The Big Trip - Roraima

Finally, the morning of the big adventure - Roraima - had come! We had packed our bags in the bus and left our bags of extra stuff in Alejandro's house. Alejandro was our Indian guide and he was awesome! The time he went up Roraima with us was his time no. 25 - that means you are hardcore in case you had not figured that out!

The first day we had to drive up to Paratepuï which is an Indian Village where the trail up to Roraima starts. When we told the local Indians we were heading up the dirt road after all that rain they made a funny face and were uncertain as to whether we would be able to make it up there or not. We headed out anyway, we came for adventure! and we got adventure. Both on the way up the dirt road, up mountain and down again!

When we got to Paratepuï it was getting dark so we set up the tents, made dinner and went to bed - more or less. The next morning the trip began. First we walked to the Guardia Nacional as we had to sign up - passport no. and everything - to let them know that we had entered the national park. This is necessary as only 50 ppl. a day are permitted to climb Roraima. We had been told that Camilla and Lui had to leave the day before us to be permitted to enter the park, so we knew they were really strict about letting people enter. When we got to the registering your passport no. it took a little while as we were so many. When we were done we headed out and started walking. It felt great being on the way, and the nature was simply gorgeous! Little creeks and rivers had emerged due to the enormous amounts of water that had come down. We had been told we'd have five "devil hills" to climb that day so when the first one had been climbed it was a great feeling knowing that we'd made it over the first one in good shape. Then we walked straight for a long time, and then it started raining again. That is when my iPod and camera got soaked. Fortunately, my camera started working again, but it was out for a couple of days. I had thought walking in the rain would be a pain, but it actually turned out to be quite nice. Sure we got wet, but we did not get cold as we had to move all the time, and walk up and a little down. The first camp on the way is called Rio Tek and one family lives there, in the middle of nowhere, and this was were we had our lunch the first day. On the way back we'd sleep there, but for now we had to move on to Camp Kukenan. To get to Camp Kukenan we had to cross two rivers. The first one being Rio Tek, which we were able to cross using a rope and an aiding hand from both Alejandro, Alberto and Astrid. Inge almost fell as the current got her one leg when she was walking and threw her out of balance, but she got up and made it!

We walked on and the group spread out a little. This enabled Helle to tell me that we were not going to have rice and fried sausage that night (something we'd been told would be delicious and therefore we were having it on Astrid's birthday), we were going to have baked potatoes and some roasted pork instead. Boo-yah! The plan was to have Astrid come into the camp as the last one, then we'd all throw bell peppers at her as it was her 30th birthday, and then have the delicious dinner! However, we had to cross yet another river to make it to the camp, and this river had grown so wild that it was not possible for us to walk nor swim across it. We lined up and then Alejandro and his brothers (there's always a couple of extra guys to carry stuff, and in case one of the guides gets sick) got a little canoe and started sailing back and forth bringing us and the bags safely to the other side. It was crazy! The river was merely 5 meters wide, but the current was insane! I am so amazed that they could get us all over there - they went more than 20 times! Needless to say it took a little while, but we were all tired from the walk and amazed by the Indians so a little break was all okay. Fortunately, we only had to walk 5 more minutes and we were in the camp hurrying to get ready for surprising Astrid. And she was surprised! Turned out we were not only having a delicious dinner - there was cake, too! And at the end of the dinner AdventureDk had arranged some presents for Astrid (she works for them and was there to get to know the trip). One of the presents being a foot massage!! I guarantee you that none of us were jealous - at all!

The next day was supposed to be the longest day on the trek up. And it was. It was still gorgeous, but it was clear to everyone that we were now getting to a more and more mountainy terrain. We walked from Camp Kukenan to Base Camp and it was a 7-hour trek. I thought it was really hard making it up there, and I was relieved that Astrid helped by walking and talking with me - to me, talking to others is very helpful as it helps me forget how tired I am. When we finally made it up to Base Camp we were able to take a shower in the river. I intended to do so, but I had to change my plans as it was so cold I couldn't feel my feet after 19 seconds! I did wash my t-shirt, and put it out to dry. Great thing was, it started to rain shortly after, so the almost dry t-shirt was not so dry the next morning (and it had been under the roof! - fireplace and an area in which you could sit like 6 ppl. were under a roof). From Base Camp we could not see the top of Roraima, it was still too cloudy. However, we could see the path we were supposed to take the next day, and boy - it was steep!

