Venezuela

  Ciudad Bolivar, Guayana Highlands, Venezuela
Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Well!
After our lovely nights sleep in Santiago Airport we arrived in Venezuela.
We stayed with my sisters friends parents at their house in Caracas for the first two nights and had a couple of days in the city! Not really a very touristy city! Infact we didnŽt see any other tourists at all, except Venezuelan tourists! We took the Teleferico up to Volcan Avila which was a strange experience! A theme park atmosphere at the top, with an ice rink, stalls selling hotdogs, corn pancakes and dreich weather! We were well and truly in the clouds! It was raining and there were no views, just loads of school kids running around, but it was one of the few tourist attractions in town!
By Friday we had a night bus booked to take us south east to Ciudad Bolivar, it was ok, and we got into the bus station at 7.30 am and by 8am weŽd booked ourselves a tour  and were sitting at the airport waiting for the flight to Canima to see the Angel Falls! Wow! what a plane, weŽd wondered if there might be refreshments served on the plane but as we were walking accross the tarmac carrying our own bags towards the rickety wee 6 seater cessna we realised that there wouldnŽt be any cabin crew on this flight!

Our plane

Pete and El Capitano were in the front, a Venezuelan couple in the middle and me and the luggage in the back! As El Capitano started the engine the door popped open! and I got a row and was told not to touch it! But I hadnŽt! We realised there was some inflight entertainment - El Capitano got us up into the clouds then started reading his newspaper with the odd nudge of the controlls from time to time!
Landing in Canaima was cool! The airport terminal was a palm thatched hut with some locals drinking coke and the odd stray dog running accross the runway.
We were met by Oswaldo (Ozzy) our guide and taken to our camp.

us with Ozwaldo the guide

After a refreshing swim on the beach in the Canima Lagoon alongside the locals doing their washing, we had lunch. A big Iguana was up a tree and someboys caught it so we could have a closer look! It was about a meter at full length!
Then set off accross the lagoon to explore some of the closer waterfalls. It was lovely, really hot, blue skies, few clouds and lovely scenery. The waterfalls were amazing. after a wee trek accross an island we came to Salto Sapo which in itself was a lovely waterfall, but little did we know that there was an undercut rockface with a walkway right through the waterfall to the other side! What a power shower!!

Us at Canima lagoon

The food was good and the lovely village was realy peaceful but seemed to be changing, a lot of resorts were being build along the waterfront.
Next day we were up early, and 8 other people joined us to begin the trip up river to see the angel falls. We went in a long narrow boat that looked like it war carved from one tree trunk. We motored up river for 4 hours amongst the tepuis -strange flat-topped mountains. The boat was really exciting and we all got totally splashed and soaked as they drove up the rapids.

another boat like ours

Then the Angel falls came into view 997meters of waterfall! It was fantastic to see, we treked through the jungle for an hour up to the viewpoint which was stunning, execpt for the large group of Japanese tourists shouting šBanzaiš But they didnŽt linger too long! Next we scrambled down the banking to swim in the pools at the bottom of the falls! Amazing!

swimming

Back at the riverside we stayed in the jungle camp and slept in hammocks in an opensided thatched roofed hut. It felt a bit odd- not quite as comfortable as youŽd think, and surprisingly cold for the jungle! We were wrapped up in tartan blankets!
Next mornig the surrise an 6am was lovely and the views were clear, Pete and I walked along the river to get some brilliant photos, worth the early start.

morning at the falls

Then we returned down river towards the civilisation of Canaima and flew back to Ciudad Bolivar in our own private plane - just El Capitano and us two! At one point Capitano opened his bumbag and passed us a couple of sweets!

Now weŽre staying at a possada in town which is lovely, in our own wee palm thatched hut. Very peaceful and relaxing.
Hope to get a flight booked soon to take us to Ecuador. Fingers crossed.....