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Published: September 2nd 2007
On the ranch we wake up relatively early - breakfast is at 8.00 am - The food is great here, basic, fresh juices are delicious, melon, papaya, oranges. Also served is a traditional type of corn, circular, ciabatta type bread known as "arepas" - appropriately named in fact because its like a meal in itself - cheese, ham and eggs.....
First excursion in the morning is at 9.00 and we get back into the trailer and head off unsteadily down one of the dirt tracks that disappears into the horizon of these vast plains. Not 10 minutes into our journey we spot an anteater in a tree - its incredible these are animals that we've only ever watched on TV and now we're standing less than 5 metres away from one - he peaks out through the branches at us with his long nose used to scoop up ants from their homes while they're sleeping at night....
As we travel along another group of visitors took the boat ride and indicate to us that they have spotted an anaconda on the shore of the river. We all get out and stop to take pictures, our guide Raphael takes a machete from the truck and literally begins to cut his way through the hedge in order to get to the snake. The anoconda from the boa family he explains, encircles its victims and constricts with unbelievable force until it sufficates and then swallows it whole - the bigger ones have been known to swallow men - the digestive process of the snake is so powerful that everything it eats is expelled in liquid form - Having said all this, Raphael, reaches down, grabs the snake by the tail and hauls it out of the bush in order for us to get a better view! The snake twists and turns trying to bite its tormentor - Raphael grabs its head and holds the snakes mouth open, pointing out different features to us - how the markings on the skin of every snake is different, like a human thumb print. Its really beautiful although probably absolutely terrified - once released it slithers slowly back into the hedge - the excitement once we get back into the trailer is palpable none of us have been this close to an anaconda in the wild before.....
Capyvaras line the shores of the rivers and the dirt tracks, I can't help thinking what easy targets these animals must be for predators like the anaconda, the crocodile, cougars and the canaima - but there is plenty of them and they seem to live in close proximity and definitely no longer endangered on this reserve in any case.
The rest of the excursion involved fishing for piranahs, basically we'd hook chunks of pork meat to our lines, and cast them into the water - we could feel the line tugging slightly but more often than not the hook came back without the meat... very fast eaters... but Emma was quick enough and managed to catch one that looked like it had a few healthy meals recently, she managed to swing it to shore narrowly missing someones head but she got one! They are really ugly, Raphael opened the fishes mouth and we could see the sharp front teeth and the tiny sharp teeth further back in its mouth for tearing up its food. You have some real mean killing machines - the canaima lounges on little islands along the river with its mouth open waiting for a bird or some other animal to forget that its there, one dreamy moment and basically that's the end of it...
Ida and I were a bit too impatient to fish and headed off down the dirt path for a little walk - although the experience is really fantastic we are getting a little tired of sitting in the bumpy trailer....
Back for lunch and we have a few hours break during which we had to mime the problem we were having with the blocked loo in our accomodation - Emma was in the pool at this stage I think - so the task was left to me - Jesus who doesn't speak a word of English, did'nt get what I was getting at at first - but he was smiling loads so I think he might of understand something else - Having left him for half an hour during which nothing seemed to be happening I went back a second time and he got the picture - I think we provide as much entertainment to the locals as we do for ourselves....
The excursion in the afternoon was by boat, travelling along the river, we spotted deer on the shore side, cattle grazing calmly in the distance, snowy egrets elegantly lining the river banks. Canaimas trail along behind the boat eyes glinting evilly just above the water... Our guide sticks a long stick out from the boat wrapped in meat and a huge canaima leaps from the water grabs the meat and sinks back under the murky depths... Meanwhile a Great Black Hawk (actually an eagle apparently) follows the boat in the hope of a bit of piranah for its afternoon tea - Raphael whistles to the bird, it swoops from the branches and manages to catch the fish in mid flight as its thrown into the air..... spectacular... We reach a canopy of trees where we first hear the noise of the howler monkey. Its quite impressive and a bit eerie as you can't see them - the tree are dense and green - but the colourful birds contrast brightly with the greenery - yellows, oranges, reds, pinks - spoonbills, herons, kingfishers - its really breath taking....
All the sitting and intense heat is beginning to take its toll and we decide to skip the excursion in the morning and go walking instead...
The ranchers round up the cattle in the evening moving them to a different locations on the plains in the evening - the birds gather on the trees again - we are tired but really happy.... We have dinner in the evening serenaded by the local "Llaneros" singing and playing traditional music on a type of harp. The night is uneventful and we sleep well....
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Mark K
non-member comment
Piranha fishing
Good to hear you're all enjoying yourselves. Emma probably didn't let on that she has previous in swiftly dispensing with hungry piranhas, on a daily basis at work :)