Bus Ride to Arequipa

In order to cut costs, because traveling is expensive even in Peru, Kelly and I decided to take a bus from Lima to Arequipa. We traveled one of the better know companies, Cruz del Sur, and it paid off. The buses are like airplanes, but take 10 times as long to arrive. They are extrememly comfortable with onboard movies, meals (small and not as willing to offer seconds), restrooms (however they politely told us that we could only go number 1...grrr), and two levels.

Our trip was suppose to be 14 hours, however, we ended up taking 16. It was an incredible long trip. I am rather large for down here, so my legs were constantly in the isles. It was a bit challenging to sleep, because we were traveling in the mountains, and we were a slightly scared. We were on the top level, so every turn (there were MANY) we felt the g´s. It was slightly scary to look out the window and see the bus passing a semi-truck, going up hill, and around a corner, but I felt safer than what I was expecting. If you talk to Kelly, she was slightly more scared than I was, and my left arm has the markings to prove it.

It was a beautiful journey while we still had light. We traveled on the Pan-American Highway, which follows the coastline. On the right side we had the ocean, and on the left side we had the desert. I did not realize how much of Peru is desert. I also failed to realize how many toll-booths there were in Peru. There are a lot. Even though the trip took a long time, it provided a fun story. We traveled during the night so that we would not have to pay for lodging as well. I don´t think that we got near enought sleep, but it was still enjoyable.

Here is a picture of our bus. You enter through the bottom, and then head up to where to common folk sit. The bottom is reserved for the VIP class. I have no clue why there is a VIP class because it costs just about as much to ride down there as it does for a one way ticket via airplane.