Following my intense but fantastic climb to the summit of Cotopaxi volcano, which we climbed up to an altitude of 5500 meters, I spent a few days in Cuenca. It was enjoyable to be reunited with old friends, enjoy the city one more time and have a few more good bye parties before leaving Ecuador 'for good'.

After Cuenca it seems time to head south to Peru. So on Monday morning I decide to take an early bus to Máncora, Perú. This is a nine-hour bus ride, with the border crossing at Huaquillas. Although I've never done this border crossing before, many stories that circulate among South American travelers and on the internet would make you believe that this is the most terrifying border crossing in South America. It is often said it would be very chaotic and thus easy to get scammed and ripped off. You could spend a good couple of hours reading these stories. So kind of preoccupied I embark on this journey.

After a good six-hour drive the bus arrives at the border zone. The driver drops us off at the Ecuadorean migration office where we get our exit stamps. This is still a few km ahead of the actual border. Although this takes a little longer than I expect, everything seems fine. No scams or bribing yet. A good thirty minutes later we're picked up by the next bus. This bus takes us to another building which apparently is a second Ecuadorean migration office.Here we're supposed to hand in the Andean immigration card that we have just filled in. All right. The officer seems to have some trouble with his desktop computer and has been staring at his screen for at least fifteen minutes as the line in front of his desk is growing and growing. After a while, he presses the right button and I get another stamp in my passport, don't ask me why. Drugs police and dogs are searching around and finally we're ready to board the bus again. Now we're taken through Huaquillas, the border town. And that's wat it really is: crowded, chaotic. I could imagine getting lost in this crowd hadn't I been safely on this bus and it gives me a good feeling. The real border is nothing more than what once used to be a river with a bridge that crosses this dry sandbed. 'Bienvenidos al Perú' says the sign across the 'river','meaning I just left Ecuador. I'm in Peru,but the world doesn't seem to have changed a lot.

Or does it?

In Peru the landscape quickly turns brown and dry. Compared to Ecuador it seems like a desert. We drive another two hours (after another stop and search) to the beach town of Mancora, where I spend three days on the beach. In Mancora -like in most Peruvian towns- most taxis are motortaxis. They're cheaper than regular car taxis (they'll usually take you somewhere for 2 or 3 nuevo soles) and a bit more spectacular. Similar to Ecuador is all national propaganda in the media. On my final night in Mancora I watch the Copa America soccer match Colombia vs. Argentina with some people in my hostel. During the live broadcast, every now and a while, the reporters are supposed to exclaim some commercial message or 'propaganda'. For example 'Thank you Movistar for telling us the time' or in Spanish 'Construyendo 6200 km de nuevas carreterras. Así avanza el Perú' (constructing 6200 km of new roads, that's how Perú moves on!). Although very disturbing (you can't follow the actual game) it's quite hilarious to hear these messages, as they don't make any sense in the context of the game.

From Mancora I take a bus south to Chiclayo on Thursday. This road goes through a dry and desolate coastal area full of dirty oil refineries and then straight through the Sechura desert. It's kind of bewildering to see the landscape change so drastically. Even more astonishing is the visible amount of dirt, poverty and trash: it's literally everywhere. On both sides of the road, everything is full of plastic bags, bottles and paper. Nobody seems to care. Why should one, whose main priorities are food and housing?

On Friday I explore the nice city of Chiclayo and travel to the pyramid ruins in Túcume, thirty kilometers north of Chiclayo. I take part in the following contest: how many people could fit in a mini-van? Although suprised by the result, I'm not sure if we won it, but I'm sure we beat every Western-European standard! The pyramid (ruins) of Túcume are situated in a very dry area. A viewpoint offers an majestic view over what once used to be the powerful settlement of a lost civilization.

Though distinctly different from Ecuador, I'm enjoying my time in Peru. Despite the great amount of visible poverty and dirt, the great majority of the people is very friendly and most cities are a pleasure to visit. During my time off, I kill some time watching the Copa America games with Peruanos. Checking and marking every bill I get for change, as there are so many forged ones, I spend a lot of time checking out new places along the Peruvian coast, making my way south to Lima, further east to Bolivia and final stop: Rio de Janeiro!