The road from Cuenca took us high up into the Andes. We followed a diversion due to road improvements and for hours we drove down a bumpy dirt track which wound its way through numerous hair pin bends on steep sided mountains. There was barely any vegetation partly due to the altitude and partly due to the disturbance of the works, although surprisingly there were people attempting to farm some of the surrounding dusty land. All of a sudden like an oasis in a desert we would reach a rare valley with green crops amongst the mountains of surrounding dust.
We all cheered our driver Mike when we finally reached the end of the dirt track, turning left on to a tarmac road once again. Speeding along now we entered the lowlands where agriculture on a larger scale was evident.
As we neared the border it became noticeably hot and sunny and the land became much flatter with huge bannana plantations. Bannana's are currently one of Ecuadors main exports. Finally the land became barren and desolate with immigration buildings and armed guards only. At the first stop the crew had to deal with the paperwprk for the truck, we then drove on a little further to the deal with the human paperwork with a stamp out of Ecuador. A little further on still desolate and barren we crossed the border into Peru and a final stop to stamp our passports in our new country, Peru.
In Peru the landscape continued unchanging for a while before it became more fertile and green in places with large scale agriculture on the flat terrain, reminding me of Essex. Houses were simple, mainly very small shanty towns with an associated working horse and the resident dog hanging around outside.
In a relatively short distance from the border we entered the bustling chaotic city of Tumbes. We parked the truck to get some US Dollars changed to Peruvian Soles and beer as we were heading to the beach. Tumbes felt crazy. Tuk Tuks had replaced ecuadorian yellow taxis and road crossings even more confusing. Negotiating our way through the street vendors and crowded streets we happened upon a guy on the street offering a good rate for US dollars, obviously we were trying to be non conspicuous and careful both of which were quite difficult on the bustling street corner. With local currency and beer we set off for the beech in high spirits. We followed the coastline with the sea on our right and huge sand dunes on our left until after a total of 12 hours on the road we arrived at our beech resort where we pitched our tents on the sea front looking out to the sea. When camping we all get divided up into cook groups and it was my turn with two others to cook. Having been food shopping at a local market before we left Cuenca the three of us made a chorizo pasta by headtorch to the sound of the waves on the beech of white sand!
We all cheered our driver Mike when we finally reached the end of the dirt track, turning left on to a tarmac road once again. Speeding along now we entered the lowlands where agriculture on a larger scale was evident.
As we neared the border it became noticeably hot and sunny and the land became much flatter with huge bannana plantations. Bannana's are currently one of Ecuadors main exports. Finally the land became barren and desolate with immigration buildings and armed guards only. At the first stop the crew had to deal with the paperwprk for the truck, we then drove on a little further to the deal with the human paperwork with a stamp out of Ecuador. A little further on still desolate and barren we crossed the border into Peru and a final stop to stamp our passports in our new country, Peru.
In Peru the landscape continued unchanging for a while before it became more fertile and green in places with large scale agriculture on the flat terrain, reminding me of Essex. Houses were simple, mainly very small shanty towns with an associated working horse and the resident dog hanging around outside.
In a relatively short distance from the border we entered the bustling chaotic city of Tumbes. We parked the truck to get some US Dollars changed to Peruvian Soles and beer as we were heading to the beach. Tumbes felt crazy. Tuk Tuks had replaced ecuadorian yellow taxis and road crossings even more confusing. Negotiating our way through the street vendors and crowded streets we happened upon a guy on the street offering a good rate for US dollars, obviously we were trying to be non conspicuous and careful both of which were quite difficult on the bustling street corner. With local currency and beer we set off for the beech in high spirits. We followed the coastline with the sea on our right and huge sand dunes on our left until after a total of 12 hours on the road we arrived at our beech resort where we pitched our tents on the sea front looking out to the sea. When camping we all get divided up into cook groups and it was my turn with two others to cook. Having been food shopping at a local market before we left Cuenca the three of us made a chorizo pasta by headtorch to the sound of the waves on the beech of white sand!
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