there was a live band playing on the equator which was fun. Although there are rumours that it may be a few meters off the actual line, which I think is excusable seeing as they established the monument and point in 1736, it was still really
Rope swing
You could jump (like a bungee but its not bouncy) and swing between bridges- the pink person dangling is my friend. I was too scared! cool 😊.
Heading across the border to Colombia was ok, after saying goodbye to my Quito mates, and I got a couple of buses. Im never a big fan of crossing borders alone, but the border police were very friendly (no bribes or drug searches) and I have met some lovely (and beautiful) people so far so good first day for Colombia! Also it is apparently Colombias independance day so looking forward to the celebrations tonight! 😊 x
Advertisement
Tot: 0.088s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 10; qc: 47; dbt: 0.0501s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb