The 24 hour trip from Pevas to Santa Rosa, a small island on the river was more of the same in many respects. The river boat was less crowded (compared to Iquitos to Pevas and Yurimaguas to Iquitos journeys) which certainly made the journey more comfortable. The food was worse than the Yurimaguas to Iquitos trip, but since there were only 3 meals, this was not too big a deal. This was the first trip in quite a while where I am back traveling alone, and I must say boredom does become a factor - especially when we are talking of such long journeys (in terms of time). Not speaking much Spanish was a hindrance, but I did manage to converse briefly with some of my fellow passengers. I did spend a bit longer speaking to the seemingly only English speaking person on board, Mario, an engineer in the Peruvian navy, who was with an evangelical church group going towards the border. One thing I have noticed is that it is not only the Americans (as from USA) who think of Africa as one big country ... much of the conversation I have had with locals has been on ho big Africa really is (yes, much bigger than South America, let alone Brazil) and the various differences between the Amazon and African savannahs.
Santa Rosa is where all passport formalities for Peru is done, and it took considerably longer than it took to enter the country. It could be to do with my slightly disheveled look (slight beard, longer hair than normal), could be to do with my slightly disheveled passport (after being in pockets and hidden pockets) ... don't know ... it took a while.
At Santa Rosa, an English speaking Peruvian guide offered his services - well offered is the wrong term, he decided to tag along, and I decided that having someone to translate between Spanish, Portuguese and English for the officialdom and boat tickets would be worthwhile. After concluding passport formalities in Tabatinga (Brazil), we crossed over to Leticia (Columbia) to change money (there are no formal border checks or formalities) before heading back to buy the boat ticket. The normal river boat (much better than the Peruvian ones) to Manaus, the first major stop for me, is 4 days and leaves in two days time and I am tired of hammocks so was looking for a cabin. The cabin costs only slightly less than a speedboat - which seems quite luxurious and will get me to Manaus in 36 hours. For me it is a no brainer - this way, I have a chance to get to Belém for Carnaval ... let's see what happens.
For the record, neither Leticia nor Tabatinga, are delightful places to be at. I am here only because the first boat out happens to be tomorrow. Neither towns are very attractive, nor are they very touristy ... they just get the job done I suppose.
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