After the deal was done with the guys at Ciudad Bolivar, they whisked me off to the airport where I was told to wait for a while while they sorted out the paperwork. So I happily sat in the cafeteria watching the opening ceremony of the South Africa World Cup and got myself an overly expensive tea and pastry. Eventually the man from my company ecotours approached and simply handed me two receipts, one for the flight there and one for the flight across to the more southerly town of Santa Elena but he told me that as I was going alone that I may not get that flight so if not to return to Ciudad Bolivar and they’d discount me for that extra expense.
Eventually I was summoned and I headed to the small plane with just one other person, a woman who really didn't look like she was off on the touristy, jungle trek as I was since she was rather well dressed with jewellery and make up on and a mobile phone that seemed to be stuck in her hand! Perhaps she was working out there or perhaps she was just visiting family! Anyway so after a small while after take off, we were cruising over forested mountains and long sinuous rivers, we really were seeing some stunning landscapes appearing beneath us and I was beginning to see why Canaima National Park was so highly spoken about and the great marvel that it was!
Just before landing I looked to my left and saw some amazing waterfalls with some simply splendiferous table top mountains behind which made for an absolutely amazing aerial view and some fantastic photos!
After a few nice shots we were back on terra firma after not the mostconvincing landing by the pilot with one wheel back wheel landing before the other and then the plane bouncing onto the other and eventually landing on both. This didn't bother me in the slightest as we had arrived at one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen with blue skies, lush jungle and wonderful waterfalls. Reaching the reception area near the airport, I was told I was to pay 35 bolivars park entry fee which I hadn't been told about and didn't have, I only had 15 so I paid this and had to owe the guy 20 which was rather embarassing but luckily he was very nice and just said tranquilo, hay banco! Don't worry, there's a bank in the park.
Walking just 5 minutes I came to the bank (well a cashpoint) and found it was out of order! Great so I wasn't going to be allowed in the park! Going back to tell the guy, he was fine about it and told me simply not to worry and to pay him the money when the machine was once again working.
Now I had paid (ish) to get into the park I realised that I had no idea what to do next as I had no itinerary and no ticket for any tours, just two plane tickets, one in which I'd used and one out!Now what!? Had I been conned and only been sold the plane tickets? Surely not!
Just as I was beginning to worry a little, a big open backed jeep pulled up with a whole bunch of Chinese tourists on the back and some of the guys I had seen at the airport (a pair of Russian couples) and I was urged to get on too. Thank God I thought, I was part of this tour group! Joined by a couple of Canadians, we headed off towards where we would be staying and after a short journey nearly being knocked out by a number of low hanging mangoes, we arrived.
It was indeed a lovely day and a lovely place to be and the lodgings seemed to be pretty nice too! After finding our rooms and dropping our bags, we were told that lunch wouldn't be ready until 1pm and it was only 11am so we had plenty of time to explore and get our bearings! Our guide hadn't really introduced himself so we had no idea that he was our guide but just seemed to be someone with information so we went to him with questions. He pointed to the direction of the beach and said to head there for a while if we wnated whilst waiting for lunch. The dining room or hut was a beautiful thatched building which was accessible by a flower ladened pathway which seemed to be a haven and favourite spot for some beautiful butterflies and just next to this I heard something squaking above which was a beautiful brightly coloured macaw perhced atop a manmade structure of somekind. Already I had seen some wonderful butterfiles and a colourful parrot and I hadn't even strayed from the camp.
I took our guide's advice as i was keen to explore this tropical paradise and within just under 10 minutes, I had reached the most beautiful lagoon shore I had ever seen. My breath was almost taken from me! I would have to say in all honesty and maybe I have said it a few times in this blog (but I really mean it this time) that this was quite honestly the most beautiful place that I'd ever been.
In front of me was the most superb white sandy beach with a huge lagoon spread out in front of my eyeswith a backdrop of forested banks to the left and to the right some amazingly powerful looking waterfalls gushing out tonnes of water every second into the lagoon and above this some beautiful table topped mountains and above this a beautiful deep blue sky dotted with numerous billowing white cumulous clouds. The water at the beach was producing some quite strong waves (caused by the power of the waterfalls to the right) and was an amazing almost ruby red colour (apparently caused by the composition of the plants in the area). In the lagoon were 3 solitary palm trees which just added to the beauty of the place and I could see after having seen the photos of this very spot what all the fuss was about!
