Goo You Good Thing!! Much to my surprise lastnight on the bus I managed to sleep quiet well (on and off). At about 7am we made an hour stop at a roadside cafe before continuing down the rugged and water-logged gravel road. The road got very muddy in sections and there were loaders and tractors to pull us through and clear the really bad sections. The bus was slowed to an absolute crawl and in many sections we had to wait for trucks and other vehicles to clear the sections first. The bus slid side to side, dropped into holes, jumped and bumped its way along the terrible road and at one point we got bogged so bad that all the passengers had to get off the bus whilst the driver and his assistant managed to maneuver the bus out of the bog. I was lucky that I was so tired and I spent the remainder of the trip sleeping and not really phased by the terrible road conditions. At 12:30pm (only 2.5 hours late) we had arrived in the border town of Oyapoque from where I would need to cross over into French Guiana. The first thing I needed to do was find the Federal Police building and get my Brazilian Exit stamp. I asked for directions and then made my way walking into the city - this had appeared to be an easy hike but with the intense heat of the sun, some bad directions and overall tiredness this turned into a small adventure. After an hour trek I had found the Police building and had my passport stamped, I then made my way down to the river. At the river I automatically found a small boat loaded with passengers heading over to French Guiana and luckily I was able to call out; agree on a price and jump on board. The boat ride over to Saint George's took about 20 minutes and was quite spectacular with views of Oiapoque and the famous bridge that will soon link the two countries. Arrival in Saint George's and a new country: French Guiana was a little underwhelming and I felt as of I was still in Brazil. I paid the boat driver, ate some lunch and then made my way into the first building I could find to ask for some directions to my host Oliviers place. Unfortunately the 2 ladies didn't speak English or Spanish - just French and really they had no interest in helping me. As luck would have it a guy came out from the back office who spoke English and after a brief chat offered to call Olivier for me. Within 10 minutes Olivier my host was down at the river to pick me up. Olivier is a customs officer (former policeman) here in French Guiana and has been living here for 3 years as the wage here is double that of what he would get back in France. He is a very interesting guy and straight away had me eating some fresh Acai and drinking some fresh lemon grass tea. We chatted a while and then he took me around to his friends house (who was away on holidays) and showed me where I would be staying for the next few nights (Olivier now has a roommate so can't host at his place). Olivier had borrowed an extra bicycle so that we could ride out to the famous bridge linking Brazil and French Guiana - the bridge has been finished for 2 years but still not opened because of political reasons. The ride out was quite challenging for me but also very rewarding. Much to my suprise when we arrived we were allowed access to the bridge and allowed to ride across it (something that maybe only 20 people have had the privilege to do). After a few photos we sat and Olivier explained to me the history of French Guiana and all the interesting things a guide book could never tell you. The ride back was just as difficult and I felt my body ache at every uphill section. We walked into town and to one of the Chinese supermarkets where I was able to observe the incredibly overpriced groceries which included $3 cans of peas and $5 a kilo onions. Olivier was going to cook local French Guiana shrimp so we brought a kilo of shrimp and a few tins of coconut milk. Olivier is a bit of a chef and whipped up dinner very quickly whilst I made a very basic salad. The shrimp were slowly boiled in coconut milk and a heap of crushed garlic and peppers. We had a whole kilo of shrimp to eat and we didn't fall short eating half a kilo each - realizing only 30 minutes after how much I had over eaten and made myself sick. Olivier had to work early so he headed off to bed whilst I used his Internet a while before making my way 500m down the road to his friends apartment where I would stay tonight. It was very kind of Oliviers friend to allow me to use her apartment whilst she is away on holidays and although there was no bed linen there was a nice couch for me to sleep-on. I dumped my things and then crashed on the couch- exhausted from two big days of travel.
OBSERVATIONS:
- Bus Macapa to Oiapoque - not so bad 12 hours and only bogged once
- Ouapoque: pleasant boarder town - quite expensive
- Boat over to French Guiana
- French Speaking Guiana - no English
- Couchsurfing with Olivier (customs officer)
- Visit to the famous bridge linking Brazil and French Guiana - still not in operation
- Delicious Acai and local shrimp for dinner
- Stay in Oliviers friends apartment
- Back to the Euro!!