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Published: October 23rd 2007
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Day 1
Roraima in the distance So we are back from Roraima and what a trip. It was fantastic, although a few days after getting back we still can´t walk properly, due to aching legs and blisters. It brings back memories of how I felt after the Marathon - taking ages to get out of a chair and shuffling along in flip flops.
So this is how it was.......
Day 1 - After driving for a while reached the village where the trek started. The walk took 4 hours and was steep in parts but not too bad. Managed to get my first blister on my heel. When we got to River Tek Camp Gideon (our guide) explained the toilet procedure. Basically if you want a wee go in the bushes, for anything else there was a grey tent set up with a loo seat and a plastic bag. Great! We went down to River Tek to soak our feet, only to get loads of insect bites (that still itch a week later).
Day 2 - This was a long day walking to Base Camp, in total it took 6 1/2 hours including a lunch stop and lots of photo stops. Again it was
Day 2
Our Packs having a break steep in places but OK. Managed to get a blister on my other heel.
Day 3 - On this day we walked to the camp at the top of Roraima. Again it took a long time (6 hours). It was a very steep climb but I enjoyed it. Chris doesn´t like edges so stuck close to the wall of Roraima on the steep bits. About 20 minutes before we got to the top it started raining, so time for the poncho´s to go on. Saw some tiny black frogs which only come out when it´s raining. Alexis (other guide) had gone on ahead of us and had put the tents up in a cave. At 2700m it was very cold so after dinner and after putting on all of our warm clothes it was early to bed.
Day 4 - We spent the morning with Gideon walking around the top of Roraima. We saw crystals, plants that only grow on Roraima and fantastic views from the top. After we went to a cold pool of water called the Jacuzzi where Miles, Mandy and I had a wash with soap that is not harmful to the flora or fauna.
Day 3
Chris looking like he is on an edge! (Chris decided to remain smelly). This was the first time I had washed my hair in 4 days! (For anyone who knows me this is unheard of).
Day 5 - We started early at 7.15 am to get back to the camp we had stayed at on Day 1. I managed to turn my ankle twice quite early on in the morning and took ages getting down off Roraima. When we stopped for lunch I told the others that I had hurt my ankle. Chris gave me 3 of his anti-inflammatory tablets that he takes for his knees, to try to stop my ankle swelling too much. The others agreed to spilt the contents of my pack, and they all took some of my gear (apart from Alexis who had also hurt his foot). Gideon ended up carrying about 30 kilos worth of stuff. I was found a stick to help me take the weight off my foot for the rest of the walk. Over the rocks was painful, but on the flat surfaces my ankle was OK. We eventually made it to River Tek Camp 9 hours after starting out. The other casualty of the day were my
Raining
Us at the top walking boots which fell apart. What a long day! Luckily for us there was a Pemon family living at the camp, who sold beer which was enjoyed by the six of us. Miles got a bad headache (not linked to the beer) so he went to bed before dinner, leaving the other 5 of us to enjoy a pasta meal and a bottle of red wine, which was a nice surprise. We were also given t-shirts from the tour company.
Day 6 - Due to my blisters, 2 potentially black toenails and a broken pair of boots I decided to walk the final day in my CAT sandals. They have quite a good grip but have no back to them so when going uphill they kept sliding off. My ankle felt OK (I took another 2 anti-inflammatory tablets) and Chris took quite a lot of my stuff, but I carried my pack with some gear in it. It took 4 long hours to get to the village. We were elated to get to the end (and walked hand in hand to the finish) but were totally knackered and that included Gideon and Alexis. After lunch (and some celebratory cold
Edge!
Gideon on an edge at the top of Roraima beers) we headed back to Santa Elena for a hot shower and to change into clean clothes.
I have never been so smelly or dirty in my life but the sense of achievement in climbing that high and seeing the sights of Roraima is something that is very special.
If anyone reading this is coming to Venezula and thinking of going to Roraima I would definitely recommend it. It helps if you are fit and I would definitely recommend Eric at Backpacker´s. The website for his company is www.backpacker-tours.com. Everything he did was great, at the Posada nothing was too much trouble, the trip to Roraima was exellently orgainised and he even arranged our onward flights to Caracas and then onto Quito (Ecuador) whilst we were on the trip.
So after a night relaxing, we have headed off again. We got the overnight bus to Puerto Ordaz (in Cuidad Guayana) arriving yesterday morning. This time we only had 2 security checks. We are staying here for 2 nights before we fly to Caracas and then straight to Quito on Wednesday. So Venezuela is nearly at an end for us and a new chapter begins in Ecuador.
The End
Finished at Last! We plan on having a few days in Quito to get used to the altitude then will be organising a jungle trip (to hopefully coincide with Mandy´s birthday) before travelling south to the Galapagos Islands.
That´s all for now, sorry it was a long post, will post again in Ecuador!!!
Love to you all
Tina
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