When our German friends wake us up, soon in the morning, we begin the travel from Vilcabamba towards the frontier between Ecuador and Peru. Our route, passing through the village of Zumba, follows an off the beaten track. After a pass that dominates the valley of Vilcabamba, we begin a long descent through the mountain jungle of the Podocarpus National Park. The bus makes frequent stops, often in ghost villages, but there are always people who wait for our arrival; shortly we are swept up by a mass of people, goods and animals. After approximately 6 hours of travel we reach Zumba, the first half of our itinerary. Nearly 2 hours of camioneta separate us from the Peruvian border, but a bridge swept in a blaze by the river forces us to wade: the adventure gets more and more interesting! It’s already evening when we get our passports stamped, by the international bridge of La Balsa. 2 more hours of colectivo (dispelling any doubts of other travelers: 12 soles, negotiable till 10) and we arrive in San Ignacio, tired but happy… We leave Ecuador, a very small Latin American country that has given us many unforgettable experiences and the hope that there can be a future, when people have the courage to fight for their own rights. Now Peru, a giant for beauty and history, the crib of the Inca civilization.
Hey! what’s up! It’s nice to know that you had a positive experience travelling through our country. Unfortunately, we are only known for the bad things that occur in here. I am very glad of this blog since, I must tell you, that I am the son of the architect who is building the crazy ceramic house in Villa de Leyva. That’s how we got to your blog. Incredible how tiny is the world, right?
Maybe our questions could help somebody.
We would like to know how are you travelling, is it by bus?? how does that work?? maybe you could help us with some security tips, how should we carry our money, for example. Incredible that a Colombian is asking for security, no? jajaja
Anyway, like you have been travelling for a long time, it would be very useful if you could help us with some basic things that you would think they would help us.
Muy agradecido loco.
Hi friends,
so happy to hear from Colombian people!!! Vaya, si es algo que puede interesar a otros viajeros les pido de escribirlo en un segundo comentario (en ingles)… si es algo mas “privado” pueden escribirme al correo que esta’ en la sidebar de la pagina principal, bajo CONTACTS…
Listo, suerte manos
Hello,
First of all I would like to say that you have done a very good job building this blog.
I am from Colombia,and I’mplanning a trip through South America with another friend. Maybe you could help us with some doubts we have, or some tips for our trip.
Do you have an email account where we could send you our doubts??
Please confirm to my email.
Thank You,
Good luck.