Expecting Trouble

The most convenient border between Ecuador and Peru is also the most dangerous. There are countless stories of travelers being mugged, kidnapped and even stabbed while trying to get from one country to the next. While we were waiting in line to have our passports stamped, we started to talking to an American who had just caught a taxi between the Peru and Ecuador borders, then been apprehended by a policeman, driven to an ATM and forced to withdraw US$200, which the cop then pocketed. It was the second time we'd done that particular crossing, and I'm glad it was also the last (each time we've paid extra money to be taken in an international bus which is the safest possible method of crossing). This thing was parked at one of the border checkpoints, so the potential for big trouble is obviously well known: