My first sign that in being away 3 and a half years Ecuador is changing fast. Something fairly radical has been happening with the economy. The once old, crumbling, dark, dingy, completely disliked and uncared for bus terminal, the one used to take all buses from Quito, has moved. Moved far out of town where there is more space. It is a modern white open shiny glass building, housing the bus companies. It’s secure, welcoming, even. It couldn’t have come as more of a surprise. To wait for the bus there is very different. It feels like you’re about to depart on holiday. (Something I’m entirely in denial about!) When I buy my ticket it costs the same $6 but I am given a muffin and a juice too. This is good news. My carefully (and rather smugly!) prepared packed lunch, I have left in the hostel fridge. Rollocks!
The toilets are modern, flush and there are telephone cabins too. There are LCD screens to tell of bus arrivals and departures and bays for the buses. The shout from the bus boys “Tena, Beaza, Al Tena, Baeza” is just about the only familiar part of taking the bus. That and a family arriving with all their worldly possessions and having these loaded (wardrobes, chairs and all) onto the bus too. The 6 hour journey to Tena across the Andes seems to be just as long too, even though the road is now almost all concrete. 5 years ago, it was in the very slow process of being constructed and the journey was a considerably bumpier experience! Bridges got built, fell down, got rebuilt.. and well this still goes on but at least on the surface it looks better!
No comments:
Post a Comment