Venezuela Continued: Los Llanos

After an invigorating trek through the Andes, the Los Llanos savanna looked like a pleasant alternative. Our next journey began from Merida on February 21st in an 8 passenger Toyota Landcruiser.

Carlos was our excellent driver and guide for the next 4 days. Our companions were a young couple from Switzerland, a couple from France, & a psychology professor from Holland. Along with Erin, Pat & I, we made an interesting entourage. We had perfect visibility for the 5 hour trip down the mountains. This was the same route we took on the bus the week before to get to Merida so it was great to actually be able to see where we were going. Once down the mountain, there are no foothills like in Alberta, just flat plains. Our trek continued for many miles, with many stops along the way. Carlos has a degree in Biology with a specialty in Ornithology (the study of birds) & he proved to be a valuable source of information. The savanna is home to over 250 species of birds.

Dusk on the Savanna

Carlos also owns a small farm near Le Rancho Grande. Le Rancho was to become our home for the next 3 nights.

It was rustic but very comfortable. The 8 of us

slept in hammocks in a hexagon shaped hut.

The complex is surrounded by a little river that teams with Caimans (crocodiles), shore birds and families of Capybaras ( a large rodent that is the size of a pig and kinda looks like a beaver without the tail)
The owner Ramon built all the structures himself. His wife and family run the Rancho.

Comedor or kitchen

It operates on solar energy and a gas generator, so almost felt like being back on the boat.

The best way to describe these 4 days would be to think of a combination of a lot of driving, a lot of wildlife, a lot of relaxing, and a whole lot of fun. Carlos and his local helpers drove us around to find ant eaters, armadillos, capybaras, caimans, howler monkeys, anacondas, Scarlet Ibis and more birds than we can remember. We imagined it would be like an African Safari, chasing ant eaters instead of zebras.

The young kids found this 3 metre female Anaconda across the road from our Rancho. We also saw a 4 metre one the next day.

The young boys carrolled an ant eater near the road for all of us to see upclose. It was difficult to get a clear picture as it was running very fast.

We even went fishing for piranha and got to eat our catch at the end of the day. They are really quite sweet & tasty. On our boat tour, we saw more birds, turtles, guanas, vampire bats, river dolphins, & of course the endless supply of caimans A.K.A. crocodiles.

We were here during the end of the rainy season so there were still lots of little ponds and rivers. During the peak of the rainy season, the whole savanna is under water and the main transport is by little boats, as a lot of the roads get washed out. Most of the roads are built up higher than the flood plain and there was a lot of construction going on to improve the roads for the farmers. Not only is the Los Llanos savanna home to abundant wildlife, it also supports 10,000 people and 5 million cows.
We saw everything the tour advertised but were absolutely blown out of the water by something that is not a usual part of the tour. The first night (Thursday February 21st) a few of us were standing out on the bridge by the Rancho to catch the breeze, listen to the night birds & frogs, when I realized the full moon was getting an orangey-brown colour. Can you imagine standing out in the middle of nowhere on a cloudless night under a full moon & realizing it was going to be an eclipse. We thought the eclipse was a couple of nights later, but as we lay on the bridge deck looking up at the sky, we witnessed a total eclipse of the moon. Another WOW in our travels!

On our last evening, some of the local farmers, Ramon, & our guide Carlos brought out their 4 stringed guitars and sang local folk songs while we danced and partied. Normally they sit around the garden but we decided on a Bridge Party, since the breeze was so nice there. A first for Le Rancho & I think it was a huge success.

Unfortunately, all good things seem to come to an end. Sunday morning was time to pack up the Landcruiser and start the return trip. I think we all hated the thought of leaving. Half way back to Merida, Carlos dropped Pat & I off in Barinas to catch a bus to Caracas. We had a tearful Goodbye to our companions & especially to Erin as she continued on her own back to Merida. She was starting her own adventure while Pat & I would catch a plane in Caracas to return to Rhiannon in Curaçao. We really would have liked to stay longer in Venezuela, but the next available flight was not until March 17th. The crazy Venezuelans book all the seats to Curaçao because they can go there & withdraw US dollars directly from the bank machines. (The whole issue of currency is another story. Perhaps some day will get a chance to explain).

So today is Saturday, March 8th & we are in the beautiful anchorage of Spanish Waters on Curaçao. I am sitting at the nav station onboard our floating home typing this entry for our Blog. Everyday I am thankful for the opportunities we have experienced, the sites we’ve seen, the people we’ve met & the friends we’ve made. My forever wish is that everyone has some kind of dream of their own because dreams do come true.
Fair Winds,
Miriam
12°04.8’N
68°51.7’W

Merida, Venezuela

We woke up to rain showers the morning of February 15th so our 5 hour bus ride through the Andes Mountains to Merida was shrouded in clouds and FOG. (We haven’t seen fog since leaving the northeast coast of North America). The scenery was gorgeous even if we could only see a short distance. Merida is a large University Town & a centre for Ecotourism deep in the Andes Mountains at an elevation of over 5,000 ft (1577 m). For someone who is used to living at sea level, it was a bit of an adjustment. With 6 or 7 Universities and tons of Tour companies, there are lots of young people and young travelers around. It was good for Erin to be among kids her own age again.
The hardest part of being here was trying to decide which tours to take. We signed up with Guamanchi Expeditions & Adventure Tours for 2 different tours. They also have a beautiful Posada (a type of small hotel popular in Venezuela) where we could stay while in Merida.
Our first tour began with a ride up El Teleferico de Merida. The Merida Cable Car is the highest in the world at 15,633 ft (4.765 m) and is also the longest serial tram, 7.77 miles. It spans the magnificent national park area known as the “Sierra Nevada” and connects Merida to the tallest peaks in Venezuela. The trip consists of 4 independent sections, each one connected by a station where you get off to acclimatize to the increased altitude. At each successive stop, it got harder to breathe. The original plan was to just go up to the 3rd station as the mountain tops had been shrouded in clouds for days and days however luck was with us. It was clear at the top so the 5 of us (Pat, Erin, a young couple form Austria & me) hopped on the final tram and experienced literally breathtaking views.

