How to get to Boa Vista

So since we aren't getting a drive to Lethem, here's what we have to do:
-we have a drive to go buy a bus ticket for tomorrow morning
-tomorrow morning the bus to Lethem leaves at 6am
-we have no idea where the bus drops us off in Lethem
-once in Lethem we have to figure out where the bank is to change our money into Brazilian Reias
-apparently sign out of Guyana at the police station?
-then we have to get a taxi to take us to the boat
-get a boat across the river
This is where it gets a little more difficult because we don't know Portuguese
-get another taxi to Bonfim
-find where/when the buses go from Bonfim to Boa Vista, catch said bus
-figure out where the bus has dropped us off
-find a hotel
-get a room
-pay for a room for 3 nights

Now, Boa Vista is definitely the closest thing to a city around here, but it's not really anything special. We were going to hopefully stay in what seemed like a nice hotel, with a pool to relax by and eat at some decent restaurants, perhaps catch a movie (if there were any playing in english) and maybe do a little bit of shopping.

On Monday we would have to do the exact same thing on the way back but in the opposite order, which causes a few hitches because we don't knwo when the buses are or where they leave from or anything like that. We also don't know how to get back from where the bus would drop us off to Bina Hill because we think it gets in pretty late at night and probably drops us off at the Oasis which is a good 45 minute walk from here.

I think I've made the point that for all the money we would spend, and more importantly, the hassles we would no likely have to deal with on our way and while there, the idea of going to Boa Vista just does not seem worth it any more. It might have been nice for a night or 2 if we had a drive to and from Lethem (and maybe even moreso if it wasn't less than a week from when we leave here), but we've decided to forgo that idea and stay in Bina Hill this weekend. We have replaced our many stressors with just one: how to get food. But since we've done it before, and don't like going a whole day without food, we're being more proactive this time and talking to the cooks early to make sure that they'll figure out something that we can eat.

Our first weekend here in Bina Hill we were a little bitter because they had told us they don't cook on the weekends, and we didn't understand: what did they eat? But in getting to know them better over the past few weeks, we realize that it's not so much that they are eating and leaving us out as much as that they don't the same stuff as we do. A staple here in the North Rupununi is farine, which is made out of cassava. It's basically a carb like rice or potato or pasta, but apparently people who aren't used to it have difficulty digesting it at first. So Stacey and I have stayed away from it for our whole trip. So while they seem to survive off a little meat and farine on the weekends, for us to be able to eat, they will actually need to make us meals. Nothing all that special, but something other than farine. But we've talked to them and it looks like we will definitely be fed this weekend. We might even make a trip into the Oasis to spend some time watching the olympics! Exciting!

Have a great weekend!
Kaila