Venezuela

---

Our journey from New Zealand to Venezuela is all one big blur to us now. It took us a whopping eighty hours to complete the trip. We boarded four planes, (via Australia and Canada) and endured a fifteen hour bus ride; that, combined with a lot of hanging around airports and bus stations, left us exhausted and almost delirious by the time we arrived at our guesthouse.
Caracas greeted us with a slap in the face, rather than the warm embrace we so desperately needed. Whatever way we looked, there were run-down, derelict buildings, chaotic traffic and gangs of youths hanging around street corners. The city was not so safe and a little overwhelming.
Needless to say, we headed straight for the bus station to catch the first bus to Merida, a city in the Venezuelan Andes. We found a fabulous little guesthouse in the centre of town and have never been so happy to have a bed to rest our tired bodies in. We fell fast asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows and we slept for the three days that followed, waking only for food!
Merida was very different to Caracas. Although, from the outside, the buildings looked dilapidated and unwelcoming, inside they were alive with music. The people on the streets seemed loud and rough, but once engaged in conversation they were warm and friendly.
Our time in Venezuela was very short, added onto our itinerary only weeks previous to arrival and with three days already lost we set about making the most of the time we had left. We booked onto a four day safari trip in the Los Llanos savanna.
It took us quite a long time to get to the plains but the scenery along the way was breathtaking, driving over the Andes, past tiny stone chapels and huge glacier lakes. As we reached the flat lands, the jeep fell silent as we looked out in awe of the wildlife around us and this was just from the road, the true safari hadn't even begun. We pulled over to the side of the road for a nice cold beer from the eski as the beautiful red sun sank into the horizon.
Our accommodation was basic but that's nothing new to us. What was new however was the lack of beds; we slept in a shed full of hammocks. Our first night's sleep was hellish; between the three French men snoring loudly next to us and not being able to get comfortable in the hammocks, it was a nightmare. Night two and night three were a whole let better though, that may have been because we were so exhausted after all our activities, but more likely thanks to the traditional Caribbean Cubre Libre's that we were drinking.
The first of our activities in Los Llanos was a half-day horse riding through the savanna. Paulo had been riding before so was excited to get back on a horse again. I have a very vague recollection of sitting on a horse once in France as a child, so really didn't know what to expect. I was given a beautiful, (if somewhat temperamental), horse called Conahito and Paulo mounted Resorte, a stubborn brown mule that tested Paulo from the off. Harry and Ramone, (our guides), were both very experienced riders and led us out through the flat lands. The landscape looked like what we can only imagine Africa to look like, giving us even more of an itch to head there soon!
We galloped through the fields, along dried up rivers and past little country houses, as far as the Santa Domingo river. Here the horses got a little break while we watched alligators, turtles, dolphins and a huge variety of bird life, all within meters of us but not bothered by our presence. We could have sat there watching for hours on end but there was more planned for us that day, so we made our way back to the camp. With sore rears, we climbed up onto the roof of the jeep for premium views on our safari. Ramone and Harry could name and describe every bird that flew above and around us, from the elegant eagles, hawks and falcons to the huge storks that stood around the wet land, getting any water they could. They could spot sleeping anteaters hidden deep within the trees and point out families of capybaras grazing on what grass they could find. There were countless numbers of alligators and turtles just flaking out by the water, plopping in for protection when they heard the engine approaching.
One of the big highlights for us was the hunt for anacondas. Harry and Ramone got their sticks out and ready for prodding around the marshland in search of these massive sea snakes. Before long, Harry saw some movement. An anaconda was headed towards the water. Harry reached down to grab it by the tail but the snake was moving backwards so it was the neck that Harry snatched. With that, the anaconda opened it's huge mouth and wrapped it's jaws around Harry's arm. Ramone managed to release the snakes hold but not before it had it's teeth firmly in Harry's skin, where they broke and remained in his arm! Harry, covered in blood, just wiped himself clean as if nothing had happened and continued on with our safari.
That night we were invited over to another camp for a party with the locals. The regional music blasted from giant speakers powered by generators and the salsa dancing didn't stop all night.
The following morning we set off into a small fishing boat and took a trip down the Santa Domingo river for a different view point and another way to get up close to the animals. Never had we imagined that we would enjoy and be excited by sitting in a tiny old boat in waters filled with alligators, crocodiles, anacondas and piranhas, but it was awesome. We did some piranha fishing, trying to catch our supper using chicken skin as bait. This was Paulo's time to shine and he reeled in food for the both of us. I, on the other hand, just fed the fish free chicken for the morning!
We had so much fun on this tour. It was like nothing else we've done or seen before. Although our time in Venezuela was very short, we can't imagine having spent it any better way. With that, we set off to the Colombian border to meet Caoimhe!

---