We got on a 9 hour bus from Peru to Ecuador. We were heading to Cuenca a supposedly gorgeous colonial city and Unesco World Heritage Site. We made it through the shady Peruvian border and then had to travel through the Pueblo of Aguas Verdes.
Due to poor border relations between Peru and Ecuador, they have set aside a 4 km buffer zone of no mans land, this is Aguas Verdes. This shady little region, where their are no police or organization of any kind is a gringos nightmare. In this shady little village, their is nothing but thieves and dodgy people selling basura as far as the eye can see.
Here in this dog eat dog little pueblo is where our bus got stuck in the mud for over two hours.
El Chofer or the bus driver in all his infinte wisdom and prudence decided to take our 25 year old chicken bus filled to the gills with people, and a big old picture of Jesus "El Amigo" down a cramped little dirt road. In this dusty little excuse for a road, there was a huge pool of mud waiting for us right in the middle.
Anyone watching this bus would of seen a driver slowly coasting into a big of black hole of mud, that resembled a prehestoric tar pit. And his great decision to take us through that pit of doom was only the beginning of the fun.
As we coasted into the sea of Sludge El Chofer decided it was now time to panic and started accelerating causing the wheels to spin and thus secured our fate, deep in the mud.
Then as if the bus sent out some kind of signal to the inhabitants of the village, men and young boys began appearing out of the woodwork. They began working on our bus and the surrounding mud sea like mischevious little elves, all doing different tasks.
Without consulting any of the other men, they worked side by side. Some men were digging, some putting rocks and bricks under the wheels.
No one had discussed on overall stragedy or game plan. They just walked up and start working in what ever manner they so desired.
None of the passengers on the actual bus were consulted or listened to for any direction. The locals were happliy digging and getting incredibly muddy, meanwhile the bus driver was constantly turning on the bus and accelerating, causing the bus to sink deep into the back wheels of the bus to sink deeper into the holes the men of the village so wisely dug.
Every now and again the men who were riding on the bus were commanded by the driver to push on the front of the bus or the back of the bus, depending on his mood.
This was all going on for about two hours. Local men and boys digging, men from the bus pushing on the bus. Wheels keep spinning in place while the mud coverd bus driver scream curse words from the drivers seat. El Chofer keeps trying to drive forward and then backward and is doing a fine job of getting the damn bus deeper into the dark thick mud.
Women, children and older people are for the most part ignored and although they are the ones who realize early on that all of these efforts are fruitless and infact only making the situation worse, they are completely written off.
Women who try to help our pathetic situation or give suggestions are ignored by the brillant men who scratch their heads, dig, and keep on pushing that 5 ton bus in every direction.
Rooz is trying hopelessly to coordinate a movement against and digging and create a real plan. I am in the background with the women and children trying to create anarchy and rile the troops. Telling them that the bus driver or El Chofer should call us another bus or go to town for real help.
Finally after watching this circus act for nearly 3 hours a woman goes to talk to some local construction workers near by and gets one of the men to bring his truck and tow us out.
In the end the men all cheered and the muddy little Chofer smiled smuggly at their great accomplishment. In their eyes they were the victorious ones who had rescued the bus!
In reality it was an woman, cast off by the ditch digging local men, who took matters into her own hands and got us out of the man made ditch. And she managed to do it all without getting a drop of mud on her.
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