Santa Elena de Uairén I - Paují

For those of you a bit worried about the political situation here in Venezuela I can only say that I have come way to close to the border to know how are things going in Caracas. Brazil is only a few kilometers away. I am in Santa Elena de Uairén and this place has a lot to offer.

To start with I made a trip to Paují (2 hours away from the town crossing the Venezuelian rainforest). Once there a small hike uphill to "El Abismo" from where the Brazilian rainforest can be comtemplated.

We also visited some of the famous waterfalls in the region. However, and due to the weather conditions, the water comes down a bit brownish. We had a bath anyway.

To finish with the long day a portrait of the "Tepuyes" of which I might talk about later. 

Puerto Ordaz

Con algo de retraso sobre el calendario previsto deje Maturín y crucé el Orionoco. Disfruté de Puerto Ordaz sólo por unas horas. Cabe destacar el Parque de La Llovizna.

Situado justo detrás de la generadora hidroeléctrica de Macagua, el principal atractivo del parque es el espectacular salto de agua. La región en la que se emplaza Puerto Ordaz, Bolívar, es conocida por ser la principal suministradora de energía del país y ésta proviene en su mayor parte del agua.

Y como muestra un botón, aquí les dejo un video del salto de agua. Disfruten.

Quiriquire oilfield

Venezuela is well known for its oil reserve, one of the largest in the world. Just half an hour away from Maturin the Quiriquire oilfield is a good example of this industry.

Besides the oil treatment plant, two different types of wells can be found: the extraction one (above) and the injection one (below). The first one is in charge of pumping up the oil whereas the second one is needed to pump down water and gas to increase the oil flow.

For someone like me, not used to it at all, the movement of the Jack Pump is hypnotic. Enjoy it.

les grottes du Guácharo

Aujourd'hui, on a décidé de faire une petite visite au Park National des Grottes du Guácharo, situé au nord de la région Monagas, environ 1h30 de Maturín.

La grotte (qui fait environ 10 km en longueur) peut-être visité que dans sa première partie, c'est a dire 1.2 km. Il nous a pris un peu plus de 1h30 pour arriver jusqu'à la fin. A ne pas manquer les fossiles des poisson qui peuvent se trouver a plus de 800 m de l'entrée.

 D'ailleurs, le guácharo est une espèce d'oiseau qui habite dans les sombres de la grotte. Voici un petit video (ou l'on voit pas grand-chose) pour apprecier les sons de ce monument naturel.

checklist of the things to avoid in South America II

✓ To have a bath in a sweetwater reservoir.
✓ Go to the airport without a ticket and end up boarding a small Cessna.
✓ To bribe a police officer.

     To have unprotected sexual intercourse with locals.

rio Morichal Largo

Situado a una hora escasa al sur de Maturin, el rio Morichal Largo fue mi primera experiencia seria en el trópico. Y fue una aventura inolvidable.

El Morichal Largo, afluente del Orinoco, es hogar de los indios Waraos. Estos sobreviven gracias a la pesca, la agricultura, la caza y últimamente el turismo.

Por 600 Bolivares disfrutamos de 5 horas de travesía rio abajo. Flora pre-amazónica y una fauna espectacular con tucanes, loros, garzas, monos y un largo etcétera.

El viaje acaba en una laguna natural donde es frecuente la presencia de delfines de río (que desafortunadamente no vimos). Eso si, desaviniendo la opinión de los expertos europeos en salud pública, tomamos un refrescante baño. Quiza no se aprecia pero el miedo a la fauna acuática desconocido dantesco. 

Finalmente, les dejo un video de una parte del trayecto. Disfrútenlo.

Margarita island

Although my idea was to leave such a trip for the end of the journey, different circumstances changed my mind. I spent last weekend at Margarita island in the Caribbean sea.

That's a lovely spot which looks just the same that what I had on mind: long beaches of white sands and extremely clear waters. The sea shore covered with coconut palm trees, cheap alcohol and fresh oysters.

Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy much all of it for the longtime-expected gastric problems I suffered last week. And trust me, those oysters looked very tasty.

One thing that I liked a lot was to have a bath in the sea shared with these birds who where fishing just a few meters away. The way they jump into the sea is just amazing.