Border Crossing

The local bus in Corumba was packed with Brazilians headed to the Bolivian border. At the last stop where the Brazilian road officially ended, the passengers emptied the bus, and we followed the crowd to Bolivia. We brought our bags down a small path in the woods, hopping on stones across a creek, and finally trekking up a hill. With the Argentine girl I'm travelling with, we joked about how informal this border crossing was. I felt like the storied Mexicans darting for the US border across unfamiliar terrain. When we reached the Quijarros, Bolivia town center, we couldn't see an immigration office to take care of border formalities and get entrance stamps into the country. After asking around, it turned out we illegally crossed into Bolivia. With Brazil's strong currency and Bolivia's weak one, Brazilians regularly take day trips across the border to buy cheap clothes and electronics. Instead of paying duties and dealing with customs formalities, the Brazilians just sneak over the stream and enjoy a day of shopping.

We were forced to walk to the Bolivian Immigration office, entering from the "Departures" side of the border.

Border Crossing