Mancora-Guayaquil

1033 At Cruz del Sur terminal. Didn't want to get up, bit tired, but dragged myself out of bed after much snoozing about 935. I did actually wake up by myself about 7.

Anyway, packed (had left clothes line up in bathroom overnight, incidentally I hadn't used it for months but - perhaps duh - it does seem to help compared to draping clothes, esp underwear, eg over shower railing) and got out of hotel OK. Naturally convinced myself I had lost way to CdS terminal despite having been there other day and it being on main drag. Absolutely boiling weather, and I am wearing the short-sleeved (non T-)shirt and I wonder if it's warmer than a T-shirt, though I may be imagining it. Been up and down main drag about three times:
- to terminal to check bag in
- down street to find cash machine to withdraw USD so I don't have to worry about getting cash at terminal in scary Guayaquil
- back up street trying to find somewhere to eat, torn by prospect of sit down meal but with maybe 50 mins to go til departure didn't seem on, struggled, eventually got some crisps and wafers
- then back out briefly to get some cold coke zero

Every cash machine in Peru offers USD but til now never saw point, still can't see away from border areas. I don't think they have an Argentinian style economy. Though there may be a slight parallel dollar economy and I note a lot of my bookings have been quoted in USD. Anyway, naturally the first two I tried didn't work - the second, the usually reliable GlobalNet, offered me a selection of dollar amounts, I chose 140 (careful not to select a multiple of 100 lest I get only big bills) and it then asked me to type in an amount which was a multiple of 20 or 100. I must not have been keeping up with modern mathematics, because apparently 80, 140 and 100 are no longer multiples of 20 or 100. Anyway, the third machine worked and I got 140, all in 20s as it turned out. Not enough to pay hotel bill in Guayaquil but a fair chunk for any emergencies en route, I could have maybe got eg 240 but seemed unnecessarily risky to carry more than I need. Anyway, the main thing is to avoid rendering myself unnecessarily vulnerable which I have my main bag with me instead of safely at the hotel.

I had to lug my daypack round with me for the above excursions. Thanks to the CdS rule about no laptops in checked baggage and my litre of water it weighs quite a lot. The main bag seemed heavy on brief walk from hotel to terminal, even though I am making sure not to lug around excess water (if I have some I discard it), maybe it's just the heat. It's OK in the shade with a breeze but out in full sun it's oppressive.

Main drag is annoying if not actually difficult to cross as there is a steady stream of tuktuks (do they call them mototaxis here?) in both directions. Fortunately they are slowish enough you can nip across when they're relatively close; I do wonder if it's actually a bit dangerous though, esp with the bright sun in eyes. (For the nth time, pisses me off I can't wear sunglasses due to needing prescription glasses and I am definitely getting some photochromatic lenses next time unless for some reason that's imposible with my prescription. I may even splurge on a pair when back in the UK even though I only got this current pair of glasses about 6-12 months ago, last summer I took to wearing clip-ons - sun often in eyes as walked home - but they're not as good and a fragile nuisance to carry around when not using, which is the main reason - at least in UK I had a jacket and could keep them in inside pocket, here I don't typically so the fragility is even more problematic - I don't even have any clip-ons with me.)

1114 Haven't been bothered much by touts on street here, despite what Wikitravel suggested. Maybe they can tell I survived Delhi and go for easier meat. :-) More likely I just haven't spent huge amounts of time on the street here in Mancora proper.

Bus not here yet but I believe it starts from Trujillo so being 9 mins late would hardly be astounding. I think the woman at the counter said 1120ish when I checked my bag in earlier. (CdS are supposed to do GPS tracking of their buses, so it is plausible she had some information about when it might arrive.)

Obviously a touch uncomfortable about border but in reality it should be fine. Several other Western-looking tourists loitering about waiting area who are almost certainly going on same bus. (Mancora is a bit of an anomaly, I think. It's a very small place but because of its tourist importance it gets a lot of buses stopping here. I suppose being on the Panamericana helps.) Am glad I have some USD, if some terrible series of accidents leaves me stranded at the border at least I have money.

I have the usual 'how the fuck?' itchy mosquito bites on my ankles (nowhere else yet). (Usual story: my ankles are only uncovered when I'm in my hotel room in bed etc, since I always wear socks when out, at which point large swathes of my body are equally uncovered and some - eg arms - are far less protected by bedclothes than are my ankles. So how the fuck do I get bitten on the ankles more than anywhere else? Unless I have some strange latent allergy which flares up only on ankles and I just misattribute it to mosquitoes.)

1122 I was feeling a bit of a nerd standing here writing all this - writing so much because bored, of course - then I looked round and 4 out of the 6 people I can see are all fiddling with tablets or phones. An oldish couple aren't. I can see a certain argument it's better to be "living in the moment" but this is a pretty boring moment. I don't think I overdo the phone use really.

1347 Tumbes. Totally fucking incomprehensible announcement. Thirty minutes. Tranquillamente. Thanks for our cooperation. Absolutely no fucking idea. Might as well have been in Swahili. I've taken my headphones off and shoved them in my pocket, I guess I just have to wait and see what everyone else does. We were given immigration forms not long after getting on so I have those in my pocket ready, there is nothing I can possibly do to prepare so it's just a question of following the crowd when we stop, wherever that might be.

1412 I infer this is just a non-immigration related break perhaps to restock bus. Got off eventually as lot of other people did. We are just in some garagey area. Went for slash, just as about to go we got told to get back on bus, obviously fearing the bus was literally about go had to return. That was maybe ten minutes ago. We haven't moved since. Not busting and is bog on bus but they're now serving lunch. Annoying. Actually fuck it, I might pop downstairs and see if bus bog free.

