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Published: October 23rd 2008
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Plaza de la IndependenciaI was incredulous at how empty the bus out of Peru was - just a handful of local people, an elderly couple clearly from the area but with US passports, and one other gringo. There were no queues or hassle at the border and, as the road began to wind back up into the Andes, I pondered what had been a low-key and hopefully auspicious entry into Ecuador.
I wasn't sorry to leave Peru. I felt I'd had to constantly be on my guard there lest some half-truth pass me by, whether it be the existence of hot water in a shower or if the taxi we thought we'd hired was going to turn into a colectivo. I'm at a loss as to what the critical factors are in creating such an environment. I don't think it's related to money, as I'd been through the richest and poorest countries in South America before reaching Peru, and had had no problems in them. And I don't think it's to do with the volume of tourists, as I had similar issues in Vietnam, which receives a fraction of the number of visitors that Peru does. Something to mull over the next time
Door detail
Calle Lourdes it rains. Whatever, Peru has some excellent landscapes, especially the mountains, which merit a visit regardless of any other considerations.
My bus terminated at Loja and, having dozed for most of the trip from the border, this gave me my first glimpse of Ecuador. The country is supposedly poorer than Peru, but that wasn't the impression I got at all. The taxis at the bus station were bright yellow licenced affairs and the road into the centre of town gave me sightings of smartly-painted colonial buildings. My hostal room was impersonal and reeked of air freshener but it was spotless, and a quick evening wander revealed some pretty churches and plazas nearby. The population seemed significantly more ethnically diverse than Peru, with non-tourist European features and even a few black faces in the mix.
It was also intriguing to be using US dollars as currency. The notes are indistinguishable from those issued in the US, but the coinage is a mix of US-minted cents and Ecuador-minted centavos. All through South America I've been accustomed to mentally converting prices to US dollars to see if they're reasonable, but now when I'm confronted with prices in US dollars I find
myself converting them to soles to see if they're comparable to Peru.
I spent a day in Loja doing a modicum of research and idly wandering its neat and compact streets before continuing north.
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