We said goodbye to the kitchen staff with some sadness after a very pleasant interlude at the Villas Roraima hotel. It came into being thanks to a terrible mango market a few years ago, so the mango farmer owner built a hotel to create a new stream of income and we’re very happy they did. But it was time to get going even though Rusty was desperately reluctant to leave. 
The road from Boa Vista to the border 75 miles away was one of the best we have driven and we covered it at 60 to 65 miles per hour across rolling ranch land. Brazilian customs:
Bonfim (“good ending”) is the Brazilian town across the river Takutu from Lethem (“Let’em”) Guyana. We stopped to get gas and I was glad to see a Guyanese license plate in line to get gas in Brazil as it meant gas was probably more expensive across the river so our decision to fill up here was a good one. 
We later saw prices in Lethem which appeared to amount to six dollars a gallon so I hope that just out here in the hinterland but the Guyanas, all three of them appear to be quite expensive. This customs agent was fascinated by our motor home and videoed it to share with her husband as she wants to do the same…
I grew up driving on the left in England and on the right in Italy but the two systems were completely separate in my head. Here I find it much harder to keep left as there are no visual clues in Lethem. But first we had to get into the country and that took three hours. Political advertising for the recent presidential election in which the incumbent won: 
This border is surprisingly busy and we saw a constant flood of people checking in and out around us. We made our way in and started at immigration. The modern way is to use a QR code to get the entry form, fill it out on your phone and send it to them. Then they fill out your details and ask how long you want. I said 30 days but they’d have given us more.
We met our first grumpy Brazilian at the immigration check point but we followed instructions and got checked out of Brazil eventually.
The whole process took an hour which seemed excessive for what usually is an easy going country. Then we did the bridge over the river into Guyana.
And then at last I drove the cross over bridge taking us from driving on the right to driving on the left. 
And below we come down off the bridge on the left had side while traffic from Guyana enters on the left and passes below us to come out on the right going over the river back to Brazil.
Customs took forever and they wanted copies of everything and weren’t they surprised I had them ready plus I also had a printout of our car insurance with a copy. I was ready. However pet importation was a problem.
I knew I was supposed have an import permit for Rusty from the ministry of Agriculture in Georgetown but I had written and got no reply. I showed my email to Jamal the sanitation clerk and he called Georgetown and they agreed I had done my best so we got permission to proceed. On Monday I’ll be in touch with Anastasia in Georgetown on WhatsApp and she will prepare our import permit for Rusty and at the same time his export papers for Suriname. You really do catch more flies with honey and I was very polite and cheerful through the whole process. 
The whole process took us to 3pm and I was ready for Chinese food at Ravi’s in Lethem. First we had to drive into town with Layne reminding me to “keep left” all the way. 
Our first order of business was to change money at the Amazonas hotel in a cubby on the ground floor. No passport needed but he would only take our brand new hundred dollar bills (200 Guyanese dollars to one US) so we changed $300. One reason we bought gas in Bonfim was because they take credit cards in Brazil but on this side of the river in an isolated town of 2,000 that was not a certainty so we used our Visa card one last time in Brazil. In fact debit cards are not used at all in Guyana or Suriname outside high end tourist facilities. Be prepared for a cash economy!
It’s all pretty soulless and uninteresting.
The president and his prime minister the retired brigadier campaigning for another term, which they got:
And of course Rusty needed a walk after his patient visit at the border. 
After ten years of dicking around the government has started paving this highway with $190 million borrowed and so far less than 30 miles have been paved of 75 miles planned. That would still leave 200 miles to be paved to create a truck route to the sea from the interior of northern Brazil. The idea is to undercut the barge monopoly in Manaus which won’t allow for an all weather road and for products to ship out through Georgetown.
All that’s left of the new bridge construction is the sign…and the new bridge. Apparently they have rebuilt the bridges along the entire highway but we shall see.
But the new bridge is much nicer. We covered 30 miles in three hours after we left Lethem driving slowly trying not to break GANNET2. It got dark and we were driving with headlights, not something I like to do Duvall on a dirt highway but at last we found a tiny pull out where a farm track joined the highway. I back up and we were fine for the night. Hot sticky and a bit buggy but we had some ramen, I wrote this and so to bed. A long day. 
A swimming pool! Room service! Constant a/c! It’s tough being an explorer.
Up next: The Lethem -Libden Trail so long it’s in two parts….
