Venezuela - The Lost World
Throughout this post you might find me a little emotionally biased, but that's because it was the best travel I have ever done in my short travelling career. God created Venezuela! If a God had created Venezuela, the same God stopped caring for it. After 4.5 billion years, he/she called it quits. Or he/she simply created humans (yes, I am furious about what is going on in Venezuela now)
Day 1
Spring of 2015. I just returned from Ecuador after a memorable trip. Someone (for the life of me, I can't remember who) shared with me a Buzzfeed post about the natural beauty of Venezuela. (I still have that post bookmarked. Search for '28 Lugares que comprueban que Venezuela es la más bella del universo'). 8 months and 2 seasons later, on day after Christmas of 2015, I am boarding a morning flight to Venezuela, with a dear friend Ana. Look how cute and innocent we looked back then. They grow up fast eh?
Day 2
After arriving in Caracas last night, Ana and I split up. Ana visits her family and I go climb a mountain! Took an early morning flight to the North-Eastern city of Puerto Ordaz. My journey to the mountain (Roraima Tepuy) begins from there. Before arriving, I had a tour arranged with Cruz de Bolivar. Hector from the company picked me up. Ana’s sister Marlene was also waiting at the airport with some local currency.
It’s an 8 hour-long drive from Puerto Ordaz to Paraitepui, the starting point of my hike. We arrived late at night and it was pitch black. We were advised to rest well as the next 6 days can be grueling.
Day 3
Woke up early and had breakfast. Hector pointed at where Roraima is but a thin veil of fog kept her hidden from us. In a way, it was a blessing. Because had I seen what I was trying to accomplish, I would have called myself ‘crazy’ and took the next flight back home.
After Breakfast, we started the hike at around 10 am. We were 4 – Besides me, there was Hector (guide), Tam aka Chinito (hike-buddy) and Sergio (from local indigenous tribe, to provide us support ‘from the ground’). The first test came after 15 minutes of walking. Hector called it a rookie-hill. A small but steep hill that may deter a few faint hearted souls. My personal deterrence level reached ‘why-the-f***-am-I-doing-it’, but ego stopped it from reaching the ‘f***-it-am-outta-here’ level.
After an hour or so of walking, the mountains made their first appearance. That was some sight!! They were called Kukenan (L) and Roraima (R) - like ying & yang - symbols of good and bad. We are attempting to reach the top of Roraima.
I took a moment to catch breath, clicked a few pictures, admired the monstrous beauty and kept walking. After 5 hours of walking, we reached out first campsite – Rio Tek. The camp is close to a river (Tek), so we did not have any trouble getting water to cook and wash ourselves. After the late lunch, we relaxed a little, socialized with fellow hikers, and discussed the plans for the next day. Early dinner and we are ready to go to 'bed'. Believe it or not, this is the first time I am going to sleep in a tent. Baptism with fire, they say!
Day 4
We had an early start and it was crucial. We have couple of rivers to cross. If crossing Rio (river) Tek was a piece of cake, Rio (river) Kukenan, was a piece shit task. Apparently it rained in the mountains last night and it caused the water to rise to a level it was impossible to cross by foot. There were some ‘boats’, which can take 1 person at a time. But the strong current made it hell of lot difficult to steer the boats. These skillful boatmen used the currents in their advantage to cross safely. Now I can comfortably talked about it but at that time, I thought my heart was beating fast enough to rock the boat! But since we were the first to arrive at the scene, we got a head start and crossed the river before everyone else.
Since the river crossing to our next campsite, it rained throughout and made the hike even more difficult. Also the climb was getting steeper. An hour before arriving the campsite, I pulled muscle in my right thigh which slowed me down even more. But Chinito and Hector were very understanding and adjusted their pace to match mine, for which I am grateful. We arrived the basecamp a little later than expected. The ground was so damp and muddy of the pouring rain. Hector and Sergio worked hard to serve us lunch.
