Corumba 10/1/12 - 10/3/12

Lets start off by saying Corumba was not on our list of places to see, nor does it really deserve to be on the "Places to see" list.  However, we were stuck there for a few days and it ended up being a good time!

There's a story for why we ended up in the town in the first place.  Original plan was to train to Bolivia border town, cross into Brazil at Corumba, and catch a bus to Bonito the same day.  Our train arrived at the border first thing in the morning, but to our surprise the border office was closed.  We found out it was a department holiday and although the office was supposed to be open in the mornings on holidays, to everyone's surprise including the locals, it was closed all day long.  Well, we are in Bolivia....  

No way to get an exit stamp.  Strangely, it was still very easy to walk right across the border without any hassle.   We met an English guy, Will, who was in the same predicament.  Brazilian border office wouldn't give us an entry stamp without a Bolivian exit stamp.  So, the 3 of us went into Brazil to the Federal Police to try and obtain entry stamps regardless of not getting the exit stamp first.  This idea failed and we would have to go back to the border in the morning, but we were at least able to stay in Corumba, a much nicer place than the Bolivian border town.  We simply went back to the border for exit stamps the next day.

While we were trying to get around town the first day for stamps, an extremely nice American girl, Melissa, that had been in Brazil for the past 2 years with her husband and family as missionaries, offered to help us out.  She gave us a ride to where we needed to go, and offered up any other help we needed, including a trip out to the Pantanal with her husband, Ben, in his boat.  Corumba is at the hub of the Pantanal which is a major river system and wetlands area containing thousands upon thousands of various species of animals.

So we emailed them back and forth (only form of communication), and set up a boat outing for the day after next and arranged to meet up with them later in the day.  We got a first hand tour of the town, drove up to an outlook over the city, played with their kids, and had dinner.  They were so friendly that it made for a great first experience in Brazil.

The next day was all about getting our stamps, eating MEAT, and hanging out.  Successful day.

Our last day was spent with Ben on his boat for a few hours in the Pantanal.  We were excited to get to do this because we didn't get to do a jungle or wetlands tour anywhere else, so this was the next best way to see some wildlife.

We saw plenty of birds, lots and lots of crocodile eyes and a few full crocodiles, and even some sea otters.  We were then invited to their home for lunch which was good to be able to say our goodbyes to the whole family and play with the kids a little more.

Plan was to get the afternoon bus to Bonito after our boat trip, but we found out once we got to the bus station that the once a day bus to Bonito was now at 7:00 am. Yay, another night in Corumba ;).

Corumba isn't exactly set up for tourism, so finding a place to stay was harder than normal.  Our guide book listed a hostel, but it was closed down.  The hotel we found was called "El Shadday" and it was El Shit-tay!  It was fine enough to stay for a few nights while in a pinch, but for $35 for the room (most expensive room yet), we expected a little more.  It did have a/c thank goodness, but not a lot else ;-).