After spending a wonderful day at the spa in Cuenca it rapidly went downhill from there. We arrived at the Trieste Bus Terminal at 9:15 pm for our 5 hour overnight bus trip to Mancora. The bus left right on time and things appeared to be going as per plan. Most of the passengers dozed off and before you know it at 2 am we arrived at the Peru Border Crossing. The bus driver abruptly asked everyone to leave the bus and head to the border office where we witnessed a line the extended well past the length of the building. I asked one of the border guards how long this process was going to take and he indicated at least 3 hours...THREE FRICKEN HOURS??? Three hours came and went and we were about 1/2 way through the line. Looked like another 3 hours to go at this rate. The only upside was meeting people on the bus from England, France/Australia, Ireland. Six hours later we cleared customs looking like Zombies and back on the bus to Mancora, approximately 3 hours away. Upon arrival at Mancora my first impression was not great. The town looked pretty scruffy and nothing as described by other people we had spoken to. I have learned not to pass judgement from a first impression and honestly, Im sure our experience at the border left us a little tainted.
We checked into our hotel which was pretty cool, a scene right out of "Gilligan's Island", a popular TV series in the 70's for those of you that are old enough to remember. Set in a jungle atmosphere, thatched roof, 2 sling chairs and a hammock on the porch, flat screen TV offering English channels, something we hadn't seen since arriving and an infinity pool just steps from our door. So even if we never left the hotel, things looked pretty good. We decided to go for a walk on the beach and maybe have a short knap after a sleepless night. The place is certainly a bit of a tourist trap but definitely growing on us. We patronized a restaurant that has become somewhat of a favourite thanks to Marcos & his sidekick AKA Joe Pesce. Meals average $10 Sol which works out to approximately $3.50 CDN. To top it off, you can get 2 large bottles of beer (24 oz) for $3.
After recovering from our Border Disaster, we decided to take a bus and visit the resort town of Punta Sal, VERY NICE!! This place was very upscale with some huge beach front properties, obviously owned by the privileged few. The beaches were among the best we have ever seen and virtually deserted. There were few immenities such as grocery stores or restaurants so we assumed that the location does not really cater to tourists. In any event...BEAUTIFUL! We returned to Mancora in time to shower and visit our favourite "feedbag & watering hole'. We spent the evening getting the low down from the restaurant staff and upon leaving the restaurant witnessed some sort of celebration that saw everyone dressed in purple and a lit display of Jesus being rolled along the main street with a large crowd following.
We checked into our hotel which was pretty cool, a scene right out of "Gilligan's Island", a popular TV series in the 70's for those of you that are old enough to remember. Set in a jungle atmosphere, thatched roof, 2 sling chairs and a hammock on the porch, flat screen TV offering English channels, something we hadn't seen since arriving and an infinity pool just steps from our door. So even if we never left the hotel, things looked pretty good. We decided to go for a walk on the beach and maybe have a short knap after a sleepless night. The place is certainly a bit of a tourist trap but definitely growing on us. We patronized a restaurant that has become somewhat of a favourite thanks to Marcos & his sidekick AKA Joe Pesce. Meals average $10 Sol which works out to approximately $3.50 CDN. To top it off, you can get 2 large bottles of beer (24 oz) for $3.
After recovering from our Border Disaster, we decided to take a bus and visit the resort town of Punta Sal, VERY NICE!! This place was very upscale with some huge beach front properties, obviously owned by the privileged few. The beaches were among the best we have ever seen and virtually deserted. There were few immenities such as grocery stores or restaurants so we assumed that the location does not really cater to tourists. In any event...BEAUTIFUL! We returned to Mancora in time to shower and visit our favourite "feedbag & watering hole'. We spent the evening getting the low down from the restaurant staff and upon leaving the restaurant witnessed some sort of celebration that saw everyone dressed in purple and a lit display of Jesus being rolled along the main street with a large crowd following.
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