Technically
Connie has been in Peru illegally since late April when her tourist visa
expired. When we arrived in
Peru I received a 90-day tourist card but hers was good only for 30 days. We were told we could settle up when we
were leaving Peru but the border crossing at Aguas Verdes is rated as the worst
in South America so we were concerned.
But everything went smoothly and we crossed into Ecuador without
incident.
We waited in
Huaquillas for an hour for our bus to Cuenca. We started out with only eight passengers – nine if you
count the fighting cock one guy cradled like an infant for the entire journey –
but this was more like city transportation than a long distance bus. We stopped numerous times to pick up
and drop people off at every hamlet we passed.
It was cold
and raining when we arrived in Cuenca.
It’s a big change from the last month to be back in the highlands at
8000 feet. Cuenca was declared a
World Heritage Site in 1999 and from the little we saw tonight it is richly deserved. Our room at the Hostal Orquidea is
large enough for 3 beds and has ten-foot high ceilings. Church steeples dominate the view from
our balcony and wooden shutters on the large windows block out the street
noise. Wi-fi and satellite TV make
it a steal at $25.
