Back to Brazil

I get up and cash some more travellers cheques at the bank as it seems I let my Bushmasters tab run up to double to what I thought it was - though I'm not that surprised. Did I mention that this is still the sort of country which has an onteray of armed guards outside each bank who open the door for you? And that each transaction takes ½ hour as it is double checked by 3 separate people? And that their biggest note is only worth £2.50, and their smallest 5p?

I pick up food supplies at the airport shop; water, bananas, Teddy biscuits and a couple of chicken curry wraps (complete with chicken bones obviously - you gotta love this country!). I bump into Ian and Sarah and say my sincere goodbyes. I plan to come back and see them again. Back at the Takatu hotel I have a quick chat with the owner, Mrs Johnson, she's been delighted to have me stay!? I pack my bags once again and leave. Its only a mile or two walk to the border but the 20Kg pack and the 38 deg midday sun makes it hard work. Trophy passes on his bike and stops to say goodbye while a couple of dogs chase a small herd of goats across the road. The only unusual thing about the scene was that I didn't find it unusual.

By the time I reach Guyana immigration (a tent by the un-built bridge) I am soaked with sweat - so much so I thought I may be detained for Quarantine! It's a water taxi to the other side and the Brazilian immigration (a purpose built complex). A check for Yellow Fever (all clear - I'm not yellow enough), another passport stamp, a quick taxi haggle and I've done it! I've escaped Guyana!

I muse I won't be too bothered if I have to return to the UK. I've had such an amazing time here. Surly nothing can compare to the adventures had in Guyana. Job done.

Bonfim Bus Station is an isolated hut with nothing else around. I stand at the empty ticket office.

"Psst, psst, psst." \

I'm looking for someone to buy a ticket off. \

"Psssst." \

Where are these people? \

"Psst, psst, psst." \

And what is that noise?

I turn around and it's a woman trying to get my attention. "Psst" seems to be the Brazilian equivalent of "Hello, excuse me"! In broken English she tells me that the ticket man appears just before the bus leaves (in an hours time). She's right, he does, and it costs me R$14 to get to Boa Vista - I was previously told it'd be R$9. On boarding the man in front buys a ticket from the driver for R$9. Hmm... The coach is fairly empty, even so the "psst" woman invites me to sit next to her. I instinctively and apologetically decline. She ignores me for the rest of the trip. I feel bad.

Some pre-pubescent girls take control of the coach's DVD system and start playing some loud, very cheesy and utterly crass, black soul lurve music. I drowned it out with loud hardcore tunes on my headphones. Ahhhhh, peace at last!

I leave the bus when I see my bag get ejected from the hold and the driver simply states, "Bus finished" - I don't actually know where I am. From what the others said Boa Vista should be another ½ / 1 hours drive away!? Obviously, being a forward thinking tourist town, there are no helpful signs like "Welcome to the Boa Vista Bus Station". After ½ hour of stress (I'd hate to miss a connecting bus) I was able to confirm I was in Boa Vista! Sweet. So I find a travel agent and buy an overnight ticket to Manaus for R$80 (~£20). It leaves at 20:00, I have 4 hours to kill. I grab a taxi to take me to a Visa cash point - the driver understood me straight off, wicked! He takes me to a HSBC bank. Bonus! My Visa card works straight off. Sorted! Then whilst I'm sitting and waiting I see this pretty girl in a skimpy outfit complete with stiletto high heels, riding a 500cc off road motorbike. Interesting!

20:00 - Coach leaves. \

22:00 - Coach breaks down in the middle of nowhere. It sounds like a gearbox / clutch problem. \

23:00 - I go outside and watch the drivers mess about with the electrics. \

23:30 - We loose power. No lights. No air-con. I take a sweaty kip. \

01:30 - A reserve coach pulls up and we transfer all our luggage to it. \

02:00 - The driver from the new coach simply resets a fuse on the broken coach. It works again. We transfer all our luggage back onto the original coach. \

02:30 - On the road again.

Posted by Steve Eynon