The final day of climbing had arrived. We got up, packed the stuff and had breakfast and then we headed up the mountain. This day would prove to be more of a climbing day than a walking day unlike the first two. Due to the rain the first part was already a little muddy and somewhat slippery, but it turned out to be fine. All the rain had brought out flowers and colors in the fauna that I did not expect to see there. And then again, did I really expect anything, other than being amazed? It was so beautiful! And the fact that it was still very wet and cloudy did not really mean anything, as we were mostly walking in the "jungle" for the first part of the trip. When we did get to different view points it was all foggy. I didn't see this as a bad thing though, as it just added a nice and very special effect to view! Plus it ensured that we still could not see the top, which probably would have made me feel like I was not getting anywhere at all (seeing as it would still seem impossibly far in the sky no matter how much I felt I had climbed!) At one point Martin, Astrid and I caught up to Pernille and Camilla and Inge and so we were a group going through the last half of the climb together. It was really nice as we were able to talk or listen to others talk as we pleased. The Mountain seemed to stay as green as ever, but the ground on which we were moving changed. It was no longer muddy, slippery slides but more so gravel or smaller rocks. This meant you had to focus in another way, no longer was the risk of slipping very big, now it was more so the risk of spraining or twisting and angle we kept in mind. This change in the ground also meant that we had gotten a lot higher up the mountain, and so we also had to walk down every once in a while as a mountain, steep as it may seem, is not all up.

Then we made it to the new waterfalls. They were so pretty! Just didn't feel all that great standing under them having to wait till it was our turn to climb the big rocks that were now the surface of the mountain. We had to wait and go one by one as some of them were unsteady and getting it by one of those would be a painful at best. So we got soaked. I still think it was a very interesting experience though, as the water just came out of the mountain anywhere there was a whole or creek or any other pass way for the water. Like I said, our Indian guide Alejandro had never experienced that amount of rain on the mountain ever, and it was his 25th climb to the top!

At one point, one of us had asked Martin how far we still had to go, and he had said we were still missing a ladder (stige) of 200-300 meters. Now this had me looking for a ladder or some sort of stairs for forever, so when Pernille turns to me and say "Sarah, we are on the top!" I truly did not believe her. ("No, we've still got those stairs to climb" I believe were my words). Turns out it was not a ladder (stige) but an increase in the steepness (stigning).. Apparently we were already there! Had it been allowed, and had I had any energy left I probably would have cried out something in relief and happiness of making it to the top! However, it just so happens that the Table Top Mountain are holy to the Indians, and so you are not allowed to yell at the top of the mountains - this will cause a change in weather as the spirits will get angry (I think). Besides, making it to the top was not the same as being done walking. Now we had 50 minutes of walking across the top of the mountain in hopes that the first hotel was not already taken. Now you may be confused by the term hotel, do not let it fool you, a hotel on the top of Roraima is not a hotel in the sense of a building with rooms you rent, room service, cable TV, and what not, it is a cave deep enough to set up tents in it. We were lucky, nobody had claimed the first one we got to. Must say though, that 50 minutes walk was the longest 50 minutes I have EVER had. We were all cold, wet and hungry and very worn out, and yet we had to keep up with the rest of the group (some of which had waited an hour and a half for us to get to the top), needless to say we get separated. Finally we got there after walking the pink trails of the top of the mountain. When we saw Alejandro standing there with his red rain coat and zebra striped pants signalling that we should walk to him we got very excited, and suddenly we could talk and laugh again! Right then, the hotels of Roraima seemed so much better than any 5 star hotel down "on the earth." No other hotel would have fit the requirements.

On the top certain rules apply, one being the no-shouting which I have already mentioned, another being no "number twos" are to be left behind, and maybe even more importantly, do NOT walk out alone and do NOT walk close to the edge. Everything looks the same up there, and sure you can see the little pink trails where other people have walked, but they all look the same and you will never know if you are following the right one back. Furthermore the wind is really strong up there, and often the wind brings clouds so it can be very hard to see which direction you are really headed. Finally there are some "catch winds" by the edge which may be strong enough to sweep you off your feet and bring you to fall over the edge, something you do not want to do as there is a very long way to the bottom of the Mountain.

Having all these precautions in mind, Katrine, Sandra and myself went to have a look from the top early the next morning. It was so pretty! We were fortunate enough that there were no clouds when we went to the edge and you could see very very far. It was very overwhelming to see exactly how straight the wall of the mountain is, and very satisfying to know that we, by ourselves, had carried our luggage and food up there from all the way down there! (Sure the Indians carried stuff, too, but it was more things like a big pot, and axe, etc. The food were divided evenly on us, and each group had to carry their own tent.)

Later that day we all went to the highest point of the mountain, took some group photos and enjoyed the moment and the fact that we had made it, as a group, as this was by far the hardest thing (physically). Once again we were lucky, as the clouds did not come in till we were about ready to head back to the hotel. Then we had lunch and were supposed to go to "The Window" from where you can see two other table top mountains. Only there were too many clouds so it would have been a pointless trip (and a long one, too). Instead we went to a cave the goes very very deep in the mountain. The last group had been able to go app. 300 meters in the mountain! I don't know how far we got, but it was not all that far as a lake stopped us from going further. It was a cool experience to go in that far, the fact that you had to use both hand a knees for a large part did not subtract from the coolness.

