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Published: December 23rd 2005
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Dear all, trying out this web journal for any friends or family who may be interested in where Ruth and I are in the world. It may be a little long winded at first for you but thats because i am catching up!
Starting from the beginning, we obviously went to Venezuela first. Spent a couple of days in Caracas then went to a place called Santa Fe on the south coast, in a van we had hired, where we chilled out and did a couple of dives. It was here we met a guy called Tony, a local guide who wanted to take us to an area known as Los Llanos (pronounced Yanos), the main region of Venezuela for bird watching and safari tours. This chap who seemed very nice and had a portfolio of his talents, (including catching anaconda and caymen), came to Santa Fe to try and find tourists as the competition in Merida (where most tours to Los Llanos are organised) was very stiff. Apparently (we later found all this info out) there are 25 tour operators in Merida, but only four mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide, and those four take over 80 % of the
business, leaving the other 21 companies fighting for the remaining businesss! Hence his tactic was to try and find backpackers from a different region all together. As we had our own car, we didn´t use his driver, but gave him a lift. We also went via Angel Falls, as this was on the way, and took him with us (we paid for his flight (to the falls) but he didn´t have to pay for anything else as he had worked there for many years).
So we drove to a place called Ciudad Bolivar, from where we got in a small Cezna plane to Canaima, and then journeyed up river to see Angel Falls. The flight was really exciting, with beautiful views of rivers and a final dramatic landing past some water falls (they were right outside the window of the plane). We also got a view of some Tepui, the exclusively Venezuelan flat top mountains which feature on most of their brochures. We did a bit of a tour the first day of the waterfalls nearby, some of which you could walk behind and get a great view through the water. We were also lucky to see a poisonous
frog, which Tony caught. (Tony is a bit like Steve Erwin, and had an amazing ability to catch almost any living animal!). We also found out about some of the original explorers, who came to this remote region looking for gold, but only found a waterfall! Both ended up becoming hermits and living in the jungle for years on their own, and dying in dramatic circumstances (falling off a waterfall).
The next day we went up river on a boat to Angel falls, which took several hours, but was brilliant fun. Unfortunately there wasn´t much wildlife, as it has been scared away by all the tourists going to see the falls (Tony kept informing us how Los Llanos was much better for wildlife viewing). Still the scenery was very dramatic. Our first sight of the falls was from the river, but after landing on the bank we had to walk for an hour or so through jungle to get to the best view point. After sitting there and trying not to get bitten by mosquitos, we then went back to the river, and walked to our camp, where we had a wonderful dinner, and slept in hammocks. From the
camp we could see Angel Falls in the morning. During the night it rained extremely hard, making a dramatic noise on the corrugated roof, but it was really exciting. Just when you thought it couldn´t get any louder, it went up a note. In the morning the river had changed completely, and we had lost about 20 ft of bank (it had probably raised by a couple of feet). It made the journey back down to Canaima even more exciting as the river was that much more turbulent.
After flying back to Ciudad Bolivar we started a long drive to Los Llanos, stopping on the way for the night. Fortunately for me I was one of the two dedicated drivers (the other being Dave, Eddy’s cousin), so I found it quite enjoyable. The roads soon deteriorated, and we both had to learn to drive in the middle of the road, from where you were in the best position to avoid potholes!
We arrived at the camp, by a river, and were shown to our rooms and hammocks. It was very basic, with shared outdoor bathrooms, (where you had to dance whilst having a shower to avoid being bitten),
but a beautiful location. Within five minutes of arriving we went on our first safari, driving along a road which went past the flooded marshlands, sitting in the back of a pick up, from where we could view the various animals, mostly birds, but also caymen, snakes, and capibara (the largest rodent in the world). Arriving back at the camp when it was getting dark, we went to our room, and Ruth was soon in ecstatic delight because she thought she could hear dolphins. Sure enough Tony the guide confirmed that the river had many pink fresh water dolphins, and the sound was them breathing. Unfortunately it was dark so we couldn’t see them.
For the next few days we stayed in the camp, going on a couple of safaris a day, sometimes on a small motorised canoe along the river, where we saw lots of wildlife, but photography was certainly difficult! Tony would sit at the front of the boat, ready to jump into the piranha infested waters if a suitable animal came our way. Once he dived in and came out from the murky water with what is one of the weirdest looking creatures we had ever
seen, a blind turtle which had evolved to survive in the depths of the mud. Spotting it was only possible when it came up for a breath using its strange snout as a snorkel. We also went on a horse ride safari, which was particularly exciting when we had to cross a river. It was pretty deep, but the horses could walk, and though my feet got wet in the stirrups, my camera was ok. I definitely felt like a bit of a cowboy.
After Los Llanos we decided to drive to the town of Merida, a mountain town which would bring some much desired lower temperatures (in Los Llanos you broke into a sweat when your hammock stopped swinging). It was sad to say goodbye to Tony, who had been a great bloke and guide. Initially we had all been a little suspicious of him, as trust is earned in time, but he had definitely proved his knowledge and skill. The change in scenery and climate was quite dramatic as we drove up the mountain to Merida, where we stayed for a few nights, wandering the pretty town and checking out the scenery. Eddy and Matt both did
a paraglide from the top of the mountain which sounded great fun, just like they do in Grand Bornand.
Ruth and I were at this stage thinking about going to Columbia, as it was not far to the border, but in the end we returned to Caracas with Eddy, Licas, Dave and Em, parting company along the route with Matt and Kim who had some more time in Venezuela. We decided we would go to Costa Rica early, to spend more time on the beach, as it had definitely been quite action packed and we wanted to have some time to just relax. Our flight was at the same time as those going back to Jersey, so we went to the airport together and said our goodbyes in the departure lounge. Unfortunately Ruth and I both forgot to move our penknives from our handluggage, and got the confiscated. I was pretty gutted as I had had that penknife for a long time, a present from Dad.
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