Manaus18 Jan 2007
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| Thursday 18 2007 In continued Brazil tradition the taxi to the Sao Paulo airport which the Tourist Office said costs 75 reals cost me 95! Was glad to be served some food on the flight though as I didnt realise it would be quite that long at 4 hours - even if it was yet another ham and cheese sandwich! Clocks went back 2 hours in Manuas. For some reason I was being extra organised and ripped the tags off my bags when I picked them up off the carousel but then found that the tags are checked against your ticket at the exit....so had to go down the bin to retreive them! The humidity is very high so got a taxi to town having negotiated the Amazon tour reps very successfully by explaining I am in transit to Venezuela. Got a reasonable hotel room with bathroom and a/c which is proving to be virtually useless and then went out in search of a bus ticket to Venezuela. The tourist office tried to tell we there was no road to Santa Elena but he did have a good deal on a flight just for me...I think he thought this may work until I showed him the map and said ''so thats not a road''? ''Oh you want Santa Elena?'' Well, yes that's what I have been saying. ''Well I can't help you, you need the bus station!'' So I wondered off to the local bus station which had no timetables or maps so gave up and got a taxi and asked for the the international bus depot which is 6km out of town......1 hour later it dawns on me he has no clue but hasn't bothered to say.....good job we arranged a fare before we left. Ten minutes of trying to explain I need to get a ticket but I don't need the airport and he drives me around the corner to the 'rodovaria'- need to remember that one! Met a mother and son from London trying to book tickets and they told me which buses to get so at least I can get back here when I leave. Was really a relief to have a conversation in English with them - I think it's been four days! Friday 19th 2007 Went out to buy a hammock today which I can hopefully use in Venezuela but will use for a boat trip on the way back this way anyway. Met an Aussie girl in the hotel who has just come up from Porto Velho so she was telling me all about that. Got a taxi to the bus station at 5pm and hopped on the 7pm bus to Santa Elena. Discovered that when the route was built it was contested from Boa Vista to the border. The local tribe fought against the road being built and in the 1970's there was a large conflict which cost many indigenous lifes. Traffic is still banned on the route from 7pm - 7am (the Manuaus to Santa Elena bus is the only overnight exception so there is a 'rodovaria police' presence on the bus) and no one is allowed off at any point in the diputed territory . |
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