From Maya to Inca: Cuenca to Vilcabamba

Thursday 20 June 2013

Cuenca to Vilcabamba

I went to sit in my seat overlooking the luggage hold as usual when I discovered that I had a seat number for this journey. And not any seat number. I had a front row seat for the crazy 5-hour bus journey ahead of me. Knowing, and having experienced, the reputation of Ecuadorian bus drivers, I wasn't sure whether this was going to be a once in a life opportunity or the roller coaster ride from hell. Especially when I saw the big sign above my head: keep within the speed limits or you may end up in prison! Surely this should be where the driver can see it?! But it turned out to be one of the smoothest bus rides ever despite being 5 hours all along windy mountain roads. It was also pretty spectacular. And that was only the first part. I had to change in Loja to get a bus to take me to Vilcabamba. Another 1.5 hours. This one was packed but it was well worth the 1 dollar 30 I paid for it. The scenery took my breath away - I had no idea. I got to the hostel where I was staying and felt like I had arrived in paradise.

I don't know about Brazil, but I heard that the bus drivers are mad in Ecuador!

Warning behind the bus driver. Hopefully he also has eyes in the back of his head.

View from the bus

This bus driver was not mad.

small landslide - a regular occurrence

arrival at Loja

lady selling empanadas

a taster of the scenery from the bus

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Interesting facts

Another slightly subjective fact. Peruvian mountain roads are among the most dangerous in the world.
Kuelap is a Chachapoya fortress in Northern Peru built before Machu Picchu.
Peruvian men are the most persistent men on the planet.
Blue zones are called blue zones simply because Dan Buettner and his research team (who first identified the blue zones) used blue ink to circle the areas on a map with the highest life expectancy. Nothing more, nothing less.
The Inca civilisation arose from the highlands of Peru sometime during the early 13th century.
Contrary to popular belief, Panama hats are not made in Panama but in Ecuador.
Ten of the volcanoes along the Avenue of Volcanoes are higher than 5000 metres.
Rafael Correa has introduced the "pico y placa" system in Quito, following the Colombian example, "pico" meaning "peak" and "placa" meaning "plate". Cars are restricted from circulating in Quito on certain days during morning and evening rush hours according to the last number of their registration plate, in order to ease traffic congestion.
Quito is 72 kms long and 10 kms wide.
Quito is the oldest capital in South America and lies 2800 metres above sea level.
The sex of the tortoises bred in the breeding centre in Puerto Ayora on the Galapagos islands depends on the temperature of the incubators. The eggs kept in incubators at 29.5 degrees celsius become females and those kept in incubators at 28 degrees celsius become males.
The giant cacti of the Galapagos islands are the only species of opuntia cactus in the world that grows like a tree.
Legend has it that the Incas discovered the Galapagos islands in the fifteenth century but no solid evidence has been found to prove this.
Slightly subjective. Playa del Carmen sells the most expensive ice cream in the world. But it tastes pretty good.
The piece of lime in the top of a bottle of beer was originally not for the taste. It was used to wipe the rust off the rim.
Mayan mothers used to wrap planks of wood around their children's foreheads to flatten them.
The dazzling blue ocean along the Mayan riviera is due to the fact that there are no rivers feeding into it. And because of the lack of nutrients flowing into the sea, there is also less animal life along this part of the ocean.