Then came the day of descending. You might think that this is just going to be a backwards replay of the hiking and climbing up the mountain. It was not. The rain had been pouring down a lot more for almost two more days, and so the waterfalls and pathways were now a lot more crowded with water. Rain ponchos were not an option, you wore it! Of course you did, optimistically we thought it could somewhat keep us dry. Well, try walking down water flowing around your feet and gallons and gallons just pouring down from above. We all got soaked. The quality of the poncho could only post pone the inevitable, not prevent it as we had all hoped. The water had come down in such amounts that what used to be little creeks were now river, dripping water was now massive waterfalls, and former trails were now flowing with water fast enough that it could move sticks and stones. And so the first part of the climb down was very much an experience, and very different from anything we could have possibly imagined.

On the way to base camp I managed to fall no less than four times. Neither one was serious and neither one caused any major cuts, only a few superficial scratches and a lot of mudd. I was very lucky with the 2nd og 3rd fall though, as my arms for stretched straight above my head and then got stuck between two large rocks. Had I tripped one inch to either side my nose or teeth would probably not have been the way they still look today. When I was lying there I could not get up by myself as a 20 pound back pack limits you in some ways, so Inge had to help me get up. I must have looked very foolish lying there. And all of this action was only to get to Base Camp - the same climb we had spent almost an entire day on going up. We still had a lot of walking to do, as we needed to get to Rio Tec - the place in which we had lunch the very first day going up.

And so we rested a little at base camp, had some snacks and headed on to the next camp. This time I walked in a larger group consisting of Camilla, Helle, Sandra, Anne, and myself. It was quite fun and we chit-chatted all the way to Camp Kukenan (where we had held Astrid's birthday). Here we met up with the others, and if I remember correctly we had lunch before crossing the river Kukenan (the one that Alejandro and his brother rowed us over by canoe). After relaxing a little in Camp Kukenan, the sun had finally broken through the clouds and rain, we headed a little up the river to cross it by foot. This was a little crazy, but not too bad, as Alejandro, his brothers Luis and Martin were helping us get over the river without falling. Then we headed to Rio Tec. The actual river was crossed a little easier and by the help of Joakim and Henrik, and we were all in good mood when we finally got there - we had made it! (on what turned out to be the longest day of the entire trek!) We had dinner and sat around and talked or slept and ate what was left of the snacks (candy, crackers, chocolate) and just had a good time. The next morning I felt like I was 80 years old, all my mussels were soar, but they got better as soon as I got going. That day Camilla and I walked together almost all the way, joined in the end by Inge. It was a really good day, pretty, too, as the sun was now shining. I am really glad it was raining when we went up - kept us from overheating and feeling like we weren't getting anywhere, but it also allowed us two very different experiences going up and down!

The last half an hour I was spent. I did not feel like I had any energy left, but I knew that we would soon have made it through the biggest physical challenge of my life, and Camilla and Inge were great! We talked mostly about pizzas those last thirty minutes. When we got to Para Tepuï the feeling was indescribable! We had made it! No more walking! We all gathered around in a circle and out of nowhere came that "We Are The Champions"-song and Luis spraying champagne. It was so surreal and yet so fitting, it was ultimately fantastic!

After drinking champagne we moved the party to the bus as we had to drive back down to San Francisco to get the stuff we had not brought on the mountain. Then we headed to Santa Elena were we slept in real beds! It was so great! We even had pizza for dinner (therefore the pizzatalk on the way down) and at night some went to celebrate on the town. I was spent and decided to stay in the room with some of the other girls where we ate snacks and candy and just chilled. It was a lovely evening! :) Haha and neither one of us could walk properly so we looked like a bunch of geese trying to get up and down the curbs on the sidewalks.

The next day we drove to Santa Elena, Brazil, and shopped on the local market, had a very good lunch and then the big trip had come to an end.

It was truly one of the most enlightening, boundary pushing,wicked, mind blowing, hardest, best, wildest, fantastic trips of my life!

The Big Trip - La Gran Sabana

After having slept in tents that night we loaded the bus and the jeep with our stuff and headed back out to begin the next adventure. We came to a camp with an Indian family or two living there. I am not sure, but I think their job is to protect the national park cause there was a really pretty waterfall there and signs asking you not to litter - which is unusual in Venezuela. Anyways, we put the tents up under a roof that night, and so we stayed dry for another night.

