Our overnight bus ride to Puerto Ordaz is literally a frigid experience as the air-con is set to maximum. All interior lights are switched off, making reading impossible. The seats don’t recline very far and neither is there much room making sleep problematic. We pass through numerous army checkpoints and one in the middle of the night insists we disembark – at gun point. Men are segregated to the left of the bus, women to the right while the bus is searched (for who knows what) – no exceptions. I cannot see Christi and the whole scene is a little worrying. The search is very thorough and very time consuming. Then it’s the turn of the passengers. I show my passport and a light is flashed in my face. The soldier then moves on to the next passenger. More time passes as each passenger is evaluated before we are finally all allowed to re-board the bus and I’m reunited with Christi. Despite the constant security checks, our bus arrives early into Puerto Ordaz and a quick taxi ride puts us at the local airport by 6 am. The next stage of this busy day is a flight to the isolated town of Canaima (only accessible by air), which is the starting point for trips upriver to Angel Falls.
We have agreed to do the next leg of our trip with two friends – Kelvin and Ashley. They arrive at 7.30 am looking every bit as frazzled as Christi and me. They have been in Venezuela for a week already and encountered adventures and logistical nightmares with equal measure. This seems to be the way of life in this socialist nirvana. And the challenges continue when we check-in as our flight to Canaima is delayed by 3 hours (our boarding passes are actually advertising flyers!). When we eventually depart our 60-minute flight is smooth with beautiful views over the savanna and tepuis.
Our accommodation in Canaima is at Posada Kusari, a basic place run by Miriam and her family. We eat a quick lunch and then begin our excursions. The first is across Laguna de Canaima. Again the challenges surface as the guide assigned to us and two other guests Greek Cypriot George (who looks and acts like Joe Pesci) and Japanese girl Chow-lung fails to materialize. Instead a young boy takes us on a wild goose chase. By tagging along with other tour groups and using our own initiative we eventually see most of what is intended. The big draw is a series of 7 medium-sized waterfalls, some full, others with only a trickle of water (it’s the dry season), including el Sapo, Sapito and Hacha. We can walk behind some of the falls, particularly Hacha which is great fun. We also get to swim in the tannin-brown-colored clear water of Laguna de Canaima, a great beach/watering hole.
The boat that took us the start of the excursion never materializes for the return journey, leaving us to bum a ride off another boat. We are furious; Miriam is mortified. Apparently there were insufficient pemon (indigenous Indian) guides, but the pemon did not want to admit it. Miriam agrees to pay for us all to do the scenic flight over Angel Falls once we return from our boat adventure to the base of the highest falls in the world. She even pays extra for a team to get us up river and back in time for the scenic flight and before our return flight to Puerto Ordaz. Everyone is happy and thankful to Miriam for her efforts. Tomorrow will be a big day.
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching, laugh-wrenching ride.
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