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