The door of the airport opened again at 06:00 hours this morning for the cleaning lady to enter and wipe the floor before anybody else would enter the terminal. I did not want to be in the way either, stayed on my bench and slept for another hour. The security staff arrived, the police arrived, the restaurant staff arrived and finally the airline staff arrived. It was time to get up; I woke up my Colombian friend for him to be first at the counter and to not miss the last place to Bogota and to Cali, for me to be second and to get the best offer to Bogota or Cartagena de Indias.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

I went first to the airline LAN to inquire about the cheapest flight in the next couple of days to Bogota or even to Caratgena de Indias in case the difference would be reasonable. The best price from LAN was 330.000 Pesos for the flight to Bogota and 420.000 Pesos for the flight to Cartagena de Indias. Now to the airline Avianca with the same inquiry and the following prices, 360.000 Pesos to Bogota and an amazing 310.000 Pesos to Cartagena de Indias on January 5^th. The last option was now to inquire with “Selwatravel” at their office in the center of Leticia opposite the supermarket Ruco.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

I was about to leave the terminal but something told me to go back and buy the cheap flight to Cartagena de Indias right now before someone else does or the offer expires. I went back to Avianca and bought the ticket which would bring me back immediately to my original route. I had been two kilometers from the border to Colombia and two hundred and fifty kilometers from Cartagena de Indias a month ago.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

Now I knew that I had lost one month, I had an extra 6000 kilometers of travel and an extra cost of more or less 5.000 Reales, on the other hand I had won a week adventure to Mount Roraima and two weeks with my baby Matilda. Thank you for this president Maduro, I would not have had these wonderful three weeks without you; still not enough and no reason that I would have voted for you on December 6^th.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

I wanted to resolve the bureaucracy with my passport and walked to the center of Leticia, then to the Colombian/Brazilian border, crossed the border, walked along the four lane main road of Tabatinga, passed the town hall, the banks and stood in front of the federal police.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

I was tenth in line and had to wait for about one hour. Fifth in line was the Japanese boy from the Voyager V; we had a small talk about his travel and the situation at the Colombian/Panama border or better to say the situation to cross the Colombian/Panama border from either side; boat or plane was the only option. I could not believe this, a border of 200 kilometers width connecting two countries and actually two continents and no highway, no street, only rainforest, I could not believe this, I did not know this.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

I had my stamp and walked back to the border. Still in Tabatinga I had a drink and a biscuit at a supermarket. The pharmacy next to the supermarket had a balance outside and I wanted to know two weights; the backpack was 15 kilo, I was 75 kilo.  I have had too much rice and pasta, feijao and chicken the last week and at the same time little, actually no physical activity. This would change again in the next days and weeks and months, I hope. The immigration office of Colombia here Leticia was inside the airport terminal. I walked back to the airport and got my stamp. The airport had electricity but no internet; anyway I had worked on the computer a bit yesterday and worked more this afternoon until late. I did not want to ask to sleep for another night and went to the local hospital and found my place next to the kiosk.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.