3 Countries (Reprise)
Up ridiculously early for flight which was the usual mixture of small rip-offs at either end with a 2 hour wait in the cold city of Bogota, where I took the opportunity to get my boots cleaned. Cheeky chappy pointed out that they were a ‘liitle dirty’. So would yours be mate, if they’d been where I’ve been.
Landed in the jungle town of Leticia – bloke next to me said a rosary as we descended (with a great view of the Amazon) and shook my hand with relief when we stopped. Aah!
Arrivals at Leticia are greeted by an Amazonian Indian in a loincloth beating a drum. 10 minutes later he was back in his jeans and shirt.
Once through I was met by Daniel “I’m in Lonely Planet, you know”. We negotiated a price for what I knew in advance could be a complicated day and I got my exit stamp from Colombia, even though I don’t know when I’m leaving.
Daniel’s car was not the 4-wheeled drive he’d airily waved his arms at, but a Beetle with many years service behind it. Still, we checked into the hotel I’d selected (£8 a night inc breakfast) and headed out for the boat office. This is in Brazil. However, the boat leaves from Peru, obviously. No boat tomorrow, but there is one on Christmas Eve. One seat left. Phew. Of course, it will be Xmas Eve price (40% more) but there you go.
While waiting to complete some formalities Daniel and I tried to get me over to Peru in a boat to get my passport stamped. Rain began to fall and he went to close the windows on his car. When I suggested we should perhaps find some cover, he said that it ‘wasn’t real rain’ so we could stay and stare at the river. Fair enough – the unreal rain, by the way, turned the banks of the Amazon into Glastonbury conditions in 10 minutes flat.
The day’s delay meant I ‘had a problem’ in Daniel’s words as I would technically be over 24 hours without being assigned a country to stay in and this is not allowed. We couldn’t get from Brazil (Tabatinga) to Peru at the time I needed, so went back to Colombia so Daniel could go and find another Gringo having first exacted a premium for dubious extra services such as waiting. (Like the whole of the continent doesn’t have waiting as its major pastime.)
I managed to get on a ‘boat’ to Peru (Santa Rosa) and shared it with a German woman who advised me that all Peruvian officials were crooks. They might be, but they weren’t open to stamp my passport. As the boat headed across the Amazon, some lads were attempting to refloat the one which had left earlier. I managed to stay dry.
I then wanted to return to Colombia so hailed a boast to Leticia, however, he needed to call into Brazil first – hence three countries in 20 minutes, with no legal right to stay in any of them!
Early to bed after pleasant wanderings around the Colombian side, which is relaxed and pleasant. The Brazilian side is as anarchic as you’d expect and the Peruvian side is a muddy village.
Next day, Daniel turned up to ’help’, which is fine as it means less hassle for me.
I got my passport stamped under my own steam while Daniel arranged a Brazilian side hotel, as ferries don’t go from Colombia to Peru at 3.30am. On the way back from Peru to pick up my stuff from Colombia to move to Brazil (keeping up?) I hailed the fluvial equivalent of an unlicensed minicab. Much mayhem ensued, but it got me where I was going.
So now in Brazil with a 3am wake up call arranged for a (minimum) 14-hour boat ride to Iquitos with a bruised coccyx! See you after Xmas…
Today’s Song – Wade in the Water, Ramsey Lewis
Xmas Eve
Up at 3am for a 3.30 river crossing. The Amazon was beautiful, star and moonlit. Sort of thing you never forget.
We set off early at 4.30am for Iquitos with a couple of stops for running repairs and immigration stamps. The journey then passed uneventfully until about 12 hours into the journey when the engine cut out. I was slightly alarmed to see the boatmen get out the paddles. Then we all had to stand at one end of the boat while the engineer attempted to get it restarted from the other end. I presume there were safety reasons for this – but never quite found out for sure. After half an hour with much joking about spending Xmas on the Amazon, we got going and arrived in Iquitos (to the sound of Bomb the Bass) at about 7pm.
The quayside was chaotic with mototaxi drivers attempting to be my amigo. There was genuine danger of falling in the river at this point, such was the scuffle for reclaiming bags and doing business. As the only gringo, I was a fairly lucrative prize as ‘Jhon’ held onto me for all his worth.
After I’d asked him for the eighth time the price of his service he announced $10. I went to grab my bags off his tuk-tuk and he reduced it to $3. Still too much, but less than Abbey home from Angels in the ‘80s, so fine by me. Interesting to imagine what response ‘Anybody light, over the water?’ would bring, when it’s the Amazon in question…
(Why is it, by the way, that cab drivers the world over are robbers’ dogs. Is there some sort of global rehabilitation programme that encourages thieves to go straight by learning The Knowledge and getting themselves a dodgy vehicle of whatever hue? I don’t mind really, being a rich gringo, but for years now I’ve accepted that my arrival in any new town will be hailed by some sort of overpriced transport arrangement.)
Got to my extremely quiet hotel and was given the spiel on a trip into the jungle. The dread words ‘6-hour trek’ were mentioned. I shall have to see. The evening was a bit of a washout, I’m afraid (literally so when an almighty storm unleashed it’s rain). I had a nice meal and some wine and was immediately knackered. I was in bed for 10.30pm while Peru celebrated Xmas Eve at midnight. Strange parallel with Bali 20 years ago this week when I slept through New Year’s Eve in extremely similar circumstances. Xmas day was to produce more striking similarities with Kuta that I’ve only just realised as I write this. More later.
Today’s Song – Proud Mary, Ike and Tina unless you can get the Brazilian version I heard at dinner last night in a very friendly restaurant…
Tags: Travel
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