Lima, Peru June 2008

In Lima, we stayed in the Miraflores area. It is quite beautiful here, although much of the rest of Lima is not. They hang glide off the cliffs over the beach. Quite exciting to see.

Great to see, from the safety of terra firma!

Lots of surfing going on too.

More fun!

So, from here we flew home to Vancouver! Stay tuned for our travels when we return to Ecuador in October!

Cuenca Ecuador to Lima Peru, June 2008

On our last leg of our trip to Lima, we picked up another "direct bus" to make our way to the Ecuador/Peru border crossing. Little did we know what was in store for us! This little herd of goats was right outside the bus terminal, in the middle of town.

As the taxi drivers wait for a fare, they move their taxis forward in line...manually.

While not flattering outfits for women who are a little plump, the clothing certainly makes for attractive photos.

Some shoeshine boys, breaking for a game of marbles. Must be difficult to play on the brick surface!

Yet another unlucky pig at one of the roadside feed stations along our route. The bus would stop long enough for people to get a bite.

Tricyclos everywhere.
At this point, I will explain what happened as we approached, and crossed the border between Ecuador and Peru. As background, we could have taken an overnight bus, out of Guayaquil, that would have crossed the border and delivered us safely to Lima Peru. However we, unfortunately, were not in Guayaquil but in Cuenca. I was in favour of returning to Guayaquil, but Ralph said..."How bad can it be?" We were to find out!! The bus from Cuenca was to deliver us to the border, where we were to go through immigration and cross the border independently. Then we were to pick up a taxi or bus, on the other side, to take us to Tumbes Peru. From there, we could catch the bus, coming from Guayaquil, and take the rest of the overnight trip into Lima. Sounded good...but NO!!! Long story longer, the bus from Cuenca dropped us at immigration, as planned. Although this appeared more like a hot dog stand in the desert, all went well here. That was the end of the fun, as we know it. From there, we took an Ecuadorian taxi to the border. However, the taxi doesnt' take you to any "real" border, but drops you in the centre of a VERY BUSY market. We weren't travelling light, and had 2 backpacks, a large wheeled duffel, a guitar, and computer. Talk about obvious!! As we unloaded all our crap, 2 Peruvian "taxi" drivers began to/continued to badger us. They followed us, harrassed us, badgered us all the way to their "taxi" (and I use this term very loosely), all the while flashing their "official" taxi ID. Now, they can probably fabricate a passport in 15 minutes, in this country! How much faith do I have that these are REAL taxi ID's? However, they gave up trying to convince me, but they finally won Ralph over! I was thinking NO NO NO, and trying to dissuade Ralph, but he was sure this was OK, and typical, so we loaded our stuff into this broken down white car (no taxi emblem anywhere) and got in. Both "taxi" drivers got in...Oh, oh!!?? I felt scared enough with one driver, but two?? Then, as we drove off, I notice we didn't have any door handles, hence no way to get out! Talk about terrified!!! Long story, longer, they did take us to the Peruvian immigration, where Ralph did the check-in and I determined we weren't going to go any farther with this taxi. We unloaded and found another cab, so nothing happened. However, knowing of 2 cruisers who have been drugged and robbed, and reading later about this being the worst, most disorganized and crime-filled border crossing in all of South America, I feel that we were just damn lucky!! Who knows what might have happened if we continued?

So, after a brief stop in Tumbes, to pick up our bus, off we went. We found the first of Peru gloomy and brown.

Miles of sand and rock, all brown, with brown houses and roads! Very depressing!

This was lunch! When you're hungry, you eat! Some kind of meat?? in the shape of cut up weiners.

The next morning, and about 5 hours outside of Lima, our bus packed it in. What a God-forsaken countryside! It is like the moon. Three hours later, we were shuttled into another bus to continue our journey.

Lots of litter aside the road. The steward, on the bus, collected all the garbage that we had after the meals. Unfortunately, at the next stop, he just threw it outside along the highway.

We saw many, many of these long sheds. We think they are raising turkeys or chickens here.

This was the road ahead.

Lots of lovely beach, but the surrounding land is very unattractive.

Cuenca Ecuador, June 2008

Cuenca is a World Heritage City. It was truly a beautiful city.

One of the lovely old churches and the square in front of it.

On the main square, there were numerous shoe-shine stands. They were always busy. We didn't get our sandals done, though!

Again, lots of indigenous people shopping and selling.

In Cuenca, we met a fellow in the barber shop (as Ralph had his hair cut). He told us about a double-decker bus tour. The next day, off we went!

From the top deck, we had a great view! A roof garden?

