The Eucatur bus from Manaus to Boa Vista leaves on time, but the experience is so different from the luxury Cruz del Sur buses Christi and I experienced in Argentina and Peru. The only seats available tonight are semi-cama (we cried real tears when we purchased them). No food is served and there is no entertainment available. The bus stops for dinner 2 hours out of Manaus. It’s unclear where in north-east Brazil we are exactly, but Christi and I have no time to explore. Instead we rush to a nearby food stall and buy way too much chicken, rice, and beans, which we proceed to eat on the bus. This proves to be a very messy business and we have nowhere to toss our leftovers, which we place on the floor under our seats. The food gives off an increasingly rancid aroma as we journey through the night. I do manage some sleep, though, because I distinctly remember dreaming about exploring Paraty, gazing at the wildlife on Copacabana beach – and then paying penance in one of the many churches in Ouro Preto, before going mano-a-mano with an Amazonian alligator. My dreams were so captivating, in fact, that I completely slept through the bus blowing a tire, the ensuing near crash, and the hour it took the Eucatur drivers to fix it. It takes 13 very long and painful hours to reach Boa Vista.
The border between Brazil and Venezuela is 3 hours north of Boa Vista. Our Lonely Planet Guide is full of dire warnings about safety, but it is probably the easiest border crossing we’ve had. Change 750 Brazilian Real (R$750) for 2250 Venezuelan Bolivars on a very open black market (giving us an exchange rate of 3:1, whereas the official rate is 1:1).
At first blush, Santa Elena de Uairen is a pleasant enough town, which is just as well since we will spend Christmas here. Prices feel much cheaper than in Brazil, assuming you are living on the black market rate. Befriend an Oz/Brit couple who are unaware of the financial shenanigans that are symptomatic of life under Hugo Chavez. (Note since our visit to Venezuela Hugo Chavez has died and the socialist revolution continues under the leadership of Nicolas Maduro). The Oz/Brit couple can’t find a working ATM, are forced to take a cash advance (paying extortionate fees), and then taxi back to the border to get Brazilian Real from the ATM there. This currency they can then change on the unofficial / official black market for the quite useless Venezuelan Bolivar. Needless to say, it is Hugo Chavez who has gerrymandered the exchange rates to suit Venezuela and screw Western corporations doing business in the country. Of course, rather less affluent backpackers are also screwed, unless they resort to the black market.
Exchange rates are not the only annoyance. PayPal continues their refusal to transfer money from my account to New Frontiers Adventure to pay for our Roraima hike, which is scheduled to leave in the morning. Our last resort is to contact Christi’s family in Los Angeles and ask them to pay on our behalf (and we’ll reimburse them at some vague point in the future). New Frontiers Adventure do at least appear happy that we are trying to pay, so the hot, sweaty, tiring, multi-day hike is on!
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching, laugh-wrenching ride.
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