It was in that camp we could see our first Table Top Mountain. TTMs are all flat on the top - or so it seems when you look at them from the ground, furthermore, they seem to have straight walls so climbing one seems an impossible quest. We were not discouraged though as we really did not think much about it at the time. Instead we went down to the previously mentioned waterfall and followed the river both up and down for a little while. It was really pretty and the water was super cold - but what did that matter? Of course we went swimming anyway! It was while swimming in the natural pool and hanging out by the waterfall, we were introduced to the puri-puri flies. Or the flies from hell. Little sand flies which bite you and suck your blood - this you do not feel, so they would be okay if that was it, however, when they are done some poison has entered your system and most people who have not lived with the flies since they were born, are allergic to this poison, so it itches. And it itches BAD! Mosquito bites are nothing, as they give you some sort of satisfaction when you scratch them. Puri-puri bites don't. They just start hurting and then they itch more, and they get in everywhere. Really very annoying! So we started using B12 and baby oil as the vitamin is proven to lessen the amount of bites. This meant the real arrival to La Gran Sabana as the puri-puris are in no other part of Venezuela than La Gran Sabana.

The next day we took a group photo by the little waterfall, and it turned out pretty great as there were a lot of wholes we could climb into so only our heads were visible - more or less anyways. When we got done taking pictures we drove to another waterfall. This one was 60-70 meters tall and seemed so pretty - and thinking about Angel Falls (Salto Angel) being more than 13 times taller was really amazing. This waterfall was impressive with it's 60-70 meters so we hung out by the pool for a while. Swimming in the water was a lot of fun yet you had to keep your distance so you would not get sucked in and down by the current. After chilling by the waterfall for a while we drove to a view point to see some more Table Top Mountains, however the lovely sunshine we had had that morning had now turned into clouds so we were not able to see mountains. Instead of being put out by this, we went as far as we could (like 5 meters) on the other side of the fence and found that you can take great photos of the hills leading up to the mountain - even when it's cloudy! After hanging out by the hills we went to our new camp. We set up our tents under a roof that night as well, and it turned out to be a good thing as the rain started pouring that afternoon. As a matter of fact it rained so hard we had to move the tent as we realized we had planted them in the middle of the rain river. The water came down so fast and in such amount that we had no choice but to lift the tent and move it. Funny thing was, Henrik (one of the guys) had decided to go up a hill to look at the view. When he got to the top the rain started pouring, needless to say he was soaked when he got back - but it looked hilarious when he came sprinting through the rain. That night we made hot cocoa - with flying termites, a twist I had not foreseen, but as the puri-puris the flying termites are living in La Gran Sabana. Fortunately the termites do not fly into the light if it is red, and most of our headlamps had the red light function - so we turned that on and were able to get out most of them from the cocoa. I tell you, after spending days in the jungle and on the savanna you will lower your standards!

The next morning we had oat meal for the first time. I never knew it could taste that good! When you expect yet another helping of lukewarm powder milk and oat/cornflakes (possibly with bugs), warm oatmeal with honey and/or sugar is delicious! Then packed our stuff and loaded the cars which were driven to our next camp. Meanwhile we all headed down to the river and started walking in the river to our next camp. Walking in water is a little difficult, a little challenging, and quite funny at the same time. Halfway to the camp we stopped at a little beach and played some games. Then we walked the rest of the way to the camp. Only thing is, we did not stop at the camp - we went to a little natural pool with small waterfalls coming down. It was great laying out there in the sun and swimming in the cold water! Then we went to have lunch, and this is when the surprise appeared. Pernille turned 21 that day, so Louis and Alberto had made us a great lunch, gotten a cake and gathered some flowers for her. And after lunch we went to the real surprise - natural water slides! It was like being in an amusement park - and it was hilarious! I must say I am amazed that we didn't all get blue buttocks after the sliding as it was a little bit bumpy - and very hard to get up and to the dry side afterwards. I am pretty sure we all mooned everybody, but (ha ha i know) there was literally nothing you could do..

That night we had great dinner (pasta napoli) out by the fire, a few beers and then we slept in little huts on the floor so that night the tents got to rest. That day Helle and I washed our hair successfully in the river using the mandatory blue soap!

The next morning Lui had accidentally taken off with the breakfast! And we were supposed to walk 7 km to the next camp which you cannot do without eating breakfast so we drove in the bus and were supposed to walk out to "The Curtain" - another waterfall. However, that was cancelled as the rain, once again, started pouring. We postponed the walking to the next day where Lui, Alberto and Martin would be in Santa Elena to buy food for trip up Roraima. And what do you do when you are stuck in an Indian village of 2000 ppl? You go buy souvenirs - so we did. At one point it was raining so hard, we had to walk on the road bumps to cross the road, or should I say river?