Erin, Miriam & Pat

At the top.

We are on Pico Espejo, 15,633 ft (4.765 m) above sea level.

WOW! A million times.

At the summit, we experienced the panoramic view of the twin peaks of Humbolt & Bompland, 16,214 ft & 16,020 ft (4.942 m & 4.883 m), & the Timoncitos glacier on the southern slope of Pico Bolivar. WOW again.

Above the cloud forrest

Well our luck held out. As soon as we got on the tram to descend back to the 3rd station, the clouds socked in and we could no longer see where we had been.

We continued on with the rest of our tour which consisted of a 5 hour Hike/Mule/Donkey ride along precipitous trails to the village of Los Nevados. In the end we walked the last hour as my butt couldn’t stay in the saddle another minute.

Trail Riding

To partially quote the guide book, Los Nevados is “stuck way in the hell of nowhere amongst totally spectacular mountain scenery”. It is a very picturesque village perched on the mountainside. Some of the whitewashed houses capped by red tile roofs are hundreds of years old. Each family is totally self sufficient with their own livestock and farms. It’s amazing to see.

Los Nevados

That night we stayed in a very rustic Posada with spectacular views and amazing food.

View from our Hammocks.

The next morning, we hiked along the dirt road looking for a flour mill, which we didn’t find, but we’re rewarded with a nice relaxing break by a cool mountain stream. After lunch the 4&1/2 hr return trip to Merida was by 4X4 Toyota Landcruiser. The dirt road was pretty hair raising most of the way, narrow with sharp hairpin turns, areas deeply rutted by rain, & some parts even washed away. We seemed to descend down & down only to have to climb up again. Our driver was excellent. He really knew how to handle the terrain. Fortunately the awe of the surrounding scenery helped keep our minds off the road. Once back in Merida it was time to rest our aching muscles and prepare for our next adventure.
Till next time,
Miriam

Curacao

Written February 14th
I never get tired of looking at mountains, rain forests and waterfalls. Travelling by bus along the flat plains, passing rice fields and banana plantations add to the appeal of the mountain back drop. Unfortunately we missed getting a photo. I quess I never get tired of the variety nature bestows on us. We are back in Venezuela!
But let me backtrack a little here. We arrived in Curaçao, January 27th and anchored amongst a hundred other boats in Spaanse Waters aka Spanish Waters. The main city is Willhemstad and the downtown waterfront has been restored and is apparently just like Amsterdam. The Dutch influence is obvious.

There’s a unique Pedestrian Pontoon Bridge that spans the river entrance to Santa Ana Baai and the main harbour in Willhemstad. It opens on demand to allow ship traffic through (even with people on it)

Queen Emma Bridge

The beginning of February brought the celebration of Carnival. Each island in the Caribbean have their own unique version of this festival.

On February 7th we had an excellent 25nm downwind sail to Santa Marta Baai, a protected little inlet along the NW coast. The next day we rented scuba gear and did 2 shore dives off Sunset Waters Beach. It was really neat, complete with a small plane wreck in 25 feet of water. Then we continued along the “wall of coral” in 70 – 80 ft. Erin found a huge lobster @ 90 ft. It had to be at least 10 lbs. Along with the usual reef fish, we saw a 4 foot Tarpon and Erin saw a frogfish. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the seahorses that were supposed to be in the soft coral. It was difficult to see as the coral wavered back & forth with the surge of water. We are definitely HOOKED on Scuba Diving.

Sailing back to Spanish Waters we had to make 15 tacks in order to sail the 25 nm. Then we rented a car & did a mini land tour. Geographically and culturally, Curaçao and Bonaire are very similar. Curaçao has a population of about 150,000 people in contrast to Bonaire’s 14,000. Curaçao has more bays & inlets along the lee shore, so there is more opportunity to explore by boat.

View from inside the cave at Boca Tabla, Shete Boka National Park, North Coast of Curacao.

Yet again, it was time to move on. The 20-25 knot east winds with frequent gusts to 35 & 8-12 ft waves were not going to allow us to sail to Venezuela anytime soon, so we tied Rhiannon up in a marina and hopped on a plane to Valencia, Venezuela, an hour’s flight. From the airport we took a cab to the bus station and jumped onto a luxury bus for a 6 hr drive to Barinas, were we took a hotel for the night and enjoyed a BarBQ Chicken dinner for Valentines Day. Our plan was to break up the bus ride to Merida so that we could travel the 5 hrs through the Andes Mountainsin the daylight.

I never get tired of looking at mountains, rain forests and waterfalls. Till next time,
Miriam.
Pat & Erin say Hi!