lördag 21 augusti 2010

Bumpy ride towards Yupukari

It is heavy rains over Yupukari today so I take the chance to write some.
I hope that you understand despite bad spelling and grammer most of it seeing that internet is really slow here and I havent got much time to write.

I was told that the bus from Georgetown should take of at seven in the evning. So it did but I couldn’t imagine what kind of struggle that waited us before we could leave the town. The first busstop was  prive at some persons that the driver knew (no hurry) after that we went to the gas station and tanked the bus and the extra tanks on the tops of the tanks. When we where done with that the bus had to be “fixed”. So we drove into someones garage and the driver and his friends did some small reparings. The small minibuss hold nine passagers (it was crowed) and a mountin of baggage tied on top of the rof. Then we went to not one but two polisstations where all of us showed our passports and were interviuwed.
After almost 2 hours we finally leaft Georgetown (it took really long time and was almost driving me crasy). Earlier in the morning the man that sold the tickets hade told me: No problem 10 hours to Letham. This time I asked the same question tothe driver , first didn’t listen (probobly because he thought it was a silly question). Then the man answerd with a sudden harsh and strong voice, -  10 hours, 20 hours, 2 days,2 weeks, 2 months… I DON’T KNOW!... (end of conversation)
The road was crowed my humans, cars, biycals, cows and sheep. The driver never really slowed down. Instead he just used his horn and the people throwed themselves away from road as the vehicle that in a foriously tempo rushed along the road. In one second on the left side, the other on the right; just to pass other slower driving cars as fast as possible (reminded me of the Harry Potter bus, seeing that noboby on the bus except me seeamed to be concerned of the violent drivning). Suddenly all signs of human civilisation just disapeard and we were surronded by tall, dark rainforest. The road was so bad that we didn’t really went on the road instead we went on the margin. After 4 hours ( 1 oclock at the night) we got punkture, fixed it in poring rain and went on.  After another 2 hours of extremly bumpy ride we meet our fist real problem. A big three had fallen over the road and it took us almost 5 hours to get through it. In the morning we reached the savanna who was complety flooded because of the heavy rains. The bus slowly made its way throught the water and mudd but at one special deep hallow the engine didn’t had the energy to push the bus forward and we were stuck in the middle of the temprary river over the road. The water was so hight that it sprinkelt into the bus. Almost in panik a greped my smaller backpack with my camera (that I thought should be safer insife the bus then on the rof) and hold it up above the water.  We where stuck and there was nothing left to do then to bath out of the bus and hope for help. Happily it came a big jeep that helped us up from the water. The engine had become wet so it took the driver some time to repair it (thanks to the jeep driver that helped us out).
After about 20 hours in the bus I finally came to Yupukari junction where Mike Martin hade been waiting for me for 3 hours. The last way was spent on a back of a motorcyckle it too about 1,5 hour. Thanks to Mike!

Some nice birds: Barn Owl,Blue-throated piping guan, scarlet Macaw, Channel-billed tucan, Snail kite, common potoo, ringed kingfisher, white-collared swift etc.
Some damn good mammels: Giant Anteater 2 ex.

I hope everything is alright in Sweden, take care. 

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