On the following day we waited for the Indian to show, but as time does not mean as much in Venezuela (living the "tranquilo" life) - nor do the Venezuelans use the same time - he did not show up. After waiting for almost an hour we headed out ourselves, it was just down the road and past the bridge anyway (3-3.5 km away). And just like all the other days, the rain started pouring so, in spite of rain ponchos, we got soaked! Boots that are waterproof when walking through small (shallow) rivers or pools or puddles they sure are waterproof, but when the water pours down from the sky it's going to come in where you put your feet.

We spent the next day packing our bags for Roraima which turned out a little more complicated than I expected. Apparently my sleeping bag weighs a lot, so I had to take a lot stuff out of my bag in order to make it up with out getting too exhausted. This meant no long pants, no towel, no hair brush, no soap, no a lot of things for me, but I must say, not having those things didn't ruin my trip. That was the last day we spent in La Gran Sabana before heading up to the foot of the Mountains, and so yet another adventure had ended.

The Big Trip - Delta Orinoco

Finally, we've started the big trip! The one trip that this Venezuela trip is really about - and it started out with, as many other trips on this journey, a 14 hour drive! One of the girls on the trip, Laura, turned 21 the day we started out. I don't know about you, but I could think of better ways to spend my 21st birthday than driving for 14 hours and then spending the night camping out in little tents. Apparently, so could the guides so they got a posada for us, and we had a nice dinner and partied at night. loads of fun! :)
The next day we drove the last four hours to a little place where we could put up our hamocks and sleep. During the day we got to jump from a little bridge (app. 4 meters) and into the water. It was okay, but not something i enjoyed a lot - especially since I hurt my ear. Nothing serious, just enough to scare my a little. That night was the first night we spent in our newly purchased expedition hammocks, and small as they were they were surprisingly comfortable as well. A nice surprise when you are expection worse :)
In the morning of May 1st we headed out in the kayaks. The first day felt really long as we were not used to using out bodies nor the kayaks properly. However, it was amazingly beautiful! The next day we headed out, and quite frankly I was not looking forward to a week of kayaking, but it turned out to be a lot better that day! Apparently your body gets used to the motions of a kayak real fast. Furthermore, we all started talking more while kayaking so the time passed a little faster ;)
On the third day of the trip we had the big day, as we had to get up at 2 am, leave in the kayaks at 3 and then go on for 62,7 kms! For those of you who do not know how far that really is - it takes around 13-14 hours, and that my friends is a very long time! Unfortunately, I got sick so I was only able to go the first 30 kms, but thouse 30 were so interesting and very beautiful, as we got to see the head lamp reflected in the eyes of the caimans and the sun rise and hear the jungle wake and rise to a new day! Two other girls were sick that day, so the three of us went the last 32 kms in the boat, and we were at the camp. The special thing about this camp was that is was a big indian camp. Not big enough to be a village, but still is was like 4-5 houses. I am uncertain as to whether it was one big family (some Indians have up to 20 kids/couple!!).. Anyways, we got there around 2 pm and Louis and Alberto got out of the boat and talked some stuff through with the Indians. Like prices and such. So Helle, Inge and I waited in the boat, and little by little came the kids and watched us. At first it was only like 3 and they tried to hide behind the tree as they were curious yet cautious. Then as more and more kids joined them they for more and more bold and in the end they were 8-10 kids just standing there watching. It was a curious experience as we were just as interested in looking at them as they were in looking at us. Finally somebody brought out some food and then the kids went to eat. That's when we decided it was time to get out of the boat and unloading all the stuff. So we did, and were all surprised when the kids raced each other to get to the bags to carry them to the hammock house. One bag was so heavy that it took 6 children to carry it! And they gladly did! I am not lying when I tell you that some of these kids were no more and 3 at the most! and then they were so happy to be helping us carrying big bags. It was a fun thing to watch:)
When we had all the lugage in the "house" we put up our hammocks and sat down to wait while the others were still in the kayaks. As we sat there the kids gathered around again, we counted 32 ! and there were more, cause sometimes some left and others arrived. I think there were around 40 kids in the camp! and they were all around the same age. like babies - 10 or maybe 12. It was so much fun watching them watch us, as they were both shy and super curious at the same time. finally they started playing again and so Inge tried to play a little with them. At first they were scared but then they thought it was funny. We took some pictures which they thought were very interesting and they saw all our photos. Then Loui and Alberto found a tarantula in the "bathroom" (three walls and a floor all made of concrete and very open for all to see). We took some photos with the tarantula, including onces were it was on our heads/faces.. not as nasty as I would have thought.
The next day we only had to go 800 meters by kayak, to a place called Delta Lodge. A very luxurious place, little huts for 2-4 ppl with a shower and a toilet that could flush. It is amazing how happy you will be when you see one of those for the first time in a long time! Our guide, Martin, had that great idea of pulling a practical joke on us, so he told us all that they Delta Lodge was closed, due to renovations or something like that. Now we had to sleep out side a little indian man's house. Two could sleep in the kitchen (which was outside), 3-4 in the duck house 4 in a little hut and the rest of us had to sleep under the palm trees. Furthermore we had to clean the place up otherwise there might be tarantulas hiding in the fallen coconuts. Boy, were I frustrated. We all tried so very hard NOT to show, but it was difficult. Some kept saying "this might be fun" "it's an experience" "hey, I get to sleep out in the open" "maybe we can get beers from D.L. and then we can make our own party with out the stupid flushing toilet!" etc. it wasn't till the place was all clean that Martin told us it was just a joke. Afterwards I can see how it is funny, but right there.. I did not believe him, and then I got angry. As did most of the group. After yelling and laughing in disbelieve we headed to Delta Lodge and had fun. Turned out they had a giant Odder (the most dangerous animal in the jungle if you ask Martin), a parrot, a puma and a peacock, so it was both a time to party, relax and take pictures :)
They next day we had to go 8 kms in the kayaks to an indian camp which by Eventure is called "Mama's Camp" because Rene (one of the founders) lived there for a long time and the woman became like a mother. We spent two days in mama's camp and got to talk to the kids a lot as we got to teach them english one day. It was great fun, but a scary experience as well as many of them did not recognize the alphabet in Spanish! I must admit that the kids were adorable though, and so eager to learn! :)
When we headed out from Mama's Camp we left in the boat and sailed for about 3-4 hours to a city in which the cars were parked safely. Then we drove for a while and got to a place called Bruno's Camp. The special thing about Bruno's Camp is that it marks the transition from the Delta trip to the Gran Sabana trip. This is marked by a 14 meters tall bridge from which you jump into the river and swim to Bruno's camp. Most ppl jumped, but I was not able to convince myself that I would not get hurt so I could not make myself jump. That night we slept in the tent for the first time, and so our Gran Sabana Trip begun...

