Safari time....Los Llanos

I had to pack a small bag with everything I would need for four days safari. A few mistakes I made...An IPod but no torch, no hat for sun protection and only one pair of shorts. Apart from these minor mistakes I was ready for an adventure and this is exactly what I got.

I was picked up early on the 1st along with 5 German girls and an Argentinean guy, all of which spoke perfect Spanish. We pilled into a jeep, including the guides there was ten of us so it was a little cramped to say the least. I had no idea how long it was going to take to get there but after 6 hours I decided it was not going to be a pop down the road. In the end it was about ten hours and we arrived there for a beautiful sunset at about 6pm. The reason it had took so long was the constant stopping for beers by our guides and more worryingly our driver. Obviously drink driving laws do not stretch as far as Venezuela.

The first night was spent looking for Crocodiles and Caiman (a smaller fish eating type of Crocodile) this was slightly hard for me due to the lack of a torch. Now I like to think of our guide as the Venezuelan version of Steve Irwin. He was nuts, he'd sneak up on them and then pounce. Unfortunately this night he did not manage to wrestle any of them back to us. After the long journey I was ready for bed which I later found out was a hammock.

Next morning we were up early again and after a huge breakfast were in a boat cruising through the water and reeds. Like I said about our guide being like Steve Irwin - he would suddenly stop the boat, spot a Croc and then jump in. He missed a few but did come up with this ugly turtle thing. For some reason in this area there are also Dolphins, but not the type in the sea. They came in land thousands of years ago and have evolved into Piranha eating Dolphins and over time the turn pink due to the pigment of the Piranhas. This is strange seeing Dolphins and Crocodiles swimming in the same water.

When Tony said we could have a little swim in the water I thought he was joking, but he was deadly serious. So after contemplating death by Crocodile, Anaconda, Piranha and who knows what else I decided it was time to cool down and have a swim. Only 3 others joined me whilst tony kept a look out. No one was allowed in if they were bleeding as there would not be much of them left for long.

That afternoon we went out in the Jeep. Four of us were allowed to sit on the roof and look out for animals. This was perfect and you felt like king of the world in some African safari. We even had some cold beers. Soon enough a Caiman was spotted and Tony was off like a shot, he caught it, tied its mouth up and brought it back to us. When he untied it, it actually chanced one of the local kids down the track then decided to hide under the jeep for ages. A few minutes after this we saw a Giant Ant Eater which to be honest Tony pissed it off just long enough for us to get photos.

That night a local pulled out a guitar and everyone had a few beers by the water’s edge. It was always in the back of your mind that only a matter of meters away there was a river full of killer animals, which gave you a splash every now and then just to remind you they were there. The camp had a little cute cat that had been rescued from a trap with an injured leg. At the point we were there it was a cute little thing that would play fight with you. But in a few months it will be over 30 kilos and bigger than a dog.

Next day was Horse riding time which was excellent although I am still suffering now. We were given the instructions for stop, left and right then we were off. I really enjoyed this even though my horse hated all the others and had to walk on his own. My horse was leading at one point then Tony from the back shouted something then my horse just bolted and was flying down this track with me just about hanging on. I looked around to find everyone else in the same position. It took a while to get use to but in the end I loved this. As I write this it’s been four days since the riding and I still have two massive red patches on each buttock with no skin on. Sitting down is painful and the ten hour journey back again was agony. That afternoon we went to catch dinner which was Piranhas. Now I’ve caught all sorts of fish and massive ones too but never have I fished for anything like this before. You have a massive hook with a huge chunk of bloody meat on it. You free line it into the water and within seconds the piranhas have stripped it down to nothing. I lost loads as I just wasn’t quick enough. Between us though, we did have enough for dinner.

After eating them, from somewhere Tony produced a load of beers and rum so everyone had a last night party, salsa dancing and drinking. At about 11 all the girls went to bed then it was time for the guys to do some serious drinking. Another bottle of rum was ordered and thing begin to get a bit blurry. The conversation mainly revolved around girls and politics and was virtually all in Spanish so was hard to understand the more drunk everyone got. But I did learn some interesting things (email me to find out more!)

So the next morning we had to be up at 5am and I was a little fragile to say the least. After breakfast, when loading the jeep up we heard screams and shouts of ‘Anaconda’ everyone went running down the road and sure enough, in the grass by the side of the road was a 3-4 meter Anaconda. This was the animal I had wanted to see the most and was the perfect ending to the trip. Only a few months prior a farther from a nearby village had had to cut his son out of an Anacondas mouth.

Needless to say I was sick on the way home due to a delicate stomach and the copious amount of rum that had been consumed. But I felt a whole lot better after we went for a little white water rafting. Nothing compared to Australia but still refreshing and great fun. Then we wound out way back through the mountains and back to Merida.

This trip was amazing and I could talk about it all day. From horse riding to Dolphin spotting, from Crocodiles to Piranhas the whole thing was fantastic.

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