A Day on the Cold Bus

Today was a long day of what, for me, was stressful travel.  We took a five hour bus ride from the happy and inviting town of Tena, to the dark, drab and industrial town of Coca, in the Napo province of Ecuador.  Since India, I get stressed and scared in any transportation port, especially in train and bus stations.  At the Tena bus station, my phobia returned and was the beginning of a really hard day.

The bus ride went on for hours.  I had a minor panic attack in the station, and took my fear out on my parents.  I really screwed up, and got them both mad at me.  I felt annoyed that I have traveled so much yet still I fear transportation.   For hours, the bus charged on in the cold fog.  Soon, darkness feel upon the dreary road.  I noticed that my parents were looking for something on the bus.  I asked, and they said they had lost the cell phone.  When we arrived in Coca, we had to spend forty-five minutes looking on the bus for the phone and then buying a new one.  When all was settled, we took a taxi to our pre-arranged hotel.  When we showed up, we realized that the place was a complete dump, but we did not want to go looking for another hotel because it was already late.  I am tired and have been difficult to my parents.  I wish I was home and had my own room to sit and relax in, but I still have six more painful weeks until that time comes. 

We have just returned from a very unappetizing dinner at an oil industry hotel next door to ours.  It was basically cafeteria food, but by then I was in such a bad mood I didn’t really care.  Tomorrow we will go to a nice jungle lodge and I am so thankful I do not halve to stay in Coca for more than one night!

Thank you for Reading Rohan Geographic!