They are building a bridge from France to Brazil! It’s true, they really are, I’ve seen it! You might say: “Kate, when did you see this? Did you go to Brazil?” Yes, I did go to Brazil just this past weekend! Then you might say: “But, I have heard that it is hard for Americans to get visas for Brazil, especially if they are not in the states” and you would be right. It’s not too easy (it’s our fault- we make it very hard for Brazilians to come to the states), that’s why I went illegally!
The border patrol is pretty much non-existent, especially in the France- Brazil direction, so we just hopped on a pirogue in St. Georges and hopped off in Oiapoque, Brazil. Romain has been to Oiapoque a few times, so he knew where to go and what to do. Lucia speaks Portuguese impeccably. And we have a Brazilian friend who booked us a night in her sister’s nice hotel, the Floresta. We had nothing to worry about except where to get our next caipirinha. Well, my European housemates had nothing to worry about that is. I, on the other hand, was very worried. I don’t have the right to be in Brazil.
When we arrived at the hotel, the owner (our friend’s sister) told us that we had to go get our passports stamped at the police station before she could check us into the room. She said the police do random checks at night to make sure that everyone in the hotels is registered with the hotel via their passport number. The hotels are therefore somewhat responsible for ensuring that everyone goes to the police station to get their passports stamped. After discussing the possibilities that I didn’t really exist, or that Romain met me in a bar and brought me home, in a Portuguese French mix, the hotel owner said she didn’t really care and it would be fine. So with the first obstacle down, we went out to run a few errands and see the tiny town of Oiapoque.
I was paranoid. Every time I saw the police my heart would start racing. The others had to get their passports stamped, so we had to go to the police station. I couldn’t very well stand in front of the police station and look suspicious by the window, so Lucia waited down the street with me while Hannah and Romain went, then they switched places. I was glad they waited with me, I seemed to get a fair amount of attention as the only blonde girl in town. Hannah even saw some guys covertly taking our picture! I wasn’t able to fully relax and enjoy the beauty around me until I was half way done with my first and delicious caipirinha.
We spent most of the day, both Saturday and Sunday, at a really cool bar/restaurant that was on the river. Chez Rona. It is in a nature reserve that has parrots, monkeys, and sloths just to name a few. At low tide, there is a great beach. We were very lucky to have great weather in a typically very rainy climate. The food and the drinks were amazing, and slightly cheaper than here in France!
I kept mentioning how it was similar there yet completely different. The climate, the animals, the river, the trash on the side of the road, and most of the items in the shops were the same. But everything else was very different. From the second we stepped off the pirogue, it was clear that we were in a poor country. When I was walking past wooden shacks on muddy roads I became very appreciative that I was able to see something so different. Oiapoque was very beautiful and the people very nice! It was a great weekend trip to Brazil.
Zut! Alors! Kahtay! 