I read that getting from the Guayaquil airport to Cuenca was an easy matter of walking to the nearby bus terminal and buying a ticket. This is mostly true, but far from clear on the spot. Walking out of the airport there was a sign for buses so I followed the path across the parking lot and across the street. There was a city bus stop in the middle of the street and no more signs. I stood on the sidewalk, surrounded by car dealerships, scratching my head in the universal gesture of being lost. A cabby pointed down the street to the terminal and offered to take me for two dollars. Another gentleman told me to get on the city bus. I followed him and he swiped me in for the one stop ride to the terminal. I thanked him and gave him a 50 cent piece for the bus ticket and a little extra and walked toward the mega complex that is the Guayaquil bus terminal. The building is probably larger than the airport terminal. It took me a few minutes walking through the shipping mall corridor to find the ticketing area down a parallel corridor. Over 100 kiosks for various bus companies and destinations line the length of the terminal. There are few clear signs for destinations and no legend for how the place is organized, though there seems to be some kind of color coding by province. After walking around bewildered for a few minutes, I told one of the guys who seemed to be hawking tickets for one bus line or another where I was going. I must be somehow mispronouncing “Cuenca” because this was not trivial. He led me down to a desk at the other end where I bought a ticket ($8.25) then led me to the buses on the second floor – yes this terminal has the buses above the mall. As soon as it crossed my mind that I would have to tip for this service, he asked for some “propina”. We reached my bus slot and I gave him a 50 cent piece. He stood there looking upset until I replaced it with a dollar. Quite a business plan. That’s how I spent $1.25 to help me get on a bus.
Cuenca
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Costs
First hostel night! The expensive part of the trip is done, I hope costs should calm down from now on.
Cost today: $34.25
Cumulative cost: $4,281.12