ALL BUSES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

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ALL BUSES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL



Puerto Lopez Bus to Guayaquil Bus Station

Transfer to Guayaquil International Airport



Place: My room in Alcazaba in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador.

Activity: Purchase a ticket to fly to Buenos Aires



I bought my airline ticket to Buenos Aires this morning. I wasn’t sure what day I would travel but as I perused the web sites I learned that the cheapest day to fly was tomorrow, so I sat down at the computer at nine a.m. to purchase a ticket. I didn't confirmation until noon. I looked at many ticket sites and chose the cheapest most direct route…twice. A message would come on the screen saying I had made a wise choice and once I filled in all the required information and my payment plans a message would come up saying that price was sold out – click here for just two hundred dollars more. The second time this occurred I was tempted to accept the higher price just to be finished with the purchase, but I persevered and finally got a ticket for tomorrow morning. It was only one hundred dollars more than my first and second choices.



While waiting for the confirmation I was busy packing my bags (I really hadn’t planned to leave today; check-out is at eleven). Then I took a shower and laid out a change of clothes since I would be waiting at the airport for almost twelve hours, and the flight, with layover is just under twelve hours. A full twenty four hours total travel time.



Travel isn’t easy.



I took my luggage down to the lobby (no elevator and many stairs) and paid my last bill at Alcazaba Hostel. My favorite people, owners Maria and Osvald, were not there, but the lobby is managed by equally nice family members. I caught a moto to the bus station and bought a ticket to Guayaquil. I was hoping for a late night bus but the last one leaves at five p.m.



Ticket in hand I caught yet another cab and went to my favorite restaurant down on the beach for breakfast. It was two p.m. I planned to do a little shopping, but just had time for a fairly leisurely breakfast, then went to the cash machine. I went in the bank at about 3:30 p.m. and half the town was there, in line. In fifteen minutes maybe three people were helped. I had half an hour to get back to the hostel, get my luggage and get to the bus terminal. While I was waiting for my turn a woman lifted the queue tapes and stepped in front of me??? I waited five minutes more, then stepped out of line and went to a window and asked if I could change my twenties from the cash machine, for hundreds. Unfortunately the woman did not speak English and didn’t even try to understand what I was asking. I decided to wait till I got to the airport to exchange the denominations (hundreds are less bulky).



I caught a cab and went back to the hotel to pick up my luggage. Still no Maria. I wanted to say goodbye and thank her for the Spanish Lessons. I carried my luggage to the cab and we went to the station.



This bus was not near as nice as the one I came in on. It was dark, dingy, and uncomfortable. But I closed the drafty window behind me and slept for part of the four hour trip. I arrived in Guayaquil at nine p.m. This bus station is even bigger than the one in Quito…long intersecting hallways, dozens and dozens of ticket windows, buses pulling out almost continually. There are fast food restaurants, shoe stores, and kiosks of every kind.



Just inside the entrance there was a fresh juice kiosk with a grill cheese special for $2. I had to stand there to eat it because I cannot carry a beverage and sandwich and push my bags. Then I saw Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonalds, the first I have seen in Ecuador. Later, maybe.



I talked briefly with a young Finnish woman, “Are there restrooms on the first floor?” All the signs pointed upstairs. What to do with my luggage while using the loo, is one of the big dilemmas of travel. There were restrooms on the main floor, and the stalls were big enough to squeeze all the luggage in with me. I felt like I had wrestled an alligator by the time I dried my hands and exited the facility.



Then I caught a taxi to the airport. In the airport I found the Information booth and an English speaking attendant. That was great. I was able to get directions to Departures and the time to arrive at the ticket counter to get my boarding pass. So now I must just try to stay awake, eventually get some tea and use the restaurant’s Wi-fi. I still needed to book a hotel in Buenos Aires. This always takes more time than I think it will, but at last I booked three nights at La Boheme. It looks like a quaint little place. It has style.



I skyped Michael and we talked for a while. Then I curled up on a banquette in a closed restaurant and tried to sleep. The airport was a crescendo of noise. Michael thought Departures might be quieter than Arrivals so I went upstairs. It was like being caught in a car in a hail storm. You couldn’t hear yourself think, and there wasn’t a single chair on the entire floor. Someone saw me standing indecisively and asked if I was flying Copa Airlines. I said yes, and they pointed me to a short line. When I got to the counter the pleasant young woman said I was an hour too early, and to come back at 5:30 a.m. so I went back downstairs and stretched out on a bench again. I was tired, and couldn’t sleep, but things were still going as planned. Soon I would get my boarding pass, and two hours later I would be on my way to Buenos Aires, with a five hour lay-over in Panama.



It turned out I was overly optimistic.

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Photos

Motos in Rows
Outside the Puerto Lopez bus station.

Puerto Lopez Bus Station
Less threatening in the daylight.

Guyaquil Bus Station
The halls branch out N, S, E, and W. It seems like they go on forever.

Another view of the Bus Station
On the way to the taxis. Short trip to the Guayaquil Airport.