Wednesday, May 10, 2006
from the wilds of the Orinoco jungle
Hello all you statesiders (and anyone else). Writing now from a cage at a lodge on the banks of one of the rivers that makes up the huge Orinoco Delta. Arrived in Maturin yesterday from Caracas (had to awaken at 4:00 a.m. to take an alternate route to the airport because a mudslide closed down the main road (or something, my Spanish is really limited)) and immediately was in a boat fast-laning it to the lodge here. I don't know if I'll be able to get used to cars quickly after this. Amazing to just ride, looking at kilometers upon kilometers of trees and endless river, broken up by Warao huts/villages, some cool wildlife (river dolphis, toucans, ibis, red howler monkeys, among others). Sunsets are especially cool. Our guide on the boat is a young guy from Argentina who speaks decent English, and the boat is driven by a local Warao. We stopped at a couple of indian villages today to shop for local crafts and say howdy. They were ready for our arrival, immediately and somewhat prosaically setting out their wares, and giving us the prices in their limited Spanish. Got some cool stuff. At one of the villages, there was a local kid running along the planks, wearing a 2005 White Sox World Champions t-shirt with a photo of Ozzie Guillen. Didn't have time to snap a photo, but have plenty of photos of other stuff. Also met a random Canadian who was squatting in one of the huts. His name? Jonathan! Young guy who is trying to see all of South America. He doesn't communicate with the locals, just sort of sits there and watches them. He's been there 5 days and plans to stay another two. I'm not sure they realize what's going on. Quite unusual. Francisco, our guide, wasn't too impressed.
I caught a pirhana yesterday but had to throw it back. Too small.
Tomorrow we're out to Isla Margarita, playpen of the European traveller, where we'll mostly bask, and perhaps snorkle a bit.
I just realized I'm not much of a travel writer. Sorry about that.
Hