Guyana

Ok this is more a feeling and travel section. I had stayed the night with Joanna and her friends. In the morning the bus fetched me at 8am and for 25 SRD it took me to the boat dock in South Drain. There I had to wait for ages for a boat and go through ten tons of bureaucracy. The boat itself was 28SRD for one way. I spent a little on some food. I changed the rest for Guyanese dollars and had about 3,300. I had given 2SRD change to an old local and then he gave me 5 back to buy some food. Kindness always pays, but I gave him 3 SRD change after getting some water. Some idiot tried to drive his car onto the boat with a can of lager in his hands. Even in Surinam that was not going to wash. I helped with a bunch of form filling on the boat and they seemingly park the ferry by repeatedly crashing it into the dock. The people on the otherside were very friendly. I paid 2,500 GD to get to Georgetown. Corriverton looks like a nice little border town. Everyone told me to stay the hell away from Georgetown and that white people were in a lot of danger there. Hmm. The bus stopped to the drivers annoyment, so two fat people could go and eat in a restaurant. Not even takeaway. The driver kicked one guy out for letting it happen and the rest of us got some supplies. Down to 300 GD and I traded $40 for 8,000 GD for the bus. There were three goats with crucifixes on their backs. Obviously a strange reenaction of the crucifixion. There were lots of farm animals on the streets. The bus dropped me in the wrong place. You want them to drop you at Tropicana as a place to stay or pass through. Neighbourhood looked a little shady and deserted. The security guard in the old Intraserv offices let me use a toilet that had fallen apart and called me a taxi as he said the guys playing cricket down the road would rob me otherwise. I took the taxi around the squares etc. Found out bus to Lethem was 8,000 GD. Dammit. Had to trade the other real $10 for some food, internet and something to drink for the journey. Bought my tickets and hung around killing time. Could not go out with the bags. Got chatting with the owners daughter, who lives in Florida. Nice to chat with a Yankee, but they had to go for dinner and I was stranded again.

Eventually I got on the bus with a bunch of Brazilians, including a very good looking mum. We had no common languages so I was on my own. We stopped a lot for security checks that seemed unnecessary and pointless. In between I had a weird dream involving Juliana (from Angel Falls) and David, the Costa Rican dude from Belize. Very odd. Still think she must have had an affect on me if she invades my dreams lol. I woke up with a crash. The bus was broke. Fuck. Nope it was reversing onto a bridge. Why was it doing that? Makes no sense. Wait its not a bridge. Its a boat thing. Where am I? Where is everyone else? Its just me and the driver. Ah everyone else got off because its dangerous. I was sleeping so if the bus had fallen in the river I would have drowned in it. Nice. I got out. Everyone was milling around. We had to take our vehicular cargo over a fast paced river. Looked interesting. They have a unique balletic way of crossing. They power out and let the rapids spin the raft around to face the other side and then power out and spin into the bank. Much more skill than you would normally think and something you have to see. Impressive stuff. It was light now. We were in Iwokrama. Looks ok, but I imagine the lodges are more impressive. We powered on through jungle, jungle and more jungle. Isolated does not do this muddy jungle track justice. Was like being in Darien again. Got to Annai. African style plains apparently. I have nothing to compare with. Saw a giant anteater bounding along besides the bus. Looks like it would be a cool place to spend some time. Maybe next time when i come back to Guyana. The bus bounces over tiny bridges barely wider than the bus. The kids loved it. Adults grimaces. Oh how good it would be to be fearless again. Got to Lethem, which is ok. Border guards are wankers and they stamped the passport at the beginning in spite. Fuckwits. They don´t like us there. I decided I had no money for a taxi and would walk. Only the locals think 1km is a marathon and can´t give directions for shit. 15 minutes of talking and I can narrow it down to go straight and take the third left. They sent me all over the place. If you want directions. Face the immigration centre. Turn right. Take first right. Take third left. Follow dirt track. It comes to puddle river. Wade it or take bridge 50m to your right. Then go back to road and follow. See bridge on left. It has a fence. Follow dirt track to main road opposite airport. Follow fenced bridge road into Brazil. Easy. Took one hour with their shit directions. The bus had left Georgetown at 9pm and arrived in Lethem at 11am. One hour of shitty directions and I crossed the border to be greeted by the closed for lunch sign from 12pm until 2pm. Fuck this. So I bedded in for a two hour wait. Security gave me some water so I bought him a coke and played/fed two vagabond dogs on cookies and crisps (though one of them did not like cheese puffs). Another dog appeared to be wounded, locals crossed without giving a shit for stamps and I had some weird conversations with a Brazilian woman through her kids. Eventually it opened, I got my stamp and had to dash for the bus to Boa Vista. Back in Brazil baby. Will wrap this next part with the Amazon journey. Helen arrives tomorrow, I get the boat saturday and get back to a country I can speak the language in 6 or 7 days. Woohoo.