#244. 22/12/04 Peru Border

Even having never crossed a (non-Schengen) land border before, I can say that the Ecuadorian/Peru crossing is the most stressful I am likely to encounter. The sheer number of faux-guides, fake policemen, dodgy money changers, conmen, hasslers and husslers made it a distinctly unpleasent experience. By the time I had crossed the international bridge, I was lucky to have suffered, at worst, a counterfeit 100 sol note from a dodgy changer. I should have known not to trust someone wearing a leather jacket in 35 degree weather. But it's hard to make generalisations about who you can or can't trust; Jenn got a phoney $10 bill straight from an ATM in Ecuador.

Arriving in the nearest border town, first impressions of Peru are not improving. The turgid little hole clinging to the border has the dubious distinction of being the most unfriendly place of all visited so far. The inhabitants are rude, loud, almost openly agressive. After checking into a hotel, we soon checked out, deciding instead to get a night bus to somewhere less inbred.

Unfortunately, the nearest departing bus was also the cheapest, in the worst sense of the word, putting bad service to the supposition that Peru has the best quality long distance buses in the world. However, 13 smelly, dirty hours later and we arrive in the warmth and comfort of a reasonably sized city and Peru gains several notches in our estimation.