I love Los Llanos

So i am in a hurry today, got a lot to do tomorrow and there's only three days till the big trip, so this is gonna be cut short:
I do. For real. It is amazing how in peace they are with themselves out there. Plus all the nature, it is so fantastic. We got the monday afternoon and we chilled for a little while, getting settled in the hammack houses and such. Then we had dinner and went to look for small caimans. Pretty cool, though I didn't want to try to catch any. It was a great experience looking out over the water and see the light from your headlamp reflected in their eyes. It almost looked like the sky (which by the way was gorgeous!). I never knew there were that many caimans in the small lakes. and you could hear them getting in to the water every now and then, some of them were pretty big! we went to bed early that nigt and woke up the next morning at 4.30 am, as the birds where making some seriously crazy sounds! fortunately I was able to go back to sleep, and I went horse back riding around the ranch with the first group that morning. it was so great. first of all I got to sit on a horse again, though it has nothing to do with what I do at home, and second of all you just got to see nature in a whole new way. we got really close to some owls that live in holes in the earth, and we got close to a whole bunch of other birds. pretty cool if you ask me. And Mikkel and I got to run a lot with our horses as they were the faster ones. A lot of fun! that afternoon we went on the big anaconda hunt. I tried really hard to get into that muddy water and poke around with a stick, but I couldn't get myself to stay for more than 5 minutes. I just could not handle it. so I went to wait on the safe side while Necandro and his sons (some of the other ppl from the group kept looking but they were the ones who knew what they were doing and they are by far the very best at what they do!) found the snake. I did not realize how terrified I am of snakes till I tried touching the tail of the first snake we found. It took my several times but in the end I got to hold some of the last half of the snake. I have never before had to focus that hard to keep myself together. I had to go sit down when they let the snake loose and the tears just started pouring down my face. Keep in mind, this first one was only like 2-2.5 meters. The next one we found was 3-3.5 and our Venezuelan guide, Luis, held the head while I got to stand next to him. It took several times but I made it! crying all along. The next one we got was like 4-4.5 meters and I made it to the head this time!! once again crying, but i did it! and I am so proud of myself for doing it! The last one we got was like 1.5-2.0 meters and I held that all by myself!! so proud of myself!
the next day we caught pirat fish, and the day after we went to catch caimans. we got one that was like 2.5 meters, but it did not scare me at all - though i didnt go into the water that time either. At night we had a party and it was so much fun! Friday, the last day, we had a boat trip down the river and we got to see the really rare river dolphins! plus we got see an insane amount of rare birds and other animals, like the riverpigs.
today we drove home, and it was a long 10 hours, but it was okay. tomorrow we will be able to do a little shopping in the afternoon, then lunch, meeting, poolparty, and then there's a ton of things we need to do before leaving for the big trip on Wednesday. oh by the way, I got to the man who washes clothes today, it is done monday. only thing is, i have only got one pair of short and one shirt now. oh wells...
take care, and stay tuned for more on my next update!

