Last week I went to Mancora, Peru for spring break. I got off to a rough start on my trip. It was a 17 hour bus ride from Lima, which ended up being more like 20 hours due to traffic. Spending 20 hours in a bus would drive anyone crazy, but for some unknown reason I was super sick on the bus. I don't know if it was due to motion sickness or something I ate, but it turned out to be the bus ride from hell. First of all it was a double decker bus, and I, being in the very back row of the second layer had to first walk to the front of the bus, make my way down rickety stairs, and then walk through the first level to reach the bathroom. This did not make for very easy bathroom access. Luckily some other passengers were willing to offer plastic bags whenever there seemed to be danger of projectile vomit. Like I said, bus ride from hell. What's worse is this started at the beginning of the trip. It wasn't as though I only had to endure 2 hours. It was almost an entire day of non stop torture. That day also happened to be the day I learned my friends don't understand the purpose of a money belt. Everyone was just sitting around eating cookies when my friend Anna opened her mouth and said very clearly and loudly "Hey you guys!! Rachel is wearing a money belt!!! If you have any cash you want to give her she can put it in there!! Its right underneath her tshirt on her stomach area. I already put in $500 and she has $300!!! We also both have our credit cards in there and our passports!!!!!" I about dropped over from surprise that she didn't continue to share both of our pin numbers and social security numbers as well as home addresses. English is not by any means an uncommon language, and I, being a worrywart by nature, felt sicker and sicker with the thought that people on the bus knew I had so much money around my stomach. Afraid of being stabbed, if not worse, I didn't sleep a wink. Some men eyed me when Anna went to the bathroom and I cursed myself for offering to share my money belt. As luck would have it we made it to Mancora without a stabbing incident.