I was soon joined on the beach by the 2 Russian couples which I was pleased about as now I had someone to take some photos of me in this amazing natural wonderland. After exchanging privets and minya zavouts, there was one girl in particular seemed keen to take photos of pretty much everything she saw (she was even taking photos at the airport of the opening ceremony of the world cup on the tv!) so I thought she'd be a good person to follow and see what sort of shots she was getting. At one point she was taking one of something which turned out to be a pretty cool shot as it was a huge locust on a stick. This made a great shot with the zoom focused on the locust but the amazing out of focus backdrop of the waterfalls in the background.
After a while walking around this paradise and exploring a little, it was time for lunch and good job as I had built quite an appetite! Lunch was quite a tasty battered fish and rice after which we got a rather brief briefing telling us we were going to see some those waterfalls I had seen at the beach in the boat. It turned out half the group I was eating lunch with had already been to Angel Falls the previous day but hadn't yet been to the other waterfalls that plunged into the lagoon.
I was glad I was with these guys as they all turned out to be really nice people (mainly couples and mostly alot older than I but all very friendly indeed). I got chatting to a nice Spanish couple I'd say who were in their 60s but it was a good chance to excercise my Spanish for perhaps the last time since I was off to Brasil next. I also met a very nice Portuguese couple and a nice Argentinean couple. All these couples made me feel like I should be with someone but I wasn't lonely with all these nice people and there was one woman who was travelling alone who was a nicefriendly Dutch woman who I think I'd overheard her saying had been travelling for the last 17 years but I could well have misheard that!
So off we went in the boat (a long primitive canoe cut out of a tree with a speedy engine on the back), a group of 13 of us (unlucky for some) past the amazingly powerful waterfalls on our right and all the way across the lagoon to the otherside.
Unfortunately the weather was taking a turn for the worst and on arrival at the other side the rain had started. Luckily I had brought my waterproofs unlike the Russians who appeared to be ruuing the decision not to have brought them at all. After about half an hour of walking however, the sun came out again and we arrived at the side of one of the waterfalls seen from the beach with bright sunshine beaming down.
This was a hugely powerful waterfall and having been there for literally a minute and having some photos taken by it, others were already climbing down the side across slippery rocks to get better shots on rocks jutting out into the falls. At first I thought they were crazy I mean the force of this thing would sweep you away in seconds should you make one false move but I wasn't one not to try and get the money shot and since half the group had gone including the guide, I followed. On the slippery way down through some turbluent waters across some very slippery moss covered rocks, the Russian girl keen on snapping everything was trying to pass me and get to her boyfriend who looked scarily like the terminator and never had a top on (admittedly he had a stupidly good 6 pack and was about 6 foot tall although he did look like he was on steroids) took a tumble right next to me. Well she slipped on a rock, fell on her arse and slipped right down along this rock and was very nearly swept into the oblivion never to be seen again. Luckily she grabbed onto a low branch or she would definitely have been a goner!!!
Having nearly lost her life the girl, and I having witnessed it, were quite shaken up so we progressed down toward the rest quite slowly whilst I made sure she was okay and not hurt but her boyfriend had also seen and quickly came to her aid.
Once down with the rest, it al seemed worth the danger clambering out to the rocks to get some mid waterfall shots and expereicne the ful force of the water from thecentre of the falls. It was quite awe inspiring seeing the power and hearing the strength of the water which was almost yellow in colour presumably from the amount of sediment and sand being thrust around in solution in the water.