Heading off to Los Llanos

So we're heading out tomorrow morning - at 5 am! which means getting up at 4 to drive for 10-11 hours so i am excited.. not for the drive but i cannot wait to get there. it's gonna be wicked! we're going to be finding/hunting/holding anacondas and caimans (crocs). so it will most definately be overwhelming and pushing some personal boundaries for me, as I am dead scared of snakes. But I figure I held a shark last summer, I hold a snake this summer. And I have been spending the past 6 months getting ready for this! It's gonna be great!

Like I said on Thursday (or was it Wednesday?) we were going on a 7 hour trek Friday. It was so absolutely gorgeous. One of the only places in Venezuela with true Venezuelan rainforrest. So so pretty. but boy did I think I was gonna die a time or five. It was so hard, but I made it to the freaking top (app. 975 meters above sea level) and I am so proud of myself! I did take a few pictures, and I will be posting some, but honestly I was more focused on getting to the top and down again enjoying the trip and just really trying to appreciate what little "pure" nature we've got left. not to turn all hippie on you, but I was amazed :) Going down was a lot easier, but we had to move so fast to get to town before dark. it was crazy. When we made it almost to the bottom of the mountain we had to cross some rivers, which meant getting your feet and boots soaked. However, it was quite nice considering the super hot condition your feet were in ;) when we finally got across the river the group had been seperated in two, and the guide in our part had never been there before. So what to do? We started walking in what we thought was the most likely direction, no what looked like the bigger trail (at times it was so hard to tell the trails from the forrest that we had to look for footprints) but we found the wrong one. So we went back to where we crossed the river and tried another path. After having gone back and forth 4 times, trying all four trails we sat down while our guide ran (!!!!!) in one direction to try and find the others. I have absolutely no idea how he was able to do that, but he did. mean while we started discussing how to make our society in the forrest. Maria quite quickly elected herself chief of the "tribe" and then came the harder choice. Who should we eat first? We didn't really get to decide cause just then both Martin (the running guide) and the other group came back (quite fortunately if you ask me). I know it sounds hard, but when you get lost and you've been on the move for a good 6 hours maybe more and you've climbed a mountain, you really need to keep the spirit in the group. And we did cause we all had fun imagining and planning the different scenarios. But we made it to the hostel where the women who owned it had prepared a super great meal, and dessert! It was so great! At night we had a few beers and sang a few birthday songs as it was Martin's birthday.

The next morning we woke up at 7.30 am and went to have a quick glance and a very short presentation on how to make cacao. Quite interesting if you ask me. The cacao beasn are taken out of the fruit and put in big tubs in the shade. They stay there for a week and most of the juices in the seeds leave the seeds and add more flavor to them as some of the juices stay in the tub. Then they are taken out in the sun to dry in big cirkels (i've got pictures coming up) and then when they are all dry (this process takes 7-1 days) the beans are "brushed" with a certain tool to get the shells off. Finally they go into a machine which take of the rest of the shells. I kid you not when I tell you that the machines they still used in Chuao, the village, was more than 400 years old!!! Amazing. I cannot imagine how the maching can possibly still work after four hundred years of being used. Must be some really good stuff. When the beans with out shells come out of the machine they are bagged and shipped off to Europe. Currently some Italian and some German country where the buyers. I don't remember they're names, but the chocolate is of such good quality that it is only used in fancy restaurant with real expensive food. After the short explanation we went to find la playa which was a little hour away. Believe it or not, we got seperated and lost again. The road split in two and we didn't know which road to pick, so once again we went down the bigger road. I asked a girl (I am guessing she was like 9, 10 tops, but she seemed to know her way around), but for whatever reason the group decided to try to go back and try the other way. So we did and Martin ended up running ahead again. This time to find that the road we were currently on ended in a village. So we turned around and headed back to the bigger road to try our luck there once again. This time we walked further and and elderly man came out of the woods so I asked him which way the beach and harbor was, and he replied - like the girl - that it was down this road. So we trut on and came to what looked like a village, and curiously enough the girl was sitting right out side the house where the road parted in two. She just laughed and pointed to the beach when I asked her for directions yet again. So after 5 more minutes of walking up hill a very little we found it. It was so relaxing and such a great day! And I finally found a fish I like! I have no clue what it is called but it is HUGE and the head is red and maybe it's some sort of bass. I don't know. it was good ! :b
Today we've been packing for tomorrow and spending a little time on the beach. Very relaxing! Well, I better head to bed cause like I said we're getting up early tomorrow!
buenas noches!