I was discouraged about the day and even more worried about the next day which is when we gain most of the elevation. But Hector tried to motivate me by sharing some tips and asking me to stay on the cold water current nearby the campsite. It worked like an ice bath for my tired legs and I was feeling much better afterwards. By then the sun also showed up.
Day 5
5:30 am start. Day of struggle; real struggle. Today’s hike is mostly steep ascent, even 75 degrees at some places. I am nervous for the last day’s experience. But Hector asked me to take smaller steps rather stretching and stressing already tired muscle. It was not easy, but it worked. We slowly started climbing up.
After about an hour and half, we had the first sight of the rock 'wall'. The tradition among indigenous is to touch the wall and ask for permission to climb. I did; in fact asked for more than just permission. I asked, if possible, not to be pushed away.
We hiked along the wall. There are sections of the trail where small water stream fall beside us. They are called ‘the tears’ (of the mountain). The last 90 minutes climb was very strenuous. But at least we now have the end in our sights.
Around 25 minutes past noon Venezuelan time on 30th Dec 2015, my tired body and Canadian flag sewn travel bag reached the summit of my first mountain. I was happy. So happy a tear formed in my eye, but it didn't roll down. SUCKER!
Next 40 hours were spent on the top of the mountain. After having lunch, we had a quick nap and then left to explore the top of the mountain. I was asked a few times already "What is it like there on the top. Is it flat? Is it scary?” Well, it's very silent and chilly and rocky. When it's almost sunset, it gets really cloudy. Cloudy as in 'you-are-in-the-cloud' kinda cloudy. Bottom right picture was taken at 4:00 pm.
The flora and fauna of Roraima are unique to the mountain. Heard an interesting story about a tiny black frog. You can find them only in Roraima and certain western parts of Africa. The reason is when the super continent (pangea) was split, some remained in one part of the continent while others jumped the ship. Oh and by the way, orchid is the national flower of Venezuela and you can see a lot of them during the hike.
Other interesting find was the amount of Quartz sediments in the mountain. There is even a Valley of Quartz. It's an enchanting view of crystals of quartz thrown into a whole valley. It is said that once the quartz deposits were found, Swiss arrived in helicopters and stole most of it. Hence the Swiss are famous for their Quartz watches.
Day 6
Today is the last day of 2015. A good day to reflect on the whole past year. Now the only thing I needed was a place to do so. Hector had me covered. We head to the Ventana (the window). View from there was breathtaking. We could see both mountains and Kukenan falls, which is the second tallest waterfall in the world. The space between Kukenan and Roraima has constant passage of clouds. There is a scientific explanation to it involving the Amazons, Atlantic and all other stuff in between. Let's leave it there. But it was mesmerizing to see the clouds hugging and oozing out of the rocks. Legend says, one shouldn't be speaking loud here. Because your voice can wake up the clouds. If so, they will come and cover the mountains. Snooze clouds, snooze!
Remember that famous Tom Cruise quote from the movie 'The Beach' - "I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for, 'cause it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're part of something, and if you find that moment... it lasts forever". I was in paradise.
The memory of being there will stay with me till my last breath (except of course in case of Amnesia. It’s a bitch disease)
Later that day we head to the tallest point in the mountain – the maverick. The rock formation there looks similar to the car from 1970s – Ford Maverick. The view of the valley (Gran Sabana) from the Maverick is spectacular.
We reached the camp at 7 pm. In 5 short hours, it is New Year. But when you are so far away from the civilization that is plagued with consumerism and forged mannerism, it does not matter if you do not celebrate the start of a calendar year. Every day is a gift and should be celebrated. After a brief chat, we all went to sleep way before midnight.
Day 7 (and 8)
New Year 2016! Long and tricky descent begins today. We have to cover 3 days of onward walking in remaining next 2 days going back. I fell down once, fell sick once, got feasted on by Puri Puris (winged vampires), sun burnt, but I survived! We arrived Paraitepui at 10 am on Day 8. After a celebratory beer, we set off our return road trip to Puerto Ordaz. I did not sleep for a minute during the 8 hours trip. I could not sleep for the many memories created in the last 6 days for me to catch up on.
