Buses in Peru

On the road to Arequipa.

The tourists traditionnaly use two means of transportation in Peru. The domestic flights are usually cheap and can help you go from a city to another that is far, like from Lima to Cusco, in a really short time.

For the others, the bus is still the cheapest way. For longer runs, one can travel by night, saving on a hostel and on one or two meals, because they are usually included.

The most famous company is Cruz del Sur. It is the one with the best comments from tourists across the internet. More expensive, they offer good comfort and good security. All the luggages are checked-in and safely placed under the bus. Meals are good enough and they even make you play Bingo on the road. It is possible to book online.

I went from Lima to Arequipa (for around 150 soles) with this company without having anything bad to say about it. It is possible to recline the seats to make comfortable enough beds. Only thing was we got to our destination a little bit late.

Another popular company is Oltursa. A little cheaper, it offers different types of seats, between half a bed and a regular seat which is impossible to recline. Luggages are also checked-in.

Friends who used it encountered big delays. I, for one, tested Oltursa from Arequipa to Cusco (100 soles) after having bought my ticket online. If we got to our destination on time, it is only because of the hectic driving of our driver. He was going very fast and abruptly from left to right, which woke us up a couple of times. Food wasn't that great either.

The comments I gathered about other companies, and the one I could find online, are mostly negative. Theft, fraud, dangerous driving have all been mentionned. One must know the cheapest companies tend to hire the worst drivers because they don't pay them well.

In the end, my adventure on board of a Tour Peru bus went well between Cusco and Copacabana (90 soles) in Bolivia. They took care of everything at the border. The only problem was one of us couldn't buckle his seatbelt because it was broken. There was no service on board.

So before chosing, with security in mind, it is important to read the comments online and to get informed. The lowest price is not always the best option.

Being late in Lima

Sorry for the time I took to update the blog. The internet, very slow in Peru and Bolivia, didn't allow me to open the page to post updates.

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The first day in Peru went very fast. After my flight being delayed in the airport and a short night, I only had a little time to explore Lima. In the evening, I had to catch the bus I booked to Arequipa.

Having decided to meet with my friend Diego, a Peruvian I met in Cambodia last year, I only had two hours to explore by myself.

So I took the Metropolitano, the most efficient public transportation in the capital, to get in the old downtown.

The Metropolitano is a bus system that works exactly like a metro. It has its own lanes on the highway or on regular streets. Stations have been built for each stop with automated gates. And one uses an electronic card they can recharge to pay like in many other public transportation.

Then I made it in the old part of town, where I went from a park to another until I got, around noon, to the change of the guard in front of the national palace. On popular songs, the guards start a long walk that impresses tourists. Security guards make sure the street vendors are not annoying the tourists during the ceremony. That is the place where one can see fully dressed dogs.

A few minutes later, I tried to make my way back to the hostel. I didn't notice the Metropolitano stations could be confusing because some of them allow you to go only in one direction. I made the mistake of choosing the wrong direction after having paid. Problem was I didn't have change to recharge my card.

After going around in a circle, I decided to buy a bottle of juice with a bill of 50 soles so I could get a little bit of change. A ticket for the bus costs 2 soles.

With all of these adventures, I came late to my meeting with Diego. By at least 30 minutes. It must be Lima.

From there, we explored Miraflores, hate a ceviche and some raviolis with peruvian sauce in a good restaurant. Still, some women hearing us speak english couldn't keep from begging for some money. We then reached the coast, under the very grey clouds, before going back to the hostel so I made sure to catch my bus to Arequipa.

That means I visited Lima very fast. It seems like a city that has nothing too impressive. My few hours in the capital went well, the opposite of what my friends experienced. In an alley in Barranco, they got mugged with a gun and a knife for their camera. At the police station, to fill a report, they had to pay some "fees". Not sure it is totally legal to ask for those fees. Anyway, one has to be careful in Lima's streets.

In the end, the driver that was bringing me to the bus station had to work very hard to get to my destination since most of the streets were in construction. Each time he was putting the flasher on, he had to change his mind because the streets were blocked. Something to work on our patience.

Waiting in Lima

Lima, Peru

What would a trip be without some small problems to add some flavor?

Like I wrote in my last post, I left for Lima in Peru. My flight was leaving around 6 AM, so I left home around 1:30. The beauty of that is the roads are not busy at this time of the night. And what about all those construction sites on the road around Montreal... Way better to drive by them by night.

The flight to Miami went very well. Got there a little before 10 AM. Asked myself if it would be better to leave the airport to stay busy for the five hours I had to wait. I decided not to go out.

That's where the problem was. I needed to worry about the fact my flight disappeared from the departure board to figure out my flight was delayed for four more hours. Tadam! Thanks Taca Airlines.

But don't worry for me. In exchange, they gave me a voucher for a free meal... as long as it doesn't cost more than 12 $, which is the price of a bottle of water and a smile in a regular airport. I could only spend that money in McDonald's, a pizza restaurant or a grilled chicken one. At least there was one "healthy" choice.