On return back to the path we had arrived on, we took an alternate way which led down to the lower part of the watefalls where unbelievably you could walk all the way behind the falls and out the other side. From here you could climb up and go and stand at the top of the falls on the other side. This was certainly not a dry affair and I could see exactly why our guide who had mostly been diterhing at the back of the group (we continuously had to wait for him where there was a choice of 2 ways to goto ask which route to take), had told us not to take our cameras or electrical goods through with us. Many bright sparks in the group had thought to bring sealed plastic bags for their cameras (a wise idea indeed in hindisight) or even had waterproof cameras. Unfortunately I had neither a waterproof camera or a sealey bag so into the big black binliner it went alnong with all the other's who had been sufficiently inadept at realising that we were going to a waterfall and so there was a chance that our cameras might indeed get wet!
At least I smugly thought to myself I hadn't forgotten to bring waterproofs like the Russians although it seemed that Arnie and his girlfriend had been to the shop and now looked like oversized christmas trees in their cone shaped dark green ponchos. In fact I couldn't possibly have forgotten anything that I had in my posession since I had brought everything with me so that was another reassuring fact although the buggers at the airport had annoyingly confiscated my mosquito repellent and deodorant which I had stupidly put in my day bag when I was packing that thinking I was going to return to Ciudad Bolivar to collect the rest of my stuff. Anyway so I'd just have to buy some more since no doubt there were some nasty little biters in this part of the world and already I'd had loads landing on me and biting so the sooner I got some the better!
Right where were we? Oh yes, going under the waterfall. It is something that I highly highly recommend, not necesarily here but just in general, it really does have that mystical, mysterious and enchanting effect on you that one used to get as a school child who has just discovered that the tooth fairy really does exist as there was now money in the place of a tooth. For me it was like the moment when Rupert bear discovers a waterfall and sneaks behind it to uncover the frog song is about to start. To begin with the path is quite narrow and slippery but relatively dry (I mean dry in that the cascades of water don't soak you) but the further along you get, the wetter you get. At one point it is literally like stnading under the strongest power shower you can possibly imagine, there is literally no escaping getting absolutely and thoroughly drenched if you go under these waterfalls. No matter how far to the back of the path you stand, you are going to get a soaking and it is utterly exhilirating believe me! Such fun, i was yelping like a kid at the fun I was having, not having expected this at all! Some parts were rather hairy, it was such strong water coming down on your head that you litterally became disorientated, couldn't see where you were walking and were constantly slipping all over the place. You'd come to a slightly drier part (well a part where water wasn't crashing down on your head) and think that was it only to see more fierce dark yellow water gushing further ahead and all you could do was brace yourself for the next battering. Such great fun, I loved every moment although I was pretty gutted I hadn't been able to take any photos under there as the colour of the water and just the place in general were something else! After what seemed almost endless walking under the falls but was really only about 10-15 minutes, we came to an opening at the other end of the falls where you could climb slightly and get a good side on view of them. From here you could see the sheer power and ferocity of the water. As we climbed further, we again came to the top of the falls where the water was plunging from quite a height into the grnad lagoon below. Again we ventured out onto the rocks in the midst of the falls again taking our lives into our own hands but all somehow survivng depite some silly photos and dangerous manouevres between each other and the rocks. This was a lot of fun but now it was time to go all the way back under the falls and back out to the other side where we started. On the way back I saw a family attempting to go through with their camcorders and cameras! I just said cuidado, es como ducha!
Carefully it's like a shower out they kept on going taking their shots and filming! Eventually we all made it through and headed off back up the path and back to the shore where the boat had left us. Since we were by now all utterly soaked, the fact that it began quite heavily raining made no difference to us but we were all beginning to get quite cold! Waiting at the shore for the boat in the pouring rain and being very cold even with the waterproofs now on was not my idea of fun espcially when the Dutch woman had told us that the previous day they had waited in a similar situation for an hour and it was raining cold and dark! Luckliy we only had to wait about 20 minutes and were all totally keen to get back and get dry!
Eventually we were back to the nice comforts of the lodgings and everyone headed to their various quarters to get warm and dry and ready for dinner. I was pretty pleased with my room, a good size, a big double bed and ensuite bathroom, couldn't complain really although as always in this country it seemed, the shower only had cold water. No bother, cold water would do, I'd had enough of a cold water soaking by now to be used to a little more. After a tasty spaghetti bolognese for dinner, those of us who were going to angel falls the next day were asked to gather round a blackboard with a map of the area drawn onto it. Here our guide pointed and told us where we would be heading, a 3.5 to 4 hour journey up river to get to the camp opposite angel falls. You must bring waterproofs, cameras in hand, mosquito repllent, suncream and a change of clothes. he said. I had it all bar the mozzie spray so I decided to get up early and buy some in the morning.