After dropping off (and saying bye to) Chinito, Hector dropped me off at my hotel. Time to say good-bye to him too. He was more than just a guide to me. He helped me fulfill one of my dreams and I forever will be grateful to him. We part our ways after agreeing to keep in touch.
Oh bed and warm shower. How much have I missed you both!! I don’t remember having dinner that night. After the shower, I was passed the flat out!
Day 9
Day to chase the Angel (falls)! I had an early start. Went straight to the airport and the tiniest plane I have ever been took me to the Canaima National Park. My tour company was there to pick me up. After a quick briefing, we were taken to the bank of a river. A boat is supposed to take us to our campsite where we can see the Angel Falls – the tallest waterfall in the world. Angel falls is almost a kilometer tall. It is so high that the water drops from the top disappears into white mist before reaching the bottom. I am going to see it!
Back to the boat. When you say boat, these are small-motorized boats where passengers sit on a plank. How long is the boat ride? Motherf***ing 4 hours!!! I don’t know swimming and am shit scared of drowning. This was not good and it did not stay good too. The boat sails through a dark river, banked by dense forest. The color of the water is so dark that you have no idea how deep it. But later we found out in hard way that it was not that deep. Because the damn boat gets stuck on the rock. Then all male riders (4 of us) have to get off the boat, get in the river and push the boat. This happened like 5 times. Later, way later, I learned that this river has piranhas and anacondas!! F*** in all caps!!
But towards the end of the trip, we could see glimpses of the falls in its full glory. It was majestic. F*** the piranhas, I don’t care. The sight of the falls itself was worth it. But the boat was still sailing, I didn’t want to take my camera and shoot a shaky picture. In my mind “hey, we are going to a place where the falls will be right in front of us. What's the rush now?” Well, wrong decision. By the time we got to the camp, the clouds came and covered her up! Ah well, at least I saw her.
That night we slept in a hammock. Last time I spend a night in a hammock, it was under the supervision of my own mother. Today, I am under the supervision of Mother Nature, beneath a million stars studded sky. Equally comforting.
“One day you'll leave this world behind
So live a life you will remember.
These are the nights that never die.”
Day 10
Another early start and another 4 hour boat ride back to Canaima. A major f*** up by my tour guide resulted in the most awakening moment of the trip. So I had a modified cut-short itinerary that brings me back 1 day before the rest of the group. But my guide completely forgot to pick me up! Story of my life!! After dropped off by the boat, I waited for 15 minutes, knowing that the only flight out of the island leaves in the next 30 minutes. I am supposed to take that flight and meet Ana in the evening at Puerto Ordaz. If I don’t take it, Ana will freak out, call rescue and later my parents to share the bad news that their son is eaten by an Anaconda. I am sure they would not spare her. Good lord, what have I started! All these thoughts brewed in my mind for 15 long minutes before I gathered the courage to find my way back to the airport. I could see the flight I am supposed to take in 30 minutes, just came down for landing, which gave me a rough idea of the location of the airport. Then I started walking in that direction, through the jungle and the riverside. Finally, 5 minutes before departure time, I arrived at the airport. Of course then the flight was delayed for another 40 minutes. But I survived. I SURVIVED.
By early afternoon, I arrived back at Puerto Ordaz. Ana’s close friend Kal was waiting to take me to Ana’s family. When we reached there, lunch was ready and I hadn’t had such a delicious home-made meal in a very long time.
Ana’s family felt like my own. There’s her mom, who reminded me of my mom. She likes to spend time in kitchen, treating the guests well and loves her children more than anything. At dinner table, she demands you to go for second time. She scolds you if you don’t finish your food. She asks you every 2.5 minutes if you need anything. She stops you from washing your own plates. Sounds a lot like my mom. Her dad was like mine too. He is gentle, caring and soft-spoken. Marlene is Ana’s little sister, whom Ana was actively conspiring to match me up with. Carlos is Ana’s brother who smiles and gives me thumbs up every time I walk past him. Then there’s Ms. Camila, Ana’s 4 year old niece, who is the star of the family. They all took me in and treated me like their own.
