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28th June 2013 - had an average sleep at the hotel. There is a group of school children and they seemed to be running around all night knocking on doors. Spent some time trying to catch up on sleep this morning but wasn't very successful as they have fire alarms and then loud speaker annocuments all in Spanish so got up and went out for a walk. Found some breakfast and then walked along the malecon towards santa Ana hill. It was a nice walk along the water front and they redid this part of the city in 2000 with new pavement and different works of art and monuments. Reached the end of the boardwalk and my camera battery had died so didn't get any photos. But the houses were all such bright colours. Then walked back along the water and through the park to the hotel. Spent some time just packing my bag and then using the Internet before checking out around noon. Went outside to hail a cab and saw this old rusted out half falling apart yellow Larda car approach. I was thinking please don't stop as I am not sure if this old thing would make it to the bus terminal but of course it did and the driver agreed to my price so he came around and opened the doors from the outside, I learned that the doors dont have handles on the inside and the boot doesn't open so bags on the back seat. I sat infront and the driver was sitting on a lawn chair... Not a car seat... There was more rust than car but he seems really happy to be driving me and kept talking away in Spanish and expecting me to answer. Then about half way there he saw some friends in the car next to us so we slowed down on the freeway and moved over to talk with them out the window... It was really funny everyone was honking this crazy taxi driver to move over but he didn't care, had to introduce me to his friends. We made it to the terminal in one piece and he managed to get the doors open... Shutting them after was a little more difficult and took several attempts to get them lined up correctly. Said goodbye and made my into the terminal. Found the Crus del Sur desk and brought the ticket with them to cross the boarder to Peru this evening. The bus terminal in guayaquil is amazing. It has three levels with all the ticket counters together and then hundreds of shops and cafe and storage then you proceed upstairs to the different gates to get your bus. Probably by far the best station I have ever seen anyway in the world. Brought some snacks at the supermarket in the terminal while waiting for the bus leave and then boarded the bus at 2pm. It is an enormous bus, two levels with seats that recline well, and lots of other tourists. I have been getting used to been the only other white person on the bus it was reassuring to see other tourists. Let Guayaquil and drove for few hours pass hundreds of banana farm which about an hour before the boarder stopped as the landscape turned more arid and dry. We crosses the boarder with such ease. They build a new crossing point only 12 months ago in which the tourists buses can use. So around 7:30pm we arrived all walked into this building. Got a stamp out of Ecuador and walked to the next desk and got a stamp into Peru. Really easy and quick as it was just out bus. No having to fight with the masses and begged and people trying to sell u everything . Was really easy and am glad that I made the choice to travel with this company. Back on the bus and we continued on our way into Peru. Traveled for another hour or so before we stopped about 20km north of Mancora for a customs inspection. We all got our bags and got off the bus and walked through this building and then the officers walked around the bus, they didn't seem to be paying to much attention and then we all got back on the bus and drove for maybe 30 mins before we were in Mancora. Only a couple of people got off the bus and I shared a moto taxi with one other girl as our hostels were next to each other. It was just before midnight when I checked in but that didn't matter because there was big party in the hostel so I wasn't waking up anyone by checking in and moving around the room late.
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