Our Trip to Peru

On Sunday our official visa was expiring so we had two choices. Either renew in country and spend 240$ on visas and applications plus the cost for pictures, lawyers and misc as there always is in south America or cross the border into Peru and reenter on a different visa. We chose the later. We were told that we had to leave on the expiry day of the visa and then reenter a day or two later so here is our story.

We read many horror stories about having to get off the bus and taking a taxi 10 minutes away then crossing a bridge on foot. It seems perhaps this is how it use to be done but it would seem they have streamlined the operation and is much easier these days on bus. This is what we did.

We took the bus from Guayaquil because I had to bring my sister to the airport and we hopped a bus line called CIFA. They had the best reputation so we chose them. The bus was 13$ each and we went to Mancora. When you get to the border everyone gets off and gets stamped out of Ecuador and then you line up to get stamped into Peru. After which you get back on the bus and head on to Peru with one more baggage stop to check bags where you get off the bus again.

We arrived in Mancora around 4 pm and looked for a hostel. Cost of hostels seemed to be higher then in Ecuador and you received less. To do this over we would have stopped in Zorritos instead seems to be a better option. Mancora is the equivalent of Montanita in Ecuador. A bit of a party town with no real comfort. The beach line is small as the waves come almost right to the end. But if you want to surf it has quite the waves. To make things worse heidi was sick the whole time and sitting on a bus for 8 hours sick is not enjoyable.

Coming back in we did a little differently as we didn't want to go to Guayaquil again. So we took a CIFA bus from Peru to Machala Ecuador at 1pm, which actually ended up coming around 2:30, but I guess there was a road block earlier in the day. The bus trip was about 12$ to Machala which is a little more expensive then coming in the country was but in general Peru was more expensive. At the border same deal stamp out of Peru and stamped into Ecuador. The only extra item they asked for was our birth certificates which I had thankfully brought with us and everything else went fine.

We told the driver on the bus that we were headed to Cuenca and he dropped us off at a small stop in Machala that was basically a connection point for buses and a small market which is where we jumped a 5$ bus to Cuenca. Again poor heidi was sick all the way home but we finally arrived in one piece at 10pm with another 90 days on our visa.

A trip to the jungle

So we finally did it. We took a day trip to the amazon. Our tour operator said he would make it unforgettable, and it pretty much was. It was nice too because he spoke English and was well organized.

Our day began at 8 am we hopped a van/bus along with 7 others. First stop a monkey reserve/rescue center in Puyo. A few months ago this was the place to go as the monkeys were free to roam around but now everything is in cages so basically its a monkey zoo. We enjoyed it but not really a highlight.

From there we headed on. About 20 minutes later we were at the edge of the jungle. We were brought to a wood carved canoe where we were transported down river through some rapids to our first stop, Lunch. We got off the canoe and hoped on the back of a pick up truck to get a drive to the restaurant.

The restaurant was simple but quite amazing. The owner had a pocket monkey as they are called that basically cuddled with heidi for the whole time we were there. At a few points he did get pretty excited jumping on Keefe and Aidan. Lunch came it was a chicken, rice and a potato salad, but what was cool about the meal is that they wrapped it in a banana tree leaf, and stem it for 15 minutes and voila you have your lunch ready. The restaurant was a grass hut on stilts right by the water. The view was awesome. And on the wall they had a crocodile skin hanging which was caught in the lagoon behind the restaurant.

From there we were driven to a look out to see the river below. Not a bad little spot. And this is where things really get unforgettable. As we were walking down from the look out the driver had gotten the van stuck in a ditch in the mud. So Heidi gets behind the wheel and the 3 of us begin to push. Now thanks to our experience of getting stuck in snow we were able to help by getting branches and putting them under the wheels to get them moving. At this point the van is in the middle of the road and the driver and guide are up the hill at a restaurant making plans. Another bus is trying to get by and not to happy about it either. After trying to call the driver Heidi jumps in the van and takes over, moving the van over and nearly into another ditch.

From there we drove to the trail we were going to hike. The trail leads to a beautiful waterfall. We make our way through the none traditional path and using some back paths that locals use. As we walk we go through mud and streams. The boys kept asking about quick sand. Our guide tells us soon we will arrive to some. Upon arrival at the quick sand he keeps asking the boys if the want to try it but they say no. Keefe gets this bright idea to jump over the sand and unknowingly jumps right into the middle of it. To see the panic on his face was priceless ( I wish i had a picture). After pulling the boy out we kept on our way and finally arrived at the waterfall. Everyone had a chance to swim under it and it was time to head back to the van and off to our final stop.

