10 Oct – Pen leaves. We catch a taxi to the airport, and Pen stands in line for an hour or so, while I sit in a restaurant drinking cerveza, and accomplishing sudoku puzzles. I am very good at sudoku puzzles. Then, it was time for Pen to leave. So she left. Leaving poor Kruse all alone. So Kruse caught a taxi to the bus station. And wasn-t too sure what to do, so delayed with internet. Finally figured out that Ben was too lazy to come to Colombia, and had caught a bus in the wrong direction. Panicked, he reckons. Bus to Colombia was two hours away, so he got on a bus to Banos instead. Forgetting that Banos is south of Quito. Ben is not very smart. But, I figured I needed to catch a bus to Ecuador as quick as I could. So I caught a bus to Popayan. Trying to ignore the signs that were in every single ticket office detailing how many accidents and fatalities each company has had this year.
So, 11 Oct, I woke up on a bus. And arrived in Popayan – 3 hours later than I expected. Just in time for lunch, actually. Then – another bus. Got to Ipiales (frontier town) late at night. Border was closed, so stayed at a dodgy hotel next to the bus station. Not as dodgy as it could/should have been.
12 Oct – taxi to the border. Then the fun started. Got my exit stamp from Colombia – no problems. Ignored all the touts wanting to change my pesos into US dolares. No problem. Then, a policeman asked me into the station to search my bag. No problem. But – there was a problem. My bag of coca leaves which I’d forgotten about, and thought I’d lost. I hadn’t lost it, it was in my bag. And is apparently illegal in Ecuador. I’ve been carrying it since Bolivia. Through Peru, into Ecuador, Colombia, and now back into Ecuador. Cops didn’t like it. Well / actually, they did like it – because they were about to get a bonus. I wasn’t concerned, even after they told me it was illegal – because I figured “it’s 1 dollar worth of coca leaves – they’re going to slap me on the hand, and tell me to go on my way”. I’d forgotten how corrupt policemen are here. So, eventually, they got sick of me being unconcerned, and started threatening me. Told me 6 months to a year. Thewn one of them started whispering to me – but I couldn’t understand. I figured out he must be asking to “sort this out without any problems”, but couldn’t understand him – and had to admit so. Then, they got a little bit antsy. I figured they were worried about the fact that I probably had no actual problem when their superior got there, but wanted to make some quick money. I also was a little bit antsy. Not completely sure I had no problem. So, I looked up the word for “fine” in the phrasebook. And asked the nice policeman if I could pay a fine, instead of going to jail. Then they brought out the handcuffs – and started threatening me properly. But, it was obvious they wanted the “fine”. Now, I’ve got no idea how to go about bribing police officers – but they obviously had had some practice. So, I bribed some police officers. For one bag of dirty coca leaves worth one dollar. Offered the chaps $120 seppo dollars. They’d counted my money when they were searching me, so I figured I needed to offer them what I had, minus enough to get to the next town. The police gave me back twenty – and then went and hid the “evidence” they’d found. Nice honest corrupt policemen. Bribe was too much, and they gave me change.
So, I’ve ticked another thing off my list of things to do. Have bribed a police officer. Three, to be exact. At the point of actually counting out the money, that was when my hands started shaking. So, once I got that sorted – went straight to the duty-free store and bought some whiskey. And had a cigarette. Was hoping I would hold out for longer than that after Pen left – but bribing police made it pretty necessary pretty quickly. Then, caught a “colectivo” to Tulcan – the Ecuadorian border town. Lunch at the bus station restaurant, then a bus to Quito. All the time, occasionally remembering the whole bribign incident, and getting either proud or angry. Arrived in Quito about 7pm. Just in time to catch the metro bus to the hostel, and check in, for free ron and coke. I hate ron and coke. Ben arrived five minutes later. Drunk. Then we drunk ron and coke. And then went out. Ben & I found a local’s bar, with not a single other whitey. One rather attractive young negress latched onto me – but I had to tell her I had a girlfriend. She understood, but still stuck with me for the rest of the night. I eventually figured I couldn’t stay awake anymore, and went home. Stole Ben’s bed – because his bed was the bottom bunk, and I didn’t trust myself to try and climb into my own bunk.
13 Oct – when the All Blacks should be thrashing Ingerlund. But we’re not. Instead, we get up very hungover. Gringo cafe for breakfast. Then, sit in the hostel TV room. Drink a couple of beers. And find a crowd of people wanting the rugby. So – off to an irish pub. Lots of english people. I tease them. We drink. Then France loses. I am not happy. Drink more. Then, taxi to the sports stadium, to watch Ecuador versus Venezuela at the soccer. Referred to by me a lot as “gayball”. Possibly didn’t endear myself to too many english folk. Not a bad game of gayball, but it rained the entire time, and Ecuador lost. Very chilled out crowd though. Then, Ben & I lost all the others – and caught a taxi home by ourselves. At this point, I just wanted to lie down and sleep. I suspect Ben did also. But, we found a bar before we found the hostel. I think. My recollections are rather blurry. What I do know is that we drank more. A lot more. Seabreezes. And then I started playing pool. Could barely stand up – and was sure I would get thrashed. But, it turns out that I am bloody good at pool. Champion of the table until closing. Except for Ben, who I coached through an entire game – too bloody well.
Anyway – can’t say too much more about last night. Because I can’t remember. But I stole Ben’s bed again. And today we are hungover, and it’s looking like another night in Quito. I have to remember to make Ben and myself promise to be home by midnight, so tomorrow we can head off and actually do something. Oh – and Ben reckons Galapagos was awesome. So, I’m definitely doing that after he leaves. Despite having no money left.