On our appointed day Jim and I arrived extra early since we didn't know what to expect. The airport was packed with people traveling, people buying tickets, transit police, airport officials, a TV crew and dignitaries in business suits. It was mass chaos and no one seemed to know exactly where we should wait or which van was ours. I asked at least four different people about this (transit police, ticket office, driver cleaning a van, passenger clutching a ticket for our same van). Finally at 5 minutes to 12 ( our ticket was for noon) there was a general movement of people and luggage toward one van. We got into the crowd. We waited. Finally a middle aged guy with an Elvis do came to the back of the van along side an airport official with a clipboard. Jim's name was called, then mine. We could not figure out where all the luggage was going to go because this was a van without much more than one suitcase width's room in back. We shrugged and got aboard. Of course the seats were not numbered which caused every passenger consternation since they had a seat number on their ticket.
Pretty soon there was discussion outside about what to do with the extra luggage. A second van pulled up and the overflow luggage wouldn't all fit in the back of that one either, so some was put on the seats. Neither van was full of passengers. Before we left the transit policeman read our names off again and then took a video of us all. Now we were ready to go but the second bus was blocking our way. After much horn tooting the second bus finally moved and we were off at 12:15 pm.
At this point I was feeling pretty optimistic since it is a new van service and we were only 15 minutes late leaving. Before we were out of Cuenca, though, our driver's true colors were shown. He took a dirt road short cut in order to get ahead of Van #2, barely missing him. Then we started down the windy 2 hour stretch of highway through the spectacular Cajas National Park.
I love going through this area because of the ever changing tableaux of clouds and scenery, such as grazing llamas and trout streams. Today, however, I had my eyes closed for most of it because our "cowboy" driver took every curve well over the speed limit throwing the passengers from side to side and even some of the luggage off the upper racks. I hoped I wouldn't get sick. I did manage a few photos from the careening van.
This driver was a pass-on-the-curve maverick. My eyes remained closed for most of the two hours. I felt sorry for Jim who was sitting in the front seat with a clear view of the the road.
Eventually we dropped down out of the Andes and we could see the banana plantations below us. And it got hot. And people asked the van driver to turn on the air. And he couldn't figure it out. And one of the passengers knelt on the floor in front of the controls and tried everything. The only AC was coming from a small vent in the front. Our individual air controllers (like on a plane) had nothing coming out. Mind you, this was a brand new Dodge van; so new the plastic was still on the visors.
And it became very hot as we reached sea level. Remember, this is only a few hours south of the equator, for which Ecuador is named. In our hot, airless van I was now really feeling ill. The only consolation was I knew we were on the outskirts of Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city. I was slightly amused when the driver asked the passenger behind him whether he should turn left or right to the airport. I became worried when the van driver was stopped at a light further on and asked a street vendor how to get to the airport. I have been between Guayaquil's main bus station and airport many times and know it only takes a few minutes to get from one to the other. A good 15 minutes after passing the bus station, after turning in to the convention center, then the civil guard, our driver finally got it right and turned in to the airport. He didn't park near the entrance, much to the grumbling of the Cuencanos. We were last off since our luggage had been put on first. As a final insult, he wouldn't give me our 3rd bag until I gave him $5. When I asked why, he said "too many bags."
It was nice to go airport to airport and maybe our experience won't be the norm but I doubt I would use this van "service" again. Hopefully when we return the Cuenca airport will be functioning again.
Audrey
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