Imagine beautiful coastal scenery, awe inspiring landscapes and open windows accompanied with a salsa soundtrack; then team this with deep pot holed roads, 1970's tin toaster like buses prone to spontaneous combustion and a seemingly sporadic timetable and you have all the fun of a theme park ride clevery disguised as the Route Del Sol. Being a gringa in Ecuador is at its most useful in bus stations on the coast. Laden with bags and surounded by multi coloured buses, seemingly with no destination signs, it's only natural that your eyes glaze over and you adopt a rabbit in the headlights expression. Have no fear, like sharks to fresh blood, the employees of the buses or local people looking on, will start listing destinations until one of them animates a response. At this point, your bags are on the bus, you're safely positioned next to the driver and you're nibbling on a piece of fried plantain you can't remember buying!

Being a gringa in Ecuador is at its most useful in bus stations on the coast. Laden with bags and surrounded by multi colored buses, seemingly with no destination signs, it's only natural that your eyes glaze over and you adopt a rabbit in the headlights expression. Have no fear, like sharks to fresh blood, the employees of the buses or local people looking on, will start listing destinations until one of them animates a response. At this point, your bags are on the bus, you're safely positioned next to the driver and you're nibbling on a piece of fried plantain you can't remember buying!

If you are lucky enough to plan when you actually board the bus, I suggest waiting until it's pretty much full. Sounds foolish but generally the best seats in the house have not yet been taken. As mentioned previously, the seat next to the driver is comfortable and spacious. Then you have the windscreen which can sit two quite comfortably. Finally, don't underestimate the free falling feeling of sitting on the steps in the entrance of the bus, precarious but refreshing, next to the open door. The only negative to the last option is the buttock bruising, side winding, lane crossing pot hole dodging that carefully navigated at full speed by the singing, toothless chafer in a wife beater!

There are two staff members on board the fun ride, (sometimes three, but the third is generally a last minute addition in the shape of an amateur mechanic for the gaffa taped gear box!) You don't have to be too concerned about which stop to get off at, the man who collected your money after you boarded will give you a holler when it's your turn to leave. If you have to change buses, don't worry, you'll be sitting on the second bus with your bags in the hold without having to utter a word. The cost of the interprovinciales is low. Generally it works out at around a dollar for every hour of travel. The price includes the option of purchasing various food stuffs bought right to you chair, entrance to the on bus petting zoo featuring a wide selection of poultry, banter with the driver and music requests and fantastic views. In return, you may be required to help the elderly and children to dismount the bus, agree wholeheartedly to be welcoming and hospitable when the drivers son visits the UK and smile politely when, without being consulted, you now appear to be engaged the conductor!

The Route Del Sol has some fantastic stops, if you want beach side lounging, scuba diving, national parks or eco reserves, the interprovinciales with drop you off, perhaps a little bruised but in high spirits, at your chosen destination. It's fairly rare to find an actual bus stop so you'll quickly realize that standing on the side of the road and waving your arms around generally hails you a bus. This method does mean you'll probably have to board the bus while it's in motion so be prepared to grab the hand that’s offered to you as the bus starts to speed up. The interprovinciales are bright (color coded by company), efficient (you always get to where you wanted!), bustling and fun with the opportunity to meet some fantastic and interesting people. One piece of advice, if you are prone to travel sickness, keep a bag handy, the rally driving techniques of your driver will have no sympathy for a queasy stomach!