Other problem. The price of the bill went up to an outstanding amount of... 12,06 $. Yes, you guessed it right, I had to pay the six cents. After all, five hours (well, it got delayed again) of waiting is well worth a big 12 $ when you paid more than a 1000 $ for your flight.

So I had to cancel my evening with my friend Diego, a real Peruvian, who would have met me in Lima if I had gotten there at a decent time. I also had to call my hostel to make sure they would know I would be late and for the shuttle to wait for me at the airport.

A movie and some frustrations later, we could board the plane. Original arrival time : 8:45 PM. Actual arrival time, after passport control : 3 AM.

Yes, the shuttle was still waiting. Poor driver. And everything points out his parking ticket was past due.

Karma, o karma, I finally got my own room in the hostel. Thinking of those who were sleeping in the other rooms, the woman at the desk gave me my own room. I've got your number now Karma!

The first stories about Lima will come soon. Only observation : the roads are in pretty bad shape. And for those who think they can't plan the road work well in Canada, think again. Half of the streets are blocked in Lima because of construction. Hard to navigate... When one compares himself...

On my way to Lima

I'm now on my way to Peru. I took off very early in the morning and I'm now working on my patience in Miami airport.

Tonight, I will be in Lima before heading to Arequipa tomorrow night.

In a week, I'll start walking up to the Machu Picchu.

More news to come if wi-fi allows it.

I'm not forgetting that I'm very very late in the news concerning Amsterdam. I'll come to it at some point.

The Indian visa, end of the story

Celebrations!

The envelope was waiting, patiently, in the mailbox, right next to the door. The priority mail could mean just one thing. The Indian visa!

So my passport came back, with the Indian visa in it, in the imparted time. Only problem : it will have cost me twice the price and two trips to Ottawa instead of one. Other problem, since I now have a journalist visa in my passport, I won't be able to stay vague about my job when I'll cross borders everywhere else. Lesson learned.

Other lesson : double check every information before sending the visa request.

Buying the flight

Before I change my mind, I bought the flight that will have me landing in New Delhi on January 5th.

For that, I noticed the price of the flight was 400 $ higher in just one month. 100 $ more than the week before. And that is for the cheapest one. Not necessarily the one I wanted.

I searched on flights comparators I didn't know about, like momondo.com and google.com/flights (no, I hadn't realized  Google had started comparing flights). I also tried on the usual websites like Expedia.ca or priceline.com.

Results were not convincing for the length of the flights, the number of stops or the arrival time. I was about to give up when I took a last chance. I've already written it, flight comparators are not all comparing the price for the same companies. That is when I found a flight on Emirates, a company well known for the quality of service. A company I didn't get the chance to fly on yet.

Before booking, I checked on Emirates website itself... where the same flight was cheaper. Economies : 120 $.

Other than the website problems which delayed my booking for 24 hours, I was done with the problems. At least I hope so. Direction India as soon as the new year starts : visa and flight in hand.

Nomination

A simple word to ask you to vote for me at the MIB Awards. My blog is nominated.

The Indian visa saga

The ones who are used to my blog already know I don't like to ask for visas. Always complicated, lots of forms to fill, always that feeling I gave the wrong answers.

Yes, I understand why. It's only that I don't have any other intention than visiting, than feeling the countries culture. If everybody was planning on doing the same, we wouldn't need a visa.

I stressed to get the Chinese visa. I almost had urticaria for the Brazilian visa. I had to work hard to get the Cuban visa.

And the adventures keep on coming for the Indian visa. Because I decided to leave for a month in January, I wanted to get a lead to be one step ahead. The flights are cheaper when bought several months ahead. But to book a flight, one must be sure they will be able to leave.

So I went for a tourist visa. I filled the form online, checked each information at least three times and drove to Ottawa to hand my application directly. If there is a problem, they will tell me.

At BLS office, the agency that will take care of the application, one can only pay cash or with debit. It will take seven to ten days, I'm told, before the visa is ready.

"If I wrote I'm a journalist, will there be any problem?" I ask.

Stop. Smarter people will say I should avoid talking about my job. I chose honesty... Just to see. End of the pause.

"No problem. Since you're asking for a tourist visa, there will be no problem" I'm told.

Loud buzzer telling me it's wrong!

Got a call, two weeks later, telling me my request was denied. Tourist or not, I need a journalist visa. The difference? The price, higher, and the length of stay, shorter.

The call center being unable to answer all my questions, I went back to Ottawa to hand a second request, which is still in treatment.

They gave me excuses, but no discount. I had to pay again, even if I had asked all the questions the first time and they gave me the wrong answers. I told them they should put the right information on their website. They said they would make the corrections. Nothing has changed to this day.

In the mean time, I hear a lot of bad stories from visa applicants... I prefer having faith. The decision should come before the end of the week.

But if India doesn't want me, I'll go somewhere else...