Getting up early! (short update)

So I have finally started sleep well in the hammocks.. this means getting up in the morning to get ready for spanish gets a little harder, but I usually wake up at least 30 mins before class starts so it's not too big a problem.. however, tomorrow we have to LEAVE the camp at 5 am so it will with out a doubt be a little hard. but we have to leave that early to go on the previously mentioned trekking to the slave village and i am so psyched! they are saying it will be super hard, but so pretty! I am so excited about going!
Other than that, we've been having a lot of spanish, and the class that i am in is mostly fun, but we start the harder parts tomorrow I think.. we've been playing "Stop" (Land og by) in spanish, and it's so hard, but fun! I don't know dont know when i will be able to get online again next, cause we get back from the kakao plantation on Saturday evening and leave for Los Llanos on monday morning! I am so excited about los Llanos, even though I find the pocking snakes with sticks part a little troubling! but on the other hand I have been preparing myself for this, so I now feel like i am ready, even though they just told us there will be loads of caimans as well! and pirate fish! scary.. but like one of the guides, Martin, said: "We'a gonna see some shit together!"

A week in the camp!

¡hola!
so we've now been here for app. a week. the weather is starting to get more sunny which means more hot. and let me tell you, when they say hot they mean it! a large part of the group got a sunburn, some more severe than others, but none where too bad, and that all happened on a cloudy day! I was glad i learned my lesson in Texas, never going outside in a exotic climate with out sunscreen, least of all when it's cloudy! lol
back to venezuela though. i love it! simple as that. once you get used to be yelled at when walking down the street (yeah for some reason the men down here thinks it's all right to yell what ever they think, so they do, and to be honest.. sometimes it gets a little boring cause they seem to be thinking the same. lol, but i think it's the same in spain, so it's cool, you get used to it and that's all you can do.. they yell after blond guys as well.. good fun great fun) and the total lack of control, then you really start to enjoy the country. i never know what time it is down here, i only know from my guesses and looking at the sun, but it's cool, that's how the venezuelans are. our teachers don't know what day it is, but really, who cares? We just have fun. learn spanish, enjoy ourselves and chill getting to know each other!
This past week we've had the beach volley tournament, had a barbeque party, gone to Valencia and a Spa place. Yesterday we were supposed to go trekking for a few hours up at a sorta near by (1 1/2 hours away) national park, but the government just changed the law, so we werent allowed to go in. as you may imagine this brought on some frustration, but as the great guides they are, our guides were able to take us to a real carribean-style beach, SUPER gorgeous. I am telling you, i could have stayed there for ever! Funniest thing happened out there as well. We were chilling, some in the water and some of us on the beach, when suddenly these two lizzards come up, around 1/2 a foot each, and a super pretty turqouise-blue-ish color. I went to tell Maria "oh, there's a lizzard right there by your head" as they were like two inches from her, when one of our spanish teachers walks in, and her shade scares the lizzard of. now, i never got to say more than "Oh, there's a lizza..." cause one of the lizzards tried to run over Maria's neck and into the woods. you should have seen her screaming and jumping around, poor lizzard almost got a heart attack. I don't know if you can imagine this, the jumping and the screaming, but being there and seeing that.. it was prizeless!!
Today we started with aerobics at 6.30 am (!) and spend 1-1.5 hours running around thinking we'd die cause our teacher is hard core. I am so amazed by the things she was able to do! Anywho, after almost killing ourselves we had the very interesting break fast - cornflakes and powder milk- that we eat every day. apparently our stomachs are not hard core enough for the real milk products yet. then we had 4 hours of spanish lessons, and today we got divided into two groups so we are now in advanced and beginners :) Then we went on to a kayaking talk through, as we will be practicing some safety tips and sailing a bit in the kayaks tomorrow. Or rather, we'll be doing so all day, going in to some caves, which i think we'll be awesome!
On friday we are leaving the camp at 5 am which means getting up at 4 (!) to go trek at another national park, or it is not certain yet, but our previously mentioned awesome guides are trying real hard to make it happen, as we were not able to go to the other place yesterday. if we get to go we will be trekking for 7-8 hours passing two mountain pass (bjergpas?!) and then entering a little slave village. the salves were placed there cause there is no way to get there except by boat or by an insane walk in the jungle. anywho they had this huge cacao plantation cause the slaves couldn't escape, and the the culture there's supposed to be super cool and different. I can't wait to go there. plus they'll have another bounty beach :b
I think that's it for now.. if i forgot something then I might tell later, I might not.. probably not cause I am so busy exploring, but let me know if there's a certain type of info you'd like :)
hasta la vista!