For dinner, Eliyul (Ana’s best friend) and Kalberth (Eli’s husband) were kind enough to take us out, to experience the nightlife of Venezuela. Eli's kids - Ana Isabella and Antonio - and a handful of their family friends also joined us. We stuck to the safe neighborhood, made our way to a decent burger joint that also served alcohol and had an open terrasse. I was shocked to learn that 30% of the items in the menu were unavailable for a strikingly strange reason - they cannot get ingredients due to the ongoing food and commodities shortage in Venezuela!! But that was just the tip of the problem. Next day I also saw hundreds of people waiting in long queues outside the supermarket to obtain necessary items. Sad and disappointing! But, for a moment, we forgot the atrocities happening around us and people’s struggle to make a living. It was a nice evening, spending time with friends and having a good meal and a cold one.
Day 11
I woke up a little earlier than Ana and it lead to a light-hearted moment.
Ana’s mom was up early and preparing breakfast for us. With usual warmth, she asked me something in Spanish. Suddenly my common-sense-infused-intelligence was up. I remembered she asked me something similar yesterday and without understanding I said “si” and she gave me a cup of coffee. Now she asked me the same thing and I must wait for Ana to wake up to have coffee together. “No” I responded, and she handed me a cup of coffee, again! What am I doing wrong? The coffee tastes good though!
After lunch, Ana took me out to see the city. We went to Parque La Llovina. She was raving about how cool is to have a park in the middle of the city and I was unimpressed. “New York also has a park in the middle of the city”.
“But we have a waterfall inside the park”, she said.
“You have what?” She doesn’t speak good English. It must be that, right? RIGHT? Nope. They have a frigging park with a waterfall and not even a small waterfall.
In the late afternoon, we met with Eli and Kal again for a quick trip to the shopping mall. After walking around for a little while, they dropped us back home and said goodbye. I went back to packing bags. Tomorrow morning we have to head back to Caracas and then from there, we are off to Montreal.
Day 12
I watched Ana saying goodbye to her family. It was emotional for them, although Marlene was later poking fun her big sister for being a drama queen. Ana’s mom spoke for 30 seconds non-stop to me in Spanish, before I left. When the tears were in the past, Ana translated (and possibly paraphrased) that she said she felt me as a part of the family and will miss me. I genuinely felt bad for not speaking Spanish.
We arrived at Caracas early afternoon and had a stay booked at the Marriott overlooking the beach. It was a gorgeous setup and can’t believe we hardly paid $50 for it, thanks to the ridiculous inflation and black-market currency situation . We head to the beach for some fresh fried fish lunch. Guess we were a little late, the options were limited. But it was good to relax under the parasol, sipping a cold one, discussing about the past 11 days among various other things. A Venezuelan girl overheard our English conversation and shared her curiosity on where we were from. She then said to Ana that she has an excellent accent while speaking English. My my, Ana’s face flushed bright pink and she thanked her whole-heartedly, grinning from ear to ear. That made my day!
Tomorrow morning, I am going back to the frostbitten Montreal, but with a warm heart, full of memories and gratitude.
Thank you Anangelina for your meticulous planning, despite being thousands of miles away. You made sure that the 'guy without plans' returns home in one piece.
Thank you Ana for welcoming me to your family and feeding me mom made food. Delicioso! Thanks to Kal and Eli for taking us out to experience the nightlife.
Thank you Cruz de Bolivar for helping me to turn a dream into a reality. Thank you Hector for teaching me the basics of climbing. You have no idea how 'short steps' saved my day 3.
Thanks to all the people I met during my travel and especially my hiking partner Tam aka The Chinito. If "a journey is best measured in friends, not in miles", I had one hell of a journey.
Thank you, Venezuela. They say "to travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other country". But you made me realize that it was I who was wrong. Your mountains are grandioso.. Your valleys are sereno.. Your rivers are puro.. Your beaches are vibrante... Your people are amable.. You are hermosa... Until next time..
