9 August 2006 - End of the road

Ten months, seven countries, six travelling buddies, four (yes four) rucksacks, and one million bus journeys later....Today was our last day in South America.

Leading up to this point we had quite an adventure. An adventure of bad luck you could say but it could also be called

'Heady heights of danger and betrayal... border crossings- Tumbes style.'

We flew to Lima about two weeks ago to make our way up the coast. The insane horror of trying to buy presents for my entire family and friends commenced. We went to Trujillo, Huanchaco, Trujillo again (very annoying bus man lied about bus times.) Up to Mancora where we got pretty sunburnt. Mainly tihs was because I ran out of Nivea sun cream and invested in Hawaiian tropic tanning oil which we both applied liberally and mine was not a skin made for tanning oil. I was aware of this before I bought it, but I was gripped with a fear of returning home looking white and Irish.

Sunday we decided to leave and pleasantly make our way up to Ecuador, land of the free. Not so pleasant. Got a collectivo to Tumbes and asked to be dropped at the CIFA bus station which didn't happen, instead found ourselves on the side of a road, being rushed into a 'connecion' car by two guys who assured us that the border was closing in one hour and we had to hurry or we wouldnt get into Ecuador until Friday.

About two seconds into the journey, both of us realised seperately that we were most likely being duped, in a scary way too, the guy in the front kept talking to us about Ireland, football, Peru, chat chat chat I'm going to take all your money. Nice guy. The whole thing has had a positive spin off though, as I ve made up a new piece of wise advice which might catch on-Never accept a lift from a stanger.

Found ouselves over the mysteriously closed border(how did they arrange that?) in a parking lot with all car doors locked and two men waiting for forty dollars each. Which we didnt have. We wrestled with them for a few nail biting seconds. I attacked one with my recently acquired Kung Fu moves, while Micheal held the other off with his left hand and stole their crackers with his right. Luckily we escaped with their lunch and none of our money.

So funds depleted got to bus station only to discover that my one hundred remaining dollars was fake. This story honestly does continue for quite a while with more fun adventures but I ll leave it at that.

We walked the twelve hours to Quito, arriving at dawn, atop a hill. We looked down on the city we had visited six short months ago. Fitiingly our hostal is called Deja Vu. ha.

For our last two days we got extremely drunk on cheap beer, and visited the Equator, where we couldn't bring ourselves to do anything becasue of our debilitating hangovers. We re doing culture right up to the last minute here.

So thats that up to date. Its hard to explain how odd it feels to be in the last night of this trip. I ve had such an amazing, exciting, long, fun, huge time. I ve met so many great people and learnt another language. Danced 'wino' with old men in a sitting room, taught Jeopardy to ten year olds, walked to Macchu Picchu, climbed a volcano, drank corn juice....

Its been fantastic.

Anyone thinking of a possible visit to anywhere on this continent should book their flights now. Its beautiful.

See you all on Friday or hopefully over the weekend. Cant wait to catch up with everyone. Thats it then, end of the road. Thanks for reading the journal! x Diane.