I fled Ecuador to get to Peru as soon as possible. I paid for my haste with a penalty when leaving the country. At the border with Bolivia, the border guard calls my attention to a number in my passport. There is a small 30 on the stamp. This refers to an interview I had with his colleague when entering Peru. Unconsciously I answered the question how long I intend to stay in Peru succinctly with 30 days.

Legally, as an EU citizen, I am allowed to stay in Peru for up to 90 days within 180 days without a visa. Stupidly, the 30 days, which I had not thought about at that moment, tipped the scales. My top tip, just specify 90 days, you can always stay shorter, after all. The 33 days over my time cost me the equivalent of about 40 euros and a trip to the surrounding town to the Banco Nacional, where I had to pay this Multa (Spanish for fine). The bus driver had promised me to wait, which he could not keep due to the long time I was to spend in the bank.

Since I had not thought well and had left my small backpack in the bus, my belongings worth over a thousand euros made their way alone to La Paz, one of the two capitals of Bolivia.

When I arrived back at the border, I was helped a lot. The customs officer helped me past the queue. The lady who coordinated the various queues quickly got me a replacement bus that I could ride for free, even though it was from a different company. Upon arrival in La Paz, the driver of my original bus was already waiting for me and handed over all my belongings. Thank you, Peru and Bolivia.