Tres fronteras...

The weather in the morning could have been the UK, except the temperature, of course.  Grey sky and rain.  As we cruised the distance to Santa Rosa on the border the sun made an appearance.  Here I got the exit stamp needed to leave Peru.  I then took a launch with Henryk, Suleyka (and her brother who had greeted us) to Leticia, Colombia, to change USD and Soles into Reals.  After this Henryk accompanied me to Tabatinga, Brazil, to get the entry stamp needed to enter this vibrant nation.  With three countries combined in one city, Portuguese being the principal language in Tabatinga and little help for the unprepared Gringo, this would have been a very tricky part of the journey to decipher.  I was deeply grateful for the help of Henryk and Suleyka.  A friend in need and all that.

Recycled tree

I stayed in the Hotel de la Frontera, literally on the border between Colombia and Brazil.  This has to be one of the most relaxed borders in the world.  A few guards are present, usually, and they have two wooden barriers but in reality there's no control of movement.  You are free to wander between three countries as you wish.  After some international wandering I couldn't really see anywhere I'd like to see in the New Year, lots of little cantinas but no real centre to this border town.  I decided to down a few beers on the first floor balcony overlooking the border.  When midnight came fireworks burst into the sky on the Brazilian side.  An hour later the same happened on the Colombian side.  Two for the price of one.  I expressed my gratitude for the people and opportunities of the last year, made a little offering for the upcoming one and wished the world well before hitting the hay.