My journey home stared at 10:00 hrs on December 16th after boarding my EcoJet flight that took me from Cochabamba to Guayamerin. After an hour and a half of passenger A and A- (Bolivian woman and infant son) constantly communicating with me via sticky hands and excited squeals and listening to passenger C (Bolivian male) murmur little sweet nothings in Spanish to passenger C- (small, furry and funny looking dog with freakishly blue eyes and pink bows), I was happy to get off. As I exited the plane and walked towards the arrival section of an open airfield, I heard a festive quartet of instruments welcoming passengers in the Christmas spirit. They have an odd baggage system where you basically stand behind the wire fence and hope (scream and shout) to get the attention of one of the workers and if you’re lucky enough, they’ll follow whatever direction your finger points towards, get your bag and of course, confirm that the numbers match the stub you’re given at check in. Luckily it took me less than 5 minutes (after the initial 15-20 minutes it takes to get all the bags in a row on the wet grass) to get my backpack.
The next step was getting a taxi to take me to the Capitana station where I would get my exit stamp (goodbye Bolivia) and boat to Guajará-Mirim, the Brazilian side of the border. The shared ride was approximately 20 minutes and cost Bolivianos 30 (there were no buses, only cars) per person. In the pouring rain, I got out and joined a line made up mostly of Brazilians citizens. After standing around for what seemed like almost an hour, I entered the “migracion” office and asked for my exit stamp. My picture was taken AGAIN and I smiled as I saw my passport being stamped. A sign that I was one step further from altitude sickness and a step closer to the jingling bells and Pepperpot smell! I walked out the office and literally took two steps to a desk where I could convert my Bolivianos to Reals. Ten more steps and I was buying my ticket to cross the river. It costs Bs 10 or Rs. 8. I stepped down and into the 15 seater boat and was across the river and into Brazil in less than 15 minuts .
It took two questions asked in my odd mixture of Spanish and Portuguese (Sportugish toif you will) and six corners juggling my now heavier-than-when-i-started backpack to get to the oficina Policia Federal for my entry stamp to Brazil. I was a bit nervous about how that would go down considering I was missing an exit stamp from the beginning of my trip four months ago. Luckily, it turned it well and I received 10 days (i think the officer was being generous). It should be enough since I need just about 5 days to make my way across Sensational Brazil! After leaving the police station, I took a mototaxi (a bike) that cost Rs 5. This mototaxi ride lasted for maybe seven minutes and took me to the bus station. There I asked about a bus to Porto Velho (in Sportugish) and as luck would have it, there was one leaving at 18:00 hrs. It was 14:00 hrs when I asked and purchased so I waited, and waited… And waited. The bus arrived and was only 5 minutes late, considering that it’s South America, I’d say that’s pretty much on time! The ride only lasts 6 hours which means i arrive just after midnight. Perfect! And by ‘perfect’ I mean ‘what the hell should I do at that ungodly hour!?!?’. I had no internet or Lonely Planet guide so i figured I’d just figure it out when I got there.
I arrive in Porto Velho at midnight and realized that some offices were still opened so I immediately inquired about a bus to Manaus leaving on the same day. I was told I’d have to wait until Sunday (it’s Saturday morning). Since that was not the only company around, I decided to look for a hotel and seek out more companies after a little sleep. After two decent but high priced finds, I opt for the third, a 6×15 room in a very questionable hotel with questionable characters. I paid Rs. 25 for a basic room with TV, a fan and charging ports (you might want to ensure you have an adapter) .
A few hours later, I showered and walked into the street. Just two buildings down from the hotel, there was a sign that said ‘Manaus!’ So I went right in and asked (in Sportugish). As luck would have it (or so I thought) I was booked to leave at 17:00 hrs the same afternoon so I’m happier than fleas on a dog. The bus was on time, the bags were ready and we hit the road, scheduled to arrive at 17:00 hrs on Sunday (a 24 hour bus ride). However, It rained and rained and the roads/trails were in such a terrible state because sections became slushy and loose. There were parts of the journey where we would have to come off the bus and walk ankle deep in mud so that the bus would have less weight and a better chance at driving through the craters successfully. The bus got stuck several times and even lost a few parts here and there. In a nutshell, we didn’t arrive until Monday in Manaus. It is therefore very likely that your bus ride can turn into a 40+ hours expedition. Luckily, I met two friendly Peruvian chefs who entertained me throughout the journey. It just so happened that they were traveling on to Boa Vista as well. If you are as fortunate as I turned out to be, the warm and friendly (and unbelievably patient) Brazilians will make you enjoy every minute of it.
At 10:30 hrs, we arrived in Manaus (finally). At the bus terminal, I paid Rs 2 for a shower and another Rs 5 to have my backpack safely stored. The Peruvians and I then went to buy a bus ticket to Boa Vista for Rs 150. We went to the cambio then explored the market in Manaus for a few hours then returned to the terminalo for our bus to Boa Vista, scheduled to depart at 19:00 hrs. It was on time.
After arriving in Boa Vista at 06:30 hrs, I said my goodbyes to my travel companions who were going on to Venezuela and I went straight to the Amatur bus company office where I paid Rs 20 for a ticket to Bonfim. My bus left at 07:00 hrs. It took me just under 3 hours to get there. I crossed the road at the border and checked in with Brazilian authorities, stamped out of Brazil and crossed over the bridge and into Guyana. I checked in with immigration and Customs there then proceeded into Lethem, Guyana to find the next bus heading to Georgetown.
For GYD 10,000, i secured my passage to Georgetown. I waited at a friend’s house for the few hours where I was treated to Pepperpot! How I missed Pepperpot. At 16:30 hrs, I went to the Carly’s bus station and waited for the bus to load up and leave town. It never left until after 19:00 hrs. We drove to Annai to pick up a passenger then went to another destination where we would wait until 03:00 hrs to make our way to the crossing. While some people opted for the rental hammocks, i comfortably slept in the front of the bus where I was undisturbed, a seat I requested when booking.
Twelve hours later, I was in my house in Georgetown and unpacking my backpack. One of the most fulfilling things is to ease back into all the wonderful memories of places and faces you came across while you were traveling knowing that in a month or two, you will pack that very same backpack and start out all over again, sometimes to an unknown destination with nothing but an open mind and a healthy appetite for new experiences!