From Relaxation to a Rough Road - Sorry Stace - Chapter 1

After 7 days in the wonderful Valley of Longevity in Vilcabamba, Ecuador I felt it was time to go. We had extended our stay from 3 nights to 7, but Stacy was happy here. We talked a lot about it and she seemed happy to go after day 7. It turned out, she was not quite ready to hit the road. So, we compromised. She really wanted to stay in Vilcabamba, Ecuador (it was a great town and a great country!) but I was restless. We decided to head to Peru, but not to the jungle as I initially had hoped.

We had no clue really where, except to get over the border to a large town called Piura (pronounced Pee-ura). It was a wild ride. The overnight $8 bus ride was halted at 3am due to a rumba on the road. A rockslide! It had rained a bit the day before (ayer in espanol) We waited and waited, then I got out with others with my headlamp to check it out. Couldn´t see much but we could hear the frequent cracking and sliding sounds of rock and dirt. Frequent I tell you! I got back in the bus and we all slept there (a few others buses lined up in front of and behind us too). A
t 7am, I was up and curious. I walked over people sleeping in the bus aisle (they oversold the thing - shocker!) and saw the problem. We had serious road blockage and the cracking and spilling continued. I watched with dozens of others as a second rumba began closer than the other. Trees were sliding down with the dirt and rock. I had never seen such a thing. Stacy slept but I was in awe and enjoyed the wackiness. I was not sure how we were going to get to Peru and I really wanted my wife happy. Unfortuantely, this would not be the way to her heart. Waiting on a bus, no shower, not sure where or when we were going. The stars were not aligned for me these last few hours.

I explored our options by walking around the rumba in the thcket of bramble, trees and bushes, past a smellt bano (I did use it though) and up a small hill. I tried to keep my distance from the spillage but a few times I was maybe 20M away. On the other side were a few pickup trucks, taking advantage of the opportunity and the stranded people. I chatted with a few and for $10/vehicle (Ecuador uses the US$$ by the way), we could get a hitch to the border town of Macara 90 minutos away. As I spoke with them, the cracking became intense and the rockslide suddenly tripled in size and came flowing down the mountain sending a plumage of dust toward te hworkers who had begun to shovel away the mess. That was intense. Luckily no one, including me was hurt! I walked back to the buses and told Stacy the news. After her fright of losing me under a barrage of rubble subsided we were grabbing our backpacks (mochilas) and heading by foot toward and past the rumba. An argentinian couple followed, along with a number of others.

We loaded in a pickup and for $1.50 each we weredriving through the intense fog southbound toward the border (frontera). A nice conversation ensued with the Argentinian woman who was 7 months prego and who had been traveling with her husband since August (you do the math! thats daring.). We got to the border, the unorthodox way and met with rather pleasant officers with big smiles.
We were stamped and checked and soon, with the Argentinians, in another car (coche) heading to Sullana. Not Piura, but close. 2 hours later we arrived in the moto-taxi frenzied town and were dropped at t ehfeet of a sleeping local in a camry. He would take us to Piura. Really? It was a little bit rushed and uncomfortable, especially for Stacy, but what other choice did we have? The bus station was dangerous we were told (that´s what we hear about everywhere and we are still breathing!). We gave in and for 8 soles (1 soles = $0.30US) each we got a 45 minute ride to Piura.

Piura was a large town. The 4 of us had decided to be dropped near a cluster of hostels we´d seen in our trusty Lonely Planet guide book. Still, Stacy and I did not know what we were going to do...Stay the night? Go to the jungle? Take a bus today top somewhere? I had figured to head south into the Peruvian Andres to find a nice mountain lodge for a week or so to give Stacy the R&R she wanted. Now, she said we could go to the jungle if I wanted. I was going a bit loco. She was defintiely having a difficult time with all of this travel and leaving the comfort of our Vilcabamba santuary. I understand that. It was nice. But the difference between man and woman (hombre y mujer) was coming out. I was looking for solutions and she was simply going through her emotions at that time. We ended up finding Hostal San Carlos in Piura central for 45 soles. Not sure what we are going to do, but maybe taking some time to sit, rest and think will do us good. Oh, and a shower wouldn´t hurt either! We worked out some differences and hit the streets for a tasty Almuerzo (lunch) at a locals joint. Then we dove into the Internet recon program. Huaraz in the Andes became our focus and Stacy seemed to be getting into it as she read more and more. We were sitting at 2 computers in a tight corner of the place - really tight. So tight I was using my canine teeth to hit the Return key. We decided to go to head toward Huaraz, to the snow-capped peaks and maybe a little chill in the air. When or how we´d get there we were guessing, buses of course...

We walked to the street lined with bus companies (In Peru, there tends not to be a central station. Instead all of the private companies have their own locations. Luckily here they were all along one road). We bought 2 tickets to Trujillo in the south for 12 midnight (medianoche) tonight. Let´s just keep on keeping on we decided.

We shopped for groceries and again found PEANUT BUTTER! and the motherlode of wine! We stocked up and then rested until it was time to leave for our bus. We watched english TV in our matchbox of a room and recouped. The El Dorado bus trip south was a pleasure and we slept hard, arriving in Trujillo, 6 hours away, in what seemed to be 30 minutes! We were on our way. Now what?

And the story will continue ( a guy is painting the ceiling in our hostals so I will need to get going)...