I was quite excited at the prospect of going to the highest waterfall in the world, even if our guide did seem a little off the mark. He was pretty vague about the whole thing, even when I'd arrived and given him my plane ticket, he was unsure whether this actually vouched as a ticket or not. I had already spoken to the guys who had been to angel falls to find out a little about it since he wasn't giving us much info and they told me that they weren't too impressed by him, he wasn't so much a guide, more someone who took you to the places but didn't tell you anything about them. In fact the only source of information I had actually got out of him was the reason why the water was the red colour it was, due to the chemical composition of the plants which he repeated on more than one occasion probably becuase he had been asked this so many times, he thought he'd better know the answer to it. They said that he had no factual knowledge but at least he could drive a boat which was quite an essential skill going by the fact that the majoirty of the trip was on the water by the sounds of things!
The only thing that I was slightly disappointed about was the fact that I would be missing the first England game in the world cup against the USA during my trip up river and when I asked if there was a television there to watch up they simply laughed! Oh well I was just going to have to hope for the best and keep everything crossed! The following morning I was up for 8am breakfast, a simple but effective combination of eggs and panckes and then off I went to get my mozzie spray. Once I had this and everything else I needed I was ready to go and off I went to join our assembled group who as usual were waiting for the guide. On his arrival we were ready to leave. Amongst the group were some new faces that I hadn't seen before, a nice young Argentinean couple and a another young couple, the guy being from Montanita in Ecuador and the girl from Switzeland (the German part). It was nice to have some younger people with me this time especially since we'd all be sharing the day together in a boat and sharing the night in a camp. With this in mind, I felt that boredom might well set in quickly without electricity so when the guide suggested people bought rum for later, the Argentine guy and I both jumped at the chance and bought a big bottle between us. Prices in Canaima I will say are not cheap as they know that they can charge what they like and people will pay as they have no choice. This wiped me out of money but I wasn't going to need money where I was going and so rum seemed much more important.
So off we went in the boat, in the first instance it was a 20 minute journey across the lagoon we had gone across the previous day and then a 30 minute walk across to the other side of the river where the rapids weren't quite so strong. From here it was a long and gruelling 3 and a half hours up stream although the sites were simply amazing. Some simply stunning river banks with lush tropical jungle overhanging from either side
and then about half an hour into the journey we began to be able to see the Tepuis, the table topped mountains that Canaima was so famous for.
Unfortunately it was rather cloudy so the tops of these mountains were slighlty hidden beneath blankets of cloud but occasionally the clouds would disperse and we could see them with all their full glory.
Many of these majestic mountains had plunging cascades of water descending hundreds of metres down and they were just a small taster of what was to come with Angel Falls!
After around 3 hours of simply gawping at these truly epic megaliths and stupendous nature all round without a sign of human life or civilisation in sight we hit some very turbulent water and a few times it seemed like we were destined to capsize but this boat was reassuringly sturdy and for some reason I felt very safe in it. It seemed that no matter how strong the currents and rapids were and no matter how big the waves (there were literally waves on this river) the boat seemed to cope. It just cut through the water like a knife and even a large wave would not be felt in this seemingly indestructible and uncapsizable boat! To be fair the guys were doing a great job of driving the boat well just one guy really, the other two just sat at the front and back pretendiing to navigate and give signals as to when to slow down etc. We could see the weather unfolding in front of our eyes with broad skies only broken by the magnificent mountains permanently staining the horizon. The clouds in the distance were heavy thick and grey, in exactly the direction we were heading, you could literally see the rain in the distance and it was clear that we were destined to get wet. It was not long until we were in the midst of it so luckily I had already donned my waterproofs and was prepared for yet another soaking. It wasn't a pleasant experience being in this rain where you just couldn't escape it and to make things worse the water began to once again get extremely turblent so we now had water gushing at us from all sides as well as above! I began praying that we would soon be there, it had now been about 3 and a half hours and my bum was hurting from being on this wooden seat so long and I was yet again soaked through!
