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So.... Now we are on the dock in Tabatinga watching the boat leave in pitch black with now idea of what direction to head in or if the area was safe to walk around. According to the foreign office it was not! I love these situations because they make me feel like I am really travelling. We all agreed that we should walk into central Tabatinga and see if we could find a taxi to take us over the boarder to Leticia where Franky and Elien had book a night in a hostel. After 20 or so minutes of walking at 4am with our heavy packs we were all sweaty and tired so we decided that we would dump that packs and me and Franky would go to find a taxi. We found a drunken man and franky could just about make out that the slurring Spaniard was saying he had 2 taxi´s that could take the 8 of us. We were concerned that this guy who could barely walk would be driving but he called over a couple of friends who showed us to the two tiny cars. We hopped into the cars and headed back to where we left the others. We all just about managed to squeeze in with the packs tied precariously to the roofs of the cabs. Once we arrived at the hostel we all decided to chuck our smelly clothes into the laundry service, shower (the showers on the boat were just pumped up river water) and have some breakfast.
The great thing about Tabatinga and Leticia is that you can freely roam between Brazil and Columbia because there is no way out other than via boat or plane. I remember asking the guys if they fancied going to Brazil for dinner on the first evening. I just love the idea of nipping to another country for a bite to eat before heading back the same evening.
To be able to leave the Triple frontier we had to get our passports stamped out in Brazil. Rather than all taking a taxi to Brazil with thought it would be fun to cycle there. The guys in the hostel said that they could organise some bikes for us all, job done. We went with the lady from the hostel to pick up the bikes from 2 rental shops next door to each other. Instantly I could see why the bikes were only costing R$8 per day. The rim on my rear wheel was splintering because the break pad was down to metal! Barry went to push off on his bike and it instantly broke so he had to grab one from the 2nd rental shop. After a lot of back and forth with several bikes needing repairs within meters peddling we were on our way to Brazil again. On the way through the very unpredictable traffic we managed to loose Stuart and Barry after crossing the border. We waited around 15 minutes but there was still no sign of them so I started to cycle back. After a few hundred meters I spotted the guys walking and pushing their bikes, with Stuart looking like his bike weighted at ton. It turned out that Stu´s back wheel had locked out completely and was almost impossible to ride. We eventually picked up some pace with Stuart back in his bike pedaling like he was riding through super glue and me behind pushing with all my might. We had been told that in Tabatinga we needed to change our watches back and hour but when Carly asked a man what the time was he gave a deferent hour to the time we had previously been told so we all changes our watches again. When we arrived at the Brazil check point the office was closed from 2-3, according to our watches it was 1pm. We went and asked a couple of locals what time they thought it was and again their watches were different. In the end we decided to announce that it was Tabatinga time, this means that it is whatever time it is, which could be almost time! After relaxing in a little cafe and trying to hammer Stuarts wheel, with its make shift bearings, back into a state that would allow him to cycle back to Columbia, we eventually got stamped out of Brazil. The journey back was crazy with bikes falling to pieces in the middle of traffic and me having to push Sally most the way back but we got there in the end and got a good discount off the rental price for all the trouble the bikes had caused.
That evening we all went to a really funky restaurant that was decorated with all kinds of tribal art and other random items. This place served up huge portions of steak and chicken on wooden platters, the food tasted great. Just before we ate the waiter bought over a gold fish type bowl with big fat grubs in it. I am really annoyed that I didn´t try one but I didn´t want to spoil the lovely dinner that was being served up. A member of the Colombian military was sat at the table over from us. This chap decided that he wanted to prove how tough to military was by eating a grub (Although I think he cheated a little bit because he asked to have the head cut off!). With a huge grimace and a bit of a struggle he kept the grub down. Good on him, he was a really nice bloke so we gave him a round of applause. Next time I come across a grub edible I´m going to eat it, that´s a promise!
Next morning we headed to the airport together to start the next part of our adventure in Santa Marta Sierra Nevada, a past cocaine producing capital of the world. It is so much fun to jump on a plane with 6 great guys we had only just met the previous week.
In the airport we got chatting to a girl who had, had her 60ltr backpack stolen from a floating river hostel! We have heard a few dodgy first hand stories now, I think it´s good to get a reality check every now and again because I am sometimes way too relaxed about hazardous situations, as Sal often reminds me! :-)
- comments
Martin,A ,J,O,& Z Hi Ped & Sal Blogs are great sounds like you are having a great adventure. I did a 65 mile ride in the Cotswolds yesterday but I think it was far less challenging than your ride!! Keep well. Martin & family
Elien & Frans Frans is very upset that you don't remember it was with him you went to look for the taxis, not Stu. :P And he thought it was very sweet that you were scared to ride in the taxi alone… hihi! Big Hug from us!
Pete (Me) O NO! I even remember Frankie speaking spannish to the drunk guy! I´ll change it to Franky boy now :-)