Costs pp: bus from Quarai to Uruguaiana 20.5 Brasilian rials, local bus to bridge 1.7rs,
Pasa dos Libros local bus to terminal 1.25 Arg pesos, bus to Santo Tome 30p
We left Quarai on the 8am bus which had a woman bus driver, the first we have had on our whole journey throughout the Americas! At Uruguaiana we caught a bus outside the terminal to the bridge over to Argentina where we thought the Brasil customs would be but they weren't there and there is no walking across the bridge so we waited for a bus but none came so we tried hitching but no-one stopped. Behind us buses and trucks were passing through customs so we flagged a bus and got a ride with him across to the other side where both sets of immigration, Brasil and Argentina, were. The bus was brand new and we sat in the front with the driver on seats covered in plastic, he was delivering the bus to Peru.
At immigration a lovely young lady helped to sort us through. Brasil weren't interested in stamping us in or out of their country so we headed straight to the Argentine side where they smilingly gave us yet another 90 day visa although this time we will only use it for about 1 week. This must be about the 10th time we have entered Argentina!
Another local bus this time to the nearby Pase de Libros bus terminal to catch a long distance bus to Santo Tome which was leaving in an hour, while we waited we ate a picnic lunch. The semi-cama bus left just after 12.30 and got to Santo Tome at 4pm. When we stepped off the bus the heat hit us! Wow such a difference from where we were. Luckily as the evening wore on it became very pleasant with a small breeze. We found a room and wandered around the town. It is another border town really, with Brasil just a wee distance away but it has a nice plaza and shops and is about the same size as Quarai we would guess.
Kent went for a walk out into the countryside to watch the sunset and walked over a bridge which must have taken him back into Brasil but there was no-one about to care, no customs or any type of official.
In the evening Carol wandered up town and sat in the plaza and watched a religious ceremony going on at the church there. It's coming up to the day when they carry the Virgin through the streets and this was some ceremony preempting that. They had a good guitarist and a woman singer with a wonderful voice, the ceremony was of not much interest but it was nice being amongst the townfolk there.
The next day we woke to cloudy skies and rain, the ants racing around the room hadn't gotten into anything they shouldn't have during the night and joy of joys the califont in the shower room worked, so overall a good morning. We packed up and headed to the terminal to catch our 10am bus to Posadas.
