Ecuador
Border to Ecuador and waiting for slides in Quito
Time was of the essence. On the last valid day of our visa, we crossed the border at Ipiales and received our entry stamp on the Ecuadorian side in Tulcán.
On the journey from Tulcán to Quito, I saw villages with round thatched huts, so simple and timeless that they seemed foreign to me - almost like something from another continent. They reminded me a little of Africa.
The journey took about four hours. In Quito, we moved into a room near the bus station, not far from the old town, which we visited intensively and regularly. Of course, we also looked at the churches. Some of them seemed a bit overloaded to me, but we always respected the diversity of the countries we visited.
I had shot my last slides in Colombia. I had ordered new slides for my father long before and asked him to send them as quickly as possible by airmail to "Albrecht, Poste Restante, Quito, Ecuador".
Waiting for the slides
After our arrival, I regularly went to the main post office. Unfortunately, the films hadn't arrived yet. After a few days and after visiting an acquaintance from Australia in Quito, Rolf and I agreed on a tried and tested system: he would drive to Guayaquil in advance and we would meet in front of the main post office every day between 5 and 7 pm during a certain week. This meeting system had worked well several times before.
So I went to the main post office every day, showed my passport and asked about the shipment. One day, two young Europeans stood behind me and asked: "Are you Swiss?" I said yes.
Two young Swiss men invited me - and didn't show up
They introduced themselves: They were the children of the Swiss ambassador in Guayaquil. We sat down on a bench and I was questioned - where I came from, which countries I had already traveled to and which were still ahead of me. The two of them were about 17-18 years old. Suddenly one of them asked: "Are you free tomorrow lunchtime? We'd like to pick you up and introduce you to our father."
We made an appointment for the next day again at the main post office. I waited until about 2 pm - in vain. The father probably didn't approve of his sons having contact with a backpacker. Anyway - no matter.
My slides finally arrived. During the whole trip I kept asking if they had any and how much they would cost. Most of the time there were none in stock or they were very expensive. Slides were also expensive in Switzerland. That's why I had them come from Switzerland.
The next day, I boarded the bus to Guayaquil - about a four-hour drive. On the way, some indigenous people with red dyed hair got on. They are called "colorados" here.
When I arrived in Guayaquil, I went to the main post office at the agreed time. Rolf and I met up again. He had already explored some of the sights that we wanted to see together the next day. But first we shared our experiences of the last few days.
We found a great little café that also had a street food kitchen. We ate ceviche and drank a cold beer with it. Excellently prepared.
We had heard from other backpackers that a visa was suddenly required to enter Peru. We enquired at the Peruvian consulate and found out that they hadn't even been informed of this news.