To my delight I saw some signs of civilisation, a shelter and builidng in fact! We had finally arrived at our destination but due to the low cloud and heavy rain, I had no clue where Angel Falls actually was! Getting out of the boat and feeling very relieved to finally get under some shelter and out of the rain, we began trying to dry off slightly within minutes of having got off the boat the clouds rose and the guide came to me and said look, there it is. I looked up across the river and indeed standing there in all it's glory was Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world with a huge amount of water pouring from it (in the rainy season there is not just one cascade but often many). We were told that we weren't at our camp and walked another 5 minutes again in the rain having just started to dry off to our camp where we would be sleeping.
Camp was basic, a large concete open sided building with toilets at one end and a kitchen at the other. Hammocks were hung, clothes put up all around to dry and people settled in. We were told that due to the poor weather and the tardiness of our arrival that we wouldn't be making the trek to Angel Falls that day, instead we would go at 5am the following morning.
Hammocks were hung and dinner began to be prepared. Now everything was set up, I decided to get some more photos, we had a fantastic view of the falls from our camp and the clouds were now dispersing allowing for a lovely panoramic view of the tepuis and the waterfall of Angel Falls which made for a great shot. I decided to have a little wander around the area since dinner was a way off being ready andthe sun was quickly setting. I headed back to the first camp we had arrived at which was empty, not a soul around, so I continued walking along the banks of the river towards the sunset in an attempt to get a moneyshot of the sunsetting over angel falls although the sun wasn't setting over them, often you get some nice colours and clouds in the sky. I came to another camp which was also deserted and began to wonder where on earth everyone was!
There were signs of life everywhere, clothes hanging, toothbrushes lying around, recently cooked food but no people. It was almost spooky, like something out of a horror film! Perhaps they'd all been eaten or just disappeared into thin air. To be honest I didn't really care, it was pleasant for me just being alone in the midt of the jungle feeling at one with nature in an amazingly spiritual place. I continued to walk and found an opening where I could see the whole mountain and the falls with the sun setting behind me. A mesmersing experience and I was so pleased I came.
On return to camp dinner was close to being ready and the Argentine chap I had bought the rum with suggested we cracked it open. A great idea I thought! I was glad to be sharing this moment with such nice people. Dinner was rather good considering we had no electricity. A whole bunch of plucked chickens had been staked and perched over a roaring fire for a good few hours and were mouthwateringly sizziling making us all even hungrier than we were having not eaten since a ham and cheese roll on the boat.
The chicken was served up with rice and veg and even though was basic, tasted like a gourmet dish! After dinner we all chatted for a little while and shared around our various bottles of booze. It was an interesting mixture of Swiss Germans, Russians, an Ecuadorean, Argentines, a couple of Japanese and just the one Brit (me). Aftr a few drinks and some interesting discussions, it was time for bed. I'd never slept in a hammock before (the last time I was supposed to sleep in a hammock I ended up on the beach in Tayrona) so this was a new experience for me. Apparently they're not terribly comfortable so I was about to find out I guess!
I slept fairly well and was quite warm and cosy under my blanket until being woken up at 4am. Surprsingly everyone else was already awake. We got ready, had a basic breakfast of arepas and scrambled eggs and got on the boat to head sligtly further upstream across to the other side of the river to begin the hours trek through the jungle to the foot of the mighty waterfall.
After just a few minutes, we were wading through rivers, scrambling up rocks and skipping between tree trunks and roots. Indeed this was turning out to be quite an adventure and I was enjoying every moment. I instinctivly took the lead since the guide was slow as ever as I very was keen to get to the falls. I eventually reached the mirador, quite a long way in front of everybody else. The word feroucious was an understatement! As I had been getting closer and closer to the falls it was becoming louder and windier with every step but nothing could prepare me for this! I walked to the sign saying mirador, took a shot, walked up to the rocky outcrop to see the falls and was literally nearly blown off my feet by the wind and water that was being propelled towards me from this huge cascade.
