The day of departure has arrived, today we leave Mancora to cross the northern border with Ecuador.
The journey involves transport on a collective (backpack on the roof, to which I had fastened my jacket because I had no more room 😅).
The collective (a 12-person minibus) leaves at 9am, full to the limit with a diabolical internal temperature. The road is quite bumpy, the collective flies along the coast and meanwhile it starts raining (my jacket is on the roof 😑).
After taking a dirt road to avoid a police checkpoint, we arrive in Tumbes. The last town in Peru before the border. With me is travelling the German girl I met in Mancora, who has decided to accompany me on this new adventure 😆.
Tumbes is a town that does not inspire much confidence, but we only have to change means of transport, a larger bus that will take us as far as Guayaquil.
As the bus approaches the border, I can’t help but think of all the adventures and people I have met in this fantastic country. And here we are at the border, the excitement of entering a new country is great. After passing the health check I head to immigration.
The employee who checks my passport to leave Peru takes a little longer than usual to check mine… and here we are with our last adventure in Peru.
Apparently on entering the country, instead of entering a 90-day tourist permit into their systems as it should be, a mistake was made and a 45-day permit was registered.
So now I only have two options, either to pay a fine of about 20€ as quickly as possible and get back on the bus that will take me to Guayaquil, or to stay at the border, protest and see if anything is resolved.
The bus will not wait for me for long….
I decide to pay the fine and continue the journey.
Small problem, the fine cannot be paid at the border, but only online or at the national bank. Obviously there is no connection, so I ask the bus driver for help. Nothing… no connection, they suggest I take a taxi, run to the nearest bank counter (about 5 km), pay, run back, go through the immigration procedure again, take the taxi again and meet the bus at the next stop. In the meantime, I find a spot where there is internet. Yay!!!
I enter all the payment details, credit card details, and press the pay button!!! Error!!!!
The site for payment of the fine for overstaying in the country by foreign nationals does not accept foreign credit cards… logical!!!!
I have no choice, I have to go to the bank.
I get into the taxi at a run, and head for the nearest bank counter. In the meantime the bus leaves and I don’t know if I will catch it again…. (all my things are on the bus).
We arrive at the Peruvian border, but the officials won’t let us pass by car. We get out, abandoning the taxi in the middle of the road and continue on foot. The taxi driver is fortunately very kind and accompanies me.
After a walk of about 10 minutes we arrive at the bank counter. I go in to pay the fine (how nervous) and of course you can’t pay with a credit card!!! Absurd!
I withdraw and pay, swearing not a little, and hurry back to the taxi.
On the way back to the Ecuadorian border there is a blockade caused by stuck lorries… and the bus is not waiting for me!
After a long wait we manage to get through, I run to immigration to finally deal with the procedure for leaving Peru and entering Ecuador but there is a very long queue!!! By now I’m losing hope…. Goodbye bus to Ecuador!
After more than half an hour I finally get permission to cross the border, I return to the taxi and we set off for the next bus stop.
I have never been so happy to have learned to speak Spanish as I am today! I don’t know how I would have done it otherwise.
The taxi flies over the well-paved roads of Ecuador and there I see the bus!
Fortunately, we arrive at the bus stop at the same time and I manage to catch the bus where my backpack is. What an adventure! I am exhausted! Fortunately my friend bought some food for me too. I lie down on the seat and smile thinking back on what happened, one last adventure before leaving this country! What anxiety though! 😆
Surrounded by Ecuadorians and lulled by a fine drizzle I indulge in a nap… Hola Ecuador!