1502 By sheer chance just noticed we drove under a sign saying welcome to Ecuador. Given we have immigration paperwork I assume we are going to stop somewhere soonish. Hopefully the Peruvian authorities will stamp my passport there too, though I suppose that is less worrying although if I don't have the little slip of paper in I just might get flagged up next time I try to enter Peru.

1534 OK, that was painless if slow. We are at some fairly clean modern building, bus parked outside, queue (long, I was near front) to get stamped out of Peru then go to a bit further along same desk to get stamped into Ecuador. Waiting outside now, bus seems shut off. Woman asked if was first time visiting Ecuador, had to get here to repeat it but did manage the language. I said I was staying about three weeks (in reality nearer two but didn't want to risk problems) and I have a 30 day stamp.

Poster on side of her desk for someone wanted, showing - honestly - a reward (recompensa, no?) of 0.25 soles or $0.10. I couldn't quite read what he did, something to do with a woman or women but he may well have skipped out on his alimony payments rather than murdered anyone. Maybe it's a standard feature that they have to offer a token reward. Who knows? Could swear I read it correctly.

Oh, did note the signs behind the desks said 'Salida *del* Peru' (not de) and 'Entrada (IIRC) *al* Ecuador' (not a).

Maybe guide book is wrong/out of date, or maybe when it makes the border crossing sound difficult it is referring only to DIY with ad-hoc transport by taxi or minibus just across the border. I would guess any long-distance bus would stop here just as we have. OSMAnd suggests we are in/just outside the SE corner of Huaquillas, on a little 'layby' just west of junction with E50.

1603 Bored. Still waiting to get back on bus. Have written name & address of hotel on back of a cash machine receipt so I can hand it to cab drivers at terminal (there'd better be some, should be), I think I can pronounce name of street but better safe than sorry, also the name of the hotel is dead short, not afaict a Spanish word and contains the English phrase "Bed & Breakfast", none of which encourage me when trying to convey the name of the place in Spanish to a presumably non-English speaking taxi driver.

Oh, I was at An'Anasha (sp, can't find email) in Mancora. Quite nice room, hot shower but wifi a bit ropey at least on my phone in room (better on laptop though).

1626 Still waiting. Guide book says Guayaquil not so dangerous that paranoia needed and no warnings re taxi dangers except overcharging. Read F&CO website last night, am sure it said was a risk but it all runs together in my mind, some of what I read probably applied more to Quito. Frankly I think I have little option but to risk it from the bus terminal. I rather hope walking will be safe once I am there, but will take advice from hotel and reread F&CO. Obviously F&CO can be more up to date than guidebook but still.

So it's been at least an hour now. I can see the bus is *not* being torn apart by customs or narcotics officers, so can we really still be waiting for the immigration queue? Could it be someone is having major difficulties? Fk knows.

1700 Back on bus.

1702 And we're off.

1711 Ooh, we seem to have pulled up at some sort of customs checkpoint. So far no obvious need for us to get off, let's see. Better take headphones off again just in case.

1716 Three soldiers came upstairs presumably to have a look round. Two people summoned off by name (odd since presumably staff know who is sat where), I have no idea if this is a random spot check or there's something wrong with their checked baggage or something altogether different.

1731 OK, we are moving again. I think it's at least 150km more (straight line distance) from here so probably a good two hours at least to Guayaquil, so I expect it will be dark when we arrive.

2235 At hotel, got here maybe 15 mins ago. We got into Guayaquil about 2130, luggage unloading consisted of us all stood round the boot while the chap called out individual items of luggage. Fucking useless US plug adaptor is playing up worse than ever and struggling to get phone to charge. Went to KFC at bus terminal as was feeling bit hungry and it was already so late didn't fancy trying to get food near hotel. Was going to go to McDonald's but they refused to do me a plain hamburger. Got taxi at rank no trouble and though guy dropped me - not sure if he insisted or I did - at corner not directly outside hotel all OK. Bit jittery on street, it looks a bit run down but not too bad, was bit deserted, this is supposed to be goodish area though. As clued up by tripadvisor access is via nondescript staircase but since I was warned it didn't faze me. Room large, bit spartan but OK and aircon works and wifi borderline on phone but at least enough for email. Fucking sick to death of this fucking US plug adapter. The round pin one sucks a bit but this one is unreliable as fuck.

Paid USD40 at hotel, guy said I only had to pay for one night but I said I didn't need change, no point faffing with fractional amounts as long as I pay right amount in total, main thing is didn't have to go out for cash. Prob safe but as per earlier mixed messages from F&CO and guidebook.

2310 In dithery mood. Guy at desk still has my passport, I'd rather they kept it but don't want to shower lest he suddenly come back. Anyway. Taxi (had read about this on F&CO site) has sign on back of driver's seat which was hard to read in dark but said for your security you were being filmed (audio and video) and indeed there were two cameras ringed with red LEDs (presumably illumination). Sign also said is an alarm button you have to press for two seconds continuously, though in dark I couldn't see it. Lots of cops at bus terminal too, and saw one sat in chair in street block or two from hotel. Not sure if this all makes me feel safe or I wonder how bad it is/was for all this to be needed. Then again, I'm sure it won't be long before UK cabs are required by law to film customers as part of the War On Terrorism.

0038 Bed. Wrote a paragraph but shitty phone UI whereby accidentally swiping onscreen keyboard with text highlighted replaces that text with what you accidentally typed with no undo lost it, so fuck that.