WEEKEND RIDES...

So one thing that is very different here in Peru is the driving! This weekend I travel out to Canta, Obrajillo, and Huaros. I took 4 rides and have an interesting story about each (esp. the last one):

#1-Lima to Canta- Via a double-decker grey-hound type bus. By far the best ride of the weekend. I was much luckier then Sarah with my seat choice about 3 rows back on the second floor. Sarah had front row... and since the driver is on the 1st floor you get a head to toe window. Sarah said she felt like she was on a roller coaster going around the mountain for 3 hours. I got a little bus sick and tried to sleep the whole way!

#2-Canta to Huaros- Huaros is tiny pueblo another 1.5 hours up into the mountain. First sign... when I was getting on the bus I saw two men lying under the bus covered in black liquid and parts of the bus on the ground! But we get on because it must be the only bus headed that way! This bus is similar to a very old city transportation bus. We, Sarah, Lorena, Croker, Eric, Alex, Raul, and I, are all seated nicely in the back of the bus. W e are booking it around mountains... the views are truly phenomenal! But this bus is ride on the small road at the edge of the mountain´s cliff. At some points I can only see it’s about 3 inches from the buses tires to the edges and after the edge it’s a long way down! I took a fun video leaning out the window so everyone can enjoy this ride with me!! Apparently their is a system... instead of slowing down around corners the driver just honks a few times and if no one honks back they speed onward. Between this towns I see no houses, only beautiful landscape, but every so often the bus stops and lets people out. I watch one man and he just starting hikes p the side of the mnt. after.... he lives there I guess! We are traveling along safely through parts washed out by the rivers... only at 1 part did the front of the bus have to unload to help us make in over a hump/stream! (Once we arrive we hear about a taxis going off the road with 5 people in a family...1 survived, 2 had not been found, and 2 dead!)

#3-Huaros to Canta- Of course after the taxis story we want the big bus again... lucky us it didn´t come this day... we get a small cambi- an old van! First the sliding door takes 10minutes to get opened! Haha... then we of course have WAY too many people... think there was 17 people! Once we are all loaded we- Sarah and I- are located closest to the door which is not closed all the way! There are things strapped to the roof and stick keep flying off and the tarp is hanging way down. Besides that once again we are going around the mountain at lightening speed... after the driver’s family yelled at him to slow down because we all catch air out of our seats as we jumped out of a stream! There are frequent cows and horses in the road that we have to slow down for until they get out of the road. Mostly we just cruised on down the mnt. on this tiny death road!

#4-THE TERROR! Canta to Lima- The phrase ´you get what you pay for´ remained in a mind the whole trip! We paid s/30- $10 for the double decker bus... and for this old city transit bus we paid s/8- $2.80ish! Let me first remind you it took us 3 hrs to get here and it only took us 2hrs to get home! I conveniently feel asleep before we started moving, but when I woke up... there was no returning to sleep! It is dark outside during this ride. We are in the back once again because we have a big group which is great for the back huge row. Well... the bus is rattling down the mountain at an uncontrollable speed. Have you ever gone a little too fast on a dirt road and the car shakes... well we are shaking at an 8.0 earthquake magnitude! NO JOKE! I am rattling in my little seat... I close the window and it rattles back open 4 inches in minutes! One of the lights in the bus is going on the off the whole journey! Surprisingly enough...we aren`t going fast enough! Other cars on the road are PASSING us! Our magnitude 8 earthquake is apparently not as life threatening and other people choose to hurdle faster down this pitch black road into the darkness! I see a little blue light near the door... which I later realize signals when the driver is using the brake. Now I wonder if that’s to remind all of us passengers that he is using the brakes from time to time OR time let us know the brakes actually do work! I can remember we slowed down... not stopped but slowed 8 times! Never once for people... animals... small children... or other cars we past on this skinny road! 5 times for huge speed bumps in small pueblos... probably put there because the people are scared for their lives ever time they have the cross the street. 1 time because a bus like ours was broken down in the road. 1 time for a bigger bus coming past us. We just hurdled down the mnt. flashing the headlights at cars... which apparently means I´m bigger so watch out, because we didn’t slow down but this once... and I think it was because the road was extremely narrow at this point and debatable if both buses would fit! Lastly we stop to pick up a man… how is waiting in he dark in the middle of no where. Since the bus is full he amazingly stands for a whole hour during our earthquake shaking journey down to Lima.