Latacunga, Ecuador

My 5 hrs bus ride to Latacunga was extraordinary in that the bus almost left me behind. I told the bus driver that I was going to the rsstroom in the station, and he gave me an ok gesture. However, when I finished the bus was gone. I was in such a panic that I grabbed the police officer and cried out loud to him that my bus is gone without me! He tried to calm me down in spanish and started calling. My brain almost turned blank since I did not remember the bus company name, there was no ticket, and all buses look similar. How was I going to survive without my backpack?!

The fact was the bus terminals operate differently in modern cities where the buses drop passengers at one terminal them pick up new passengers at a different terminal. The officer quickly directed me to the new terminal before I burst into tears.

When I arrived town, it was already dark. Two kind ladies got me a cab which shaked his dead not to take me and I could not understand what they said and why. But they two tried another cab which driver kindly took me and had his girlfriend escrow me to the hostel via the parade zone. It was a big traditional Fiesta de la Mama megra with pig on sticks, costumes, street dancing, and free alcohol made by different villages. No wonder that I had a hard time to book a room. The parade was fun and I tried several kinds of alcohol. Life is like a box of chocolate. You will never know what you will get.

I run into other foreigners on the parade who kindly provided me info for day trips. Another lucky day!

By the way, a repeated lesson from a dear friend: never assume anything. I thought my old style hotel had no wifi and sit the the lobby of a hostel of my new friend to use theirs, but I woke up this morning and realized my hotel has wifi. Now I am updating blogs in my room.