N E X T J O U R N E Y . O R G
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Bus
travel in Ecuador is economical and
convenient. It is also tiring and slow. You will see
stunning landscapes from the windows of a bus, and you might strike a
friendship with your neighbor as well. The cost for a bus trip averages
one dollar an hour. Do not trust a map for an estimate of the duration of a trip. A map won't show you whether most of the trip will be in a straight line, with the bus barreling along and passing every vehicle in sight, or whether it will be uphill on a winding road, with the bus groaning in first gear all the way. The buses are full-size coaches but they make many stops along the way. In every village, there is an intersection where long-distance buses will slow down and the conductor will yell the destination (Ambato! Ambato! Ambato!) while hanging out the front door. |
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Larger cities have a bus terminal that
looks a bit like a train station. Ask at the information desk
which bus company has the next departure for your destination. Then buy
your ticket
at the window for that company.
Before the bus departs the terminal, an ambulant salesman is likely to offer the passengers cheap jewelry. Many of the passengers buy gold chains and such. Ecuadorian ladies of all ages have a charming routine when they board a long-distance bus. Be they maidens or crones, they climb the steps with a huge smile, accepting someone's helpful pull, with the expression of a debutante who is late late at her own party. |
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 Llamas travel on the roof
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The most spectacular ride I took was
between Cuenca and Guayaquil. The bus drove through the
Cajas National Park, an amazing area of desolate wilderness with
countless small
lakes that looked like pools of mercury or molten silver. The ride was
supposed to last three and a half hours, but it took five hours. At
sunset time, we were at the top of the last ridge, overlooking a see of
clouds. On the way down, we drove through the thickest fog. The
conductor played a DVD of a bloody Jean Claude Van Damme movie, dubbed
of course, which ended just as we approached Guayaquil.
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