Day 110 - 16 Hour Bus Ride

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After more meat filled deep fried rubbish for breakfast (this time, the traditional Venezuelan "arepa") everyone on the bus disembarked except for us and another couple, the only people destined for Brazil. We soon stopped for a "20 minute" bus clean, which of course turned into an hour. Chris and I were glad of the chance to elevate our swollen ankles on a street bench, after having been sitting down for 14 hours so far. The lunch stop was designated at 5 minutes which turned into 30, and then we drove once around the block and returned to the same spot, where we were told to switch to another bus. Five minutes later we were put back on the original bus and set off. No explanation. Not able to eat lunch yet as had no Brazilian currency (and no ATM) we found a dealer at the lunch stop with whom we changed both US dollars and Venezuelan money. We got a bad deal on our dollars because we only had notes of small denomination and he wanted 100 dollar notes. A catch 22 situation, since nowhere in Ecuador (which uses the US dollar) would issue or accept 100 dollar notes!

On arrival at Boa Vista we went in search of food since there was none to be had at the bus station. We stumbled across an unsigned eatery in what looked like someone's garage, and with limited to no Portuguese knowledge, we ordered the first of two dishes he offered us, believing it consisted of "meat". We were pleasantly surprised but our cheap and cheerful dish of beef, beans (the first of many to be had in Brazil), chips, rice and spaghetti! Leisurely strolling back to the bus station for our 6pm bus, Chris spotted someone running as if late for their own. We suddenly remembered the clocks must have gone forward in our new location and, panic stricken, asked someone for the time. It was already 6! I stalled the bus (embarrassed that I couldn't explain the situation now that we were in a Portuguese speaking country) while Chris got the bags from storage. At £40 a piece for tonight's bus journey, after paying only a few pounds for similar distances in other countries, we could not afford to miss this bus. Luck was on our side, and we settled into our 16 hour bus ride.

Chris's Corner

We didn't see much of Boa Vista, just a quick side trip to find our first bank in Brazil and were delighted to find that we could get cash out of an ATM for the first time since Ecuador! What a relief after our challenges in Venezuela.

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