After a few risky shots (risky in that I could've easily killed my camera or myself or both) the others caught up and joined me on the rock. I stepped out quite far on the rock and at one point got literally blown off my feet and would've been blown off the rock had the nice Swiss guy not been behind me to catch me! This really was a fine demonstration of the true power of mother nature and all it's fury and after nearly being blown off the rock, my camera was indeed ruined after a few shots as it just wasn't possible to keep it dry. It was so wet and windy that it wasn't particluarly pleasant being there even though we had this quite marvellous sight in front of us so after around 10 minutes or so taking photos we headed back. Note to self, come again when it's not the rainy season so we can get closer!
On the way back I decided again that I wasn't dithering behind the slowcoaches (everyone else) and hurried back down the path. At one point I was so far in front I had a bit of a panic that I had gone the wrong way but there was only one path so I couldn't possibly have done! I also saw many things that I recognised so i knew I was on the right track. I just had these visions of being lost and alone somewhere in the Venezuelan jungle with nobody having a clue where I was and having to pick berries and find a place to sleep before dark. Then I thought that perhaps a tribe might rescue me and take me back in their boat back downstream. I quickly snapped out of this and reliased that I was actually very close to the river and after waiting for about 15 minutes, some of the others caught up.
Once we were all set to leave camp, we all got on board for the journey back which would take just 2 and a half hours since we were going with the direction of water and the weather was particularly nice. Overall it was a much quicker journey and the warm sun was shining down on us pretty much the whole way back.
This had been an amazing adventure but it was time to head back to reality and try and get somehow to Rio from here within the next few days. Unfortunately, since we had had to go to the falls that morning, it meant that I had missed my flight to Santa Elena so it was a case of either stay and pay for one more night there (at 150 bolivars a night without food it wasn't cheap) or get the plane back to Ciudad Bolivar and then get a night bus from there but I was determined that I was going to Santa Elena as that was my plan and I intended to stick to it so I opted to stay one more night. Luckily I was given the same room and managed to find some good fairly well priced food at what seemed to be the only restaurant in the area. Unfortuantely I found out that England had only drawn tothe USA which made me pretty annoyed but there was still a long way to go.
After I had eaten lunch, I still had the rest of the day to explore so I headed past the souvenir shops and the other loding areas to the western side of the falls where there were some vast plains, known as the gran sabana. My plan was to walk for a while, get some shots of the plains and the falls from afar and watch the sunset since it was almost that time. I felt like a bit of a loner but I didn't care, I always knew this part of my trip I was going to be alone as Fabian couldn't make it and it gave me the freedom to do what I felt like. It was a beautiful place to be, a lovely sunny day, in a wonderful part of the world with vast grassy fields spaning out before me in front and to my left and to my right the lagoon in the distance with the waterfalls (from here you really could get a great view of the whole lot) and behind them the fantastic tepuis (the view of which is actually on the back of the 10 bolivar note).
As I walked and the sun began to set, more and more mozzies began buzzing around my head. If I stopped literally ten of the buggers would land on me and give me some mighty bad stings, the type that really swell up and even bleed from where the blood was excreted!! These were nasty little biters and I was having none of it. Mozzie spray in hand, I covered myself head to toe in the stuff and even though it didn't keep them away, it certainly kept them off me thank God! Some damage had already been done and they had got my legs badly but now I was ok! I continued to walk getting some great shots of the falls, the savannah and the sunset even climbing a tree at one point to get a better vantage point.
This was a simply beautiful place and I was here all alone! Hindered slightly by the mosquitos which were a massive pain in the arse but I was so glad I had walked here as it really was heavenly! As it got darker I decided it best to head back before it got too dark even though I had a torch, I didn't know what creatures might be lurking in the bushes to pounce.
On return to the lodgings I was informed that a plane would be leaving the next morning at 10am so I decided to get an early night ready for my plane out of there and across the southern part of Canaima Brasil bound to the border town of Santa Elena.
