Ecuador! (sung as per Sash)

Currency = US dollars (£1 = $1.5).

We bid our sad farewells to the bungalow staff who have been so lovely to us. Martina drove us to the bus stop for 9:40am and luckily we were there the requisite 20 mins early as we were bundled on and left immediately - presumably to get a head start on the nightmare border crossing (supposedly the worst in S America).

We chose Cruz del Sur (112P) as it was the only daytime bus and we had heard dodgy stories about night crossings. Despite booking a few days in advance they didn't have 2 seats together but my neighbour didn't show up so we were fine.

After a short drive along the coast we came to a checkpoint, waited on the hot stuffy bus, then all got off the bus, showed our passports and got back on the bus. No idea what this was about - checking numbers one lady told us.

Another hour down the coast and we got to the border, which took 2 hours for 2 stamps. There weren't many people, it was just really slow for no real reason. The official asked if it was our first visit to Ecuador and promptly gave us a safety leaflet which made us feel good! The cities don't have the best reputation for safety, but then neither does London.

As soon as we entered Ecuador the landscape suddenly changed from dry deserty hills to lush greenery and then millions of banana plantations.

We hadn't been on the road long when we were stopped and all had to get off while the bus drove very slowly through this giant machine which we think must have been an xray as it had radiation warning signs. Shortly after this stop, we were stopped again and a police lady came aboard to check all of our immigration stamps. They are uber keen here!

Then we drove the rest of the way, through more banana fields, which were damp with rain - a sight we haven't seen for some time!

We arrived in Guayaquil at 7:30pm, the largest Ecuadorian city and entered the bus terminal which is ginormous!! Most bus terminals are big here but this was on another level. More like a shopping centre, super clean and massive! We felt like we have reentered civilisation! It is very Americanised - no incessant horn beepings, modern cars and fast food outlets everywhere. Anna's extensive? research had told me to expect more of a backward country, but apparently medical care is free here so I should have waited for my operation!

We got a yellow cab ($5) to Hotel Jira ($35) which is far nicer than expected - there are few budget hotels in the city center and most have scathing reviews so I hadn't hoped for much.

Then we went for an evening stroll along the Malecon (boardwalk along the river) which again was very modern, clean and nice. The few blocks between our hotel and the river are a bit dodgy but seem ok.

We came across a McDonald's and much to my disgust Anna decided to go there for dinner. We'd been fed good food on the bus for lunch so weren't overly hungry but she had a cheeseburger, we shared some fries and I had an Oreo mcflurry which was lovely ($5).En savoir plus