As we travelled through the city, we were periodically told to duck!!! The low wires just skimmed our heads! They nearly decapitated a couple of young fellows behind us, as they weren't paying attention.

I don't believe these were the owners/workers at the shoeshine stand.

But, another interesting shot by Ralph, the wonder photographer!!

Truly, it was a lovely city and we had perfect weather for our tour!

An old aquaduct near the river.

I love windows and doors! I took this shot for a future painting.

We visited a Panama hat factory. Who knew they were made in Ecuador??

Of course, I had to buy one!

We never tire of the beauty of the markets.

We're not sure what this lady was selling, but they make such great photos because of their interesting faces.

Ditto.

And again.

I rest my case!

Ambato to Cuenca, Ecuador, June 2008

The road to Cuenca was absolutely spectacular. Once again, we took the "direct" bus.

This would be the "direct" bus picking up passengers!

Just amazing!

More of the same!

On our ride, we came upon a slide across the road. We could see this view as we rounded the corner. It appeared as if we'd be there for hours!!

Within half an hour, they had levelled it off enough to drive over the top. However, this car carrier got stuck in the middle, with all wheels in the air. The backhoe crawled up and nudged it over the top! Never in Canada!!!

Yet another unlucky pig! I guess this sight doesn't really bother the locals. However, it isn't all that appealing to us!

Here, she is taking off a strip of the skin, for the customers...snack, anyone??

Ambato & Banos, Ecuador, June 2008

From Guayaquil, we headed north to Ambato. We chose this as a central spot to tour some of the outlying small towns nearby. The first shots are enroute.
The local pineapple store.

Mmm, good!

We saw many banana plantations. All stalks of bananas are covered with plastic bags to protect them from animals and insects.

We travelled by "direct" bus...which only seems to mean that it takes the main road and eventually gets there! While they don't stop at EVERY stop, they do stop when flagged down. People who do this seem to only pay what they can...unlike the rest of us tourists who paid the going rate at the bus depot. We're sure the drivers and buskers keep the money.

We have not eaten at any of the road-side stands since leaving Mexico. This is possibly because we don't actually recognize any of the food being sold??!!

The indigenous people dress like those in Peru and Bolivia. It was a bit chilly up here in the Andes; hence the little toque.

The scenery was absolutely spectacular!! They farm well up the hillsides, and the fields are almost vertical.

Don't try this at home, folks!! This is the OTHER bus!

Love the kid shots.

Panchos are the fashion statement here.

I shot this from the bus window. Men's hats, on both men and women, are also the fashion here.

Just love that little face!

Stands selling BBQ pork are very popular here.

We planned to be in Ambato for the local market day. We were not disappointed. This was not market day for tourists. For this day, we paid $40 and hired a taxi to drive us around town, to Banos and other attractions nearby. It was a great idea and we had a terrific tour. Thankfully, we have Spanish as most drivers don't speak enough English to give you a tour.

People come from near and far to buy and sell wares. This is the basket selling area.

A typical woman out shopping for the day.

Each indigenous group has a slightly different outfit, and very different hat.

Hey Mom, are we finished yet!!

Buy it or else!!

Peppers anyone??!

Fruits as far as the eye can see. Vegetables were in a different area, as were meats, herbs, etc.

Many, many little stands, as well as some larger ones. It is hard to see how they make any money with everyone selling similar products.

While selling other things, they work taking corn off the husks.

Lunch...but what is it??

Ralph loved this fellow! He's selling bras...how would you try them on, and wouldn't it be better if a woman were selling these??

If you buy too much, you can always buy another shopping bag!

Like Peru, there are many different types of potatoes. We don't get any of those types here, in Canada.

This lady is spinning while waiting for customers for her veggies. Never a restful moment. It seems to us, that in most of these countries the women seem to work the hardest. What else is new, girls??

These ladies had set up stands along a wall. We took the shot from above. Notice the large papaya-like fruit.

We have seem some very unappetizing displays of chicken. However, I think this one takes the prize!!!

Love that ice cream!!

Another view of the countryside as we head over to Banos.

If you wanted some of those grapes, or an orange, wouldn't you be afraid to ruin that display by taking one??

These were unusual homes in the hillsides. Appear to by adobe with thatched roof. Most of the building was wood or bamboo.

At the end of our tour, we saw Tungurahua volcano reaching up into the clouds. We were lucky to get this shot as the volcano had been completely clouded over all day, until this point.

Cuy anyone?? Otherwise known as guinea pig, it is a delicacy in Ecuador as well as in Bolivia and Peru. These are BIG guinea pigs!!!

Another unlucky pig.

However, this is the usual variety!