Another early start, catching a 5:00 AM taxi (supposedly the only one of the day) to the Peru-Ecuador border. I arrived around 7:00 AM and had to wait a couple of hours until immigration opened, then it was a simple matter of walking 50m across the bridge into Ecuador.
After getting my entry stamp into the country I was told the first available transport further into Ecuador left at midday, leaving me three and a half hours to kill in a 1/4 horse town. Luckily my Kindle was fully charged....
The transport finally arrived, a flat bed truck that had some wooden bench seats in the rear. It was actually a really nice way to see the countryside, no dirty windows, just fresh, dusty air and unspoiled views.
Arriving at La Balsa I immediately jumped a 'proper' bus to the town of Vilcabamba, arriving 6 hours later just after dark.
I spent a couple of days in Vilcabamba, going on treks (without ending up where I wanted to go, the reason you are supposed to hire local guides) and reading / relaxing. The town has a very relaxed atmosphere, supposedly contributing to the greatly above-average lifespan of the local population.A nice introduction to Ecuador.
A couple more photos here