The final stop was Quichua tribe village. Occupied by 14 families it was interesting to see the homes and the set up of everything they had. Our journey for the day comes to an end here but we did much more in the area stay tuned.

A Trip to the Coast

The beach in Olon

So we are back in Guayaquil at the bus station. The bus from there to the town we want to visit Olon is booked until 3 PM about 4 hrs away. We are told that we can bus from Guayaquil to Santa Elena and the hop any bus headed our direction from there. Seems like a reasonable option and it was. We arrived in Olon at about 3:30 and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and evening on the beach.

Upon arrival we checked into a small hostel called Hostel Oloncito. It was a nice little place with 7 rooms. The owner calls it a family hostel and likes to keep it that way. And where ever other hostel charged 15$ per person this owner gave the kids at half price. He didn't have a restaurant but he did have a kitchen and gave us full access to it. It was a 2 minute walk to the beach, if even. Definitely a place to stay again.

Beach in Montanita Son helping Dad at work

The beach was beautiful. I would say it rivals the beaches in Cuba. It was secluded in that it is nestled between 2 rock masses. It is cut off from Montanita which is the next town over. There are about 10 cabana's on the beach to buy food and the fruit drinks are amazing. The one stand we were using put 4 oz of rum in the glass and with fresh pineapple for your Pinacolda what more do you need, Oh yes $2.50.

Fresh Fish in the Morning

We took a day and visited Montanita. We finally found great variety in food. Anything you wanted was available it was a nice change from the usual Chicken and Rice. Although, the beach was disappointing, too many people, they wanted to charge for a chair, and all and all if your not in the party scene stay off. Many told us that this beach was well basically the drugs, sex and rock and roll capital but really I found no worse then any other place. That being said we did not stick around to see the night scene. It could very well change fast.

Keefe's Starfish

On our last day we walked the beach to the next sleepy town over and must have walk about 5 KM. it was an enjoyable walk and we found all kinds of marine life. If you want to see Sand Dollars we must have found about 50 of them. And then there are the starfish as well.


 We headed home at 6 PM. And did our trip home in reverse. We went from Montanita to Santa Elena on one bus. Then arrived with 5 minutes to spare to catch the bus to Guayaquil. We arrived in Guayaquil at 10:30 and caught the 11 PM bus to Cuenca getting home around 3 AM.

A dead turtle but a big one

Stingray on the beach

Tour of Bethel

So I guess it's been a while. I've had several comments about not having written anything so here it is. I'll have a few new posts over next few days so hope you enjoy.

We recently took a trip to the coast and here is a short blog about the first part of our journey.

Entrance to Branch

My sister is down visiting us for three weeks so we had to head to the coast to Guayaquil to pick her up, this made for a perfect little trip. We decided to see Bethel and check out the coast at the same time. On Monday we left Cuenca by bus to Guayaquil which is a 4 hour trip. The bus ride was nice we got see the Cajas again one of our favorite sites. We arrived in Guayaquil around 3 pm, and the Bed and Breakfast we stayed in, which is owned by the Mina family picked us up at the Bus station. They have a cute little place on the side of their home with 2 rooms and a bathroom and shower in each room. Cost was $10 each and $5 for the transport service which they provide with their own bus. They have a nice mall about 10 minute walk from their home which was perfect for dinner and snacks.

Dinning Room

At 1 am they drove me to the airport to pick-up my sister who basically finished customs as we arrived. Perfect timing. After a short sleep they had breakfast ready for us in the morning of eggs, toast, coffee, fruit and juice a good start to a long day. They kindly called us a taxi which showed up just in time for us to get to our tour at Bethel.

The Ecuador Branch is truly beautiful. Mango trees all over the property, well kept buildings and a convention hall on site. Our guide was from the states and had been in Ecuador for nearly 20 years I think she said. The tour took about an hour and a half and was really worth it. Especially for the boys to be able to say that they saw a branch in South America. They are now asking to see New York this summer. Will have to make it a point to visit. Although I think the highlight of the tour was seeing the lizards on site. Keefe keeps trying to find a small one he can bring home with him.

Literature Desk

After our tour we headed back to the bus station to catch our next ride further north west to the coast where we would spend the next 4 days. Although, to do it again, I would have just waited outside the branch and caught a bus to Santa Elena.

Stay tuned for our beach side vacation blog.