While Ecuador has been our most punitive experience as tourists, it also provided opportunities for great kindness to be extended by a few special people. I don’t have any pictures for this section, so it might border on TL;DR, but if you’re in the mood to get re-inspired about humanity and have a few minutes, here is our story:
We left our Quito hostel at 5:30am to catch our 6:15am bus. Our ticket from Cruz Del Sur had no departure information included, and after an unfulfilling Google search, we concluded that the Quitumbe Southern Terminal of Quito was our best bet. Feeling fairly confident in our $8 cab fare (talked down from $12 thanks to a handy “what you should pay” sheet on display in our hostel”), we were eager to move forward to Columbia. We read that Cruz Del Sur, which normally operates from their own local stations, apparently makes an exemption for the long journey from Quito to Columbia. Trans Esmerelda apparently operates the ticket counter for them.
Ascending to the boleta (ticket) area, we found the trans Esmerelda kiosk- it was closed. We looked at the list of departures, 30 minutes away from ours, and saw nothing listed on the tiny tv screen. Having to pay $0.20 each to leave, we didn’t even have a place to buy our exit ticket to the buses, not that we knew where to go.
We asked the man taking the exit tickets and he didn’t know anything about Cruz Del Sur. He asked a security guard with no luck. Asking what we should do as the minutes counted down, we began doubting that we were at the right terminal. Were we supposed to go to that local Cruz Del Sur location back in town? Should we have gone to the North terminal? Either way, we didn’t stand a chance in getting to either in time.
Once it was 6:00am, the man who took the tickets, Alejandro, was off work. Watching hope slip away as the only person on duty that spoke English (which is incredibly helpful in times like these), we were left to wait with very little information. Luckily, the woman taking his place was aware of the Cruz Del Sur bus to Columbia (hooray!), which only operates once a week and doesn’t even have a terminal parking space as a result. Alejandro took us under his wing, bypassing us through the pesky $0.40 mystery ticket to leave, and walking with us outside to wait at the best location to see arriving buses.
He asked the security guards outside if they knew anything, and determined that the bus had not arrived. (We read another’s blog who mentioned the bus had been two hours late, which coming all the way from Lima isn’t too surprising). Alejandro and I talked in Spanglish for awhile, and I learned that he lived in New Jersey for a 2-3 years until his dad got sick and they moved back home. He still has some family in New Jersey, and loved visiting New York. He learned his English on the streets, since he only did one year of school there before he started working with his dad. He is kind, generous in spirit, and was happy to help us without reservation or a hint of annoyance that he was completely entitled to walk away after his night shift ended. He is engaged, and his dad is now doing well.
At 6:30am, he went to ask his boss for information. Once it was closer to 7am, he took me back inside to the now open Trans Esmeraldas kiosk while Tanner guarded our stuff at the watch post outside.
It was so helpful to have him ask the lady for an update, especially because her unfriendly tone and attitude was clearly felt through the rapid-fire Spanish I could barely comprehend. And he’s a local! Was just his association with me enough to warrant impatience or was she just not a morning person? He informed me that the bus was running late, but would be coming and that we were to wait inside by the kiosk to be summoned upon its arrival. Relieved that we hadn’t missed it (and baffled at the complete lack of communication about any of this), we walked back outside and Alejandro helped bring our bags back in. I also noticed he asked the ticket-taker woman who took over after his shift and the corresponding security guard to keep an eye out for us.
Not only did Alejandro stay an hour past his working hours to help us, but he was an incredible advocate. When our bus finally came at 9:30am, it’s seemed like all of the terminal security guards spotted us and were there to usher us to the correct place–with smiles. Without Alejandro, 1) I would have cried at least once; 2) We may have tried to go to the “local” office and missed the bus, and 3) we would have lost all faith in our experience as tourists in Ecuador.
Relieved to get on the bus, we didn’t care that our next 30 hours would be spent in a bus seat. We also read that they didn’t serve food on this ride for some reason (but made some stops at restaurants). Because both of us are subject to getting hangry (irritable when hungry), we planned on stocking up enough snacks to make it through the bus ride without other food. Good thing we did that because, when we crossed the border, we learned that Canadian citizens had to pay an entrance fee of $55.56 (US equivalent to $160 Columbian pesos). There is no ATM at the border; only a collection of individuals looking to exchange your cash for you (for who knows what price).
We didn’t think we even had enough US cash, so I tried explaining our predicament in Spanish to the security guard who walked me over to a window where I was told there might be an ATM at the “hotel” across the street. Other bus passengers who spoke only Spanish came and asked what was happening, trying to help by talking to the same people with whom I’d already spoken. Our list of advocates grew (only Spanish speakers) and yet nothing was happening. We started to walk toward this “hotel” (deserving of quotes due to it’s tiny, elusive presence) and the bus drivers then tried to help.
We counted our cash from every source we had and ironically learned that indeed we had $55.60 exactly. What were the odds?! And yet the money change fee would certainly not make an exchange worth it for anyone to work with us. The bus drivers tried to see if any money-exchangers could help and they wouldn’t make exact change without a fee. The bus drivers walked across the street with us and went to talk to some folks while we just waited and watched, unsure if we should pursue our own battle or let the bus drivers tap whatever resources they were searching for.
A couple we had talked with briefly was standing there and asked what was happening. After sharing, they walked us across the street and talked to a money changer. They paid the difference to exchange what we had and walked with us back to the Comumbian border area. There still was a little extra needed as part of the fee, and they were going to pay that as well. There was only one window that could service the fee transaction, and apparently we were behind a complicated transaction that ended up taking half an hour. They waited with us as we spoke in Spanglish. Our knight and knight-ess (?) in shining armor were Margara and Pedro, a charming couple on their honeymoon. They went to University together and then reunited after ten years when Pedro was headed to Argentina for work, where Margara was working at the time. Now they are going to live in Columbia together and are just the sweetest couple together. Without them, we would have been stuck again, potentially holding up the bus or missing it if we were unable to find a creative way to obtain the pesos we needed. Not only did we not have a cent left for food, but we literally only had a credit card now (which is not accepted in cabs and smaller restaurants). Margara gave us the change from the transaction, $10,000 pesos (about $4) so we had something once we got to Bogota. They said others had bestowed kindness to them on their journey and they were happy to help.
For them, it may have cost $8 (maybe more), but for us, it was the transformation of a tourist nightmare at the border into another reason to be grateful for the amazing goodness of humanity that comes when it’s least expected and most appreciated.
Thank you, Alejandro, Margara and Pedro! You have our deepest gratitude and some amazing good karma that will surely last you a lifetime!
