An Australian traveller has told how she fled Peru in a bus cargo hold after the President announced he was closing the borders the next morning.
Belinda Cleary’s ‘trip of a lifetime’ to South America was turned on its head this week as the coronavirus crisis spiralled out of control around the world.
With just hours to get out before the country went into lockdown, former Daily Mail journalist Ms Cleary, 28, boarded a bus to escape Cusco, Peru for La Paz, Bolivia.
But when it broke down, she was instead left with only one option – clamber into the cargo hold of a second, already full bus, or risk being trapped in quarantine.
Just like thousands of Australians who are following official advice to return ASAP, Ms Cleary made the trip in order to catch a series of flights home.
Ms Cleary tells of her desperate border run … and how some of her fellow travellers weren’t as lucky:
The Peruvian president gave just 12 hours notice before he closed the borders, amid fears COVID-19 would rip through the poverty-stricken population.
Desperate to get out before the country locked down, I ended up in the cargo hold of a public bus headed for the border.
It was a stark contrast to how I spent my days and hours before – hiking through scenic mountains and visiting the now closed world wonder, Machu Pichu.
Dire straits: Australian journalist Belinda Cleary (centre) flees Peru with a young German couple, a Mexican man and a Bolivian mother in a bus cargo hold
This is the musty cargo hold – crammed with luggage – where Ms Cleary and her companions were forced to cower in a desperate bid to escape Peru for Bolivia before the border shut
The escape route: Ms Cleary was fleeing Cusco, a large city in Peru’s south, to La Paz, Bolivia, where she hoped to catch a flight that would begin her journey home to Australia
Sitting underneath the floor of a bus was a far cry from Ms Cleary’s other travels – which included seeing Machu Pichu, one of the seven wonders of the world
My new reality hit quickly as I shared some bread in the dark with my new-found friends and fellow escapees.
I was sitting on a pile of blankets, next to some suitcases beneath the floor of a long-haul bus, in very close contact with my new friends.
There was a young couple from Germany, a Mexican man and a Bolivian mother – all desperate to make the border crossing before it closed indefinitely and we were forced into quarantine.
The dimly lit cargo hold was a tight fit for five adults. The air was thick and musty. Sometimes the steamy smell of five bodies in such close quarters was overpowered by the smell of petroleum fumes from the engine just inches from our hidden sanctuary.
We didn’t set off on our quest to flee the country with the idea of climbing into a dark box suited for suitcases.
Dramatic announcement: Peru’s President Martin Vizcarra shut the borders and enforced a two-week nationwide lockdown
In fact we had all been on the first bus out of Cusco following the president’s announcement.
The shock news came in the form of a national address, right at dinner time.
The president told the nation that strict rules would start from 8am.
Borders would be closed for at least two weeks. People were only to leave their homes to go to the supermarket, bank or to help vulnerable family members.
I didn’t fancy spending two weeks locked in my hotel room, especially when ‘two weeks’ during a state of emergency could easily turn into 12.
Flights had stopped in Cusco for the night which meant the only escape was a ten hour ride on a bus.
If we wanted to leave the country we were told to hop in the cargo hold, keep quiet and hope for the best.
But our bus broke down two hours out of town.
And as more and more oil poured from the back of the engine, our drivers declared we would be sleeping by the side of the road until a mechanic and new bus could arrive.
We didn’t realise the ‘new bus’ was an already full bus heading for the border.
But the driver explained the panic had been so great people had booked out every bus in the city.
If we wanted to leave the country we were told to hop in the cargo hold, keep quiet and hope for the best.
Total farce: Ms Cleary’s bus broke down as it sped toward the border – with oil leaking all over the ground
Get in: Ms Cleary was forced to jump in the cargo hold of a second bus in order to complete her trip
Anxious scenes: At the same time, at the airport travellers queued for one of the last flights out of Peru before the border closed
Serious situation: Peruvian army officers are seen patrolling outside major western hotels as the country went into lockdown
Many of our fellow travellers chose to return to Cusco. Fearing the situation in Bolivia would change quickly and they would be stuck there, in a nation know for huge unrest.
A Chinese passenger was denied entry, so our bus rolled away and she was left at the border
After six hours in the hold the door opened.
It was like seeing light for the first time. We shielded our eyes against the glare and stumbled out of our hiding place to use a bathroom and have some water.
Some locals had chosen to get off the bus at this point, so there was room upstairs.
Three of us were able to take a seat and the other two sat in the aisle. It would be bad for the driver if customs or police saw us emerging from the boot at the border.
As we arrived, six hours after the official cut off, we held our breath, hoping the break down, night on the side of the road and long, airless trip had been worth it.
The border officials took our temperatures. Then they let us in.
A Chinese passenger was denied entry, so our bus rolled away and she was left at the border.
Freedom! Ms Cleary at the land crossing into Bolivia this week. Above, the bus that smuggled her to freedom
Happy memories, at least: The COVID-19 crisis brought to an end a once-in-a-lifetime world odyssey for Ms Cleary
Her friends decided to come with us and leave their travel buddy alone at the deserted land crossing – not wanting to become stuck themselves.
Many people missed the president’s announcement. They were out enjoying the nightlife of the now shut-down tourist town.
Or they simply didn’t know the announcement would be happening, or didn’t understand enough Spanish to realise its serious nature.
They are now stuck in the developing country, and could be forced to stay in state sanctioned quarantine indefinitely.
As for me, my plans went from ‘heading to the Amazon’ to ‘how do I get to Australia when so many airports and countries are closed’ in hours.
The day after my escape from Peru, Australia issued a notice for residents: come home as soon as possible, if you can.
For the official Australian government guidance to travellers during the COVID-19 crisis, visit the SmartTraveller website.