Our bus catches fire

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Overland it took four days to get to the jungle in North East Peru. I began with a 12 hour bus journey going north through the coastal desert with some sand dunes stretching for 20 kilometres. Close by the mountains came down to the sea. In May and June the road disappeared in sea-mist.

On one trip we were delayed when one of the bus springs had to be welded at a garage.

Back on the road we continued for an hour or so then the bus stopped in the middle of nowhere. Smoke was coming out from under the bus – the bus was on fire! Once I got outside I raced to the baggage compartment and pulled my bag out. Men threw sand onto the fire but it made no difference. All we could do was stand back and watch the long cloud of black smoke blowing over the sand dunes and rock. I hitch-hiked to a town where I continued by bus.
The following day another 12 hours by bus eastwards through the Andes on unsealed roads.

Day three was a five to seven hour journey by pick up truck over a dirt road to the Marañón River. At certain times of the year when rains were heavy there were delays when the road washed away.

The next day I had a five hour journey downriver by a boat powered by a 40 hp outboard motor.

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