Safety of Overnight Bus from Quito to Canoa

KKPPWILKINSON:

The overnight bus Quito to Canoa is safe. It is a direct (executiveo) bus, and as such does not stop every few minutes to pick up more riders (robbers) on the side of the road. Basic travel, safety rules do apply. Keep your watches, rings, other jewelry and money in your front pocket to avoid flashing temptation. Keep your carry on bag or back pack on your lap. Set nothing down by your feet or under the seat.

The overnight bus gets in to Canoa before sunrise. Likely no place will be open. I suggest you walk 3 blocks West towards the beach, when you hit the beach road turn left. Walk about 1 block. On your left you will see the Surf Shack restaurant. There you will find 3 outside tables. You can watch the ocean and see the town wake up. When the Shack opens up you can get good coffee and great breakfasts. The wait staff can then help you locate your hotel.

Remember Canoa is a small town. You cannot use your credit cards here. Bring enough cash to get you through a few days until you can take the half hour bus ride in to San Vincente to the nearest ATM for more cash. Be sure the bulk of the cash you bring is in 5's and 10's there are times when even a 20 is tough to find change for. Few merchants have much change on hand.

I have lived here in Canoa for 3 years now and would be glad to talk with you and introduce you to this little pueblo I call home.

Leonard

Thanks a million for the helpful info Leonard.  Will be in Canoa over the Christmas season for five days and will be staying at the Bambu with my husband.  Would really appreciate your time (if you will have any at this time of year) to have a beer with us.  Trish.

Trish:

You are very welcome. Bamboo is a nice place. Most of the locals and expats in town know me as Leo or Don Leo. I usually take my evening meal around 18:00 at Surf Shack. You can find me there.

See you then.

Leonard

Thank Leonard.  We will see you there. Trish.

I have a questions, what about luggage on the Bus besides your Backpack... do they stow it below like most other Buses? I'll be coming down to check out your town to see if it's some place I'd like to live, so far it sounds great, I will most likely stay for at least a month. Thanks

Antone from Texas wrote:

what about luggage on the Bus besides your Backpack... do they stow it below like most other Buses?

On the Quito-Tulcan-Quito buses I took for a trip to the border, my larger suitcase was stowed in that outer/lower compartment.

Don't keep valuables in luggage stowed there, certainly not at night.  Avoid putting them in the overhead rack, too.

Coming back from the Tulcan/border area, the national police stopped the bus 15 minutes into the trip.. unloaded my bag only -- I was the sole Gringo aboard -- and searched it (probably for drugs) in my presence.  When they found it contained no contraband, they reloaded it into the lower cargo hold, and the trip proceeded without incident.

cccmedia in Quito

Hi, My name is Steve. How is the Canoa area now after the quake? I am looking at buying a condo outside of town on the beach. Just wondering how things that survived the quake are now holding up after 2 years. It seems a lot of Americans and Canada people left and didn't come back due to health problems. Just a common term people are using for fear of quakes now I guess. Thanks Steve

Dear Steve,

Welcome to the Ecuador forum of expat.com ....

I strongly advise against buying or building on property on the Ecuadorian coast, because it is on the seismically-challenged Pacific Ring of Fire.

Anything you want can probably be rented.

Do not be tempted by housing prices that dropped after the most serious earthquakes.

Avoid buying unless you have money to burn.

cccmedia

It is kind of funny. A lot of Americans and Canadians that had there condos damaged in the 2016 quake still think there units are worth what they paid for them back in 2012. So many just ran back home and left there condos to fall apart. But they won't take a loss. I have told some that for the risk of this area I won't pay that much and get stuck like they have with a property they can't sell down the road. No one can say what these buildings will do the next time after being hit so hard already by one quake even if they did stay upright. I don't have money to burn to find out or my life if the building does fall the next time. Steve

fiege1224 wrote:

A lot of Americans and Canadians that had their condos damaged in the 2016 quake still think their units are worth what they paid for them back in 2012. So many just ran back home and left their condos to fall apart. But they won't take a loss. I have told some that for the risk of this area I won't pay that much and get stuck like they have with a property they can't sell down the road. No one can say what these buildings will do the next time after being hit so hard already by one quake even if they did stay upright. I don't have money to burn to find out or my life if the building does fall the next time. Steve

This is such a great post, Steve   that it's a shame it's limited to this obscure bus thread.

This is the kind of perspective Expats need to get .. to wake up from a crazy dream of buying their dream house or condo on the Ring of Fire.

"They won't take a loss," you said, referring to owners of coastal condos that have sunk in sale-value.  To clarify, since that sentence can be understood two ways, you apparently mean that they refuse to sell for less than they paid. 

Expats who take your advice and rent -- don't consider a purchase! -- will be doing themselves a favor.

Yes, we went off-topic, but this issue is a hundred times more important
than where to sit on a bus.

cccmedia

I dont get the economy factor of an overnight bus? Bus trips are one thing that are dirt cheap in Ecuador.....How cheap does it hve to be? Is a $1 an hour too much to pay........cheapest buses I think Ive ever been on in the whole wide world.....but then my memory is not exactly impeccable.........Must be the rum...........Personally I make it a habit to travel during the day......when bus drivers can see where they are goin.......and all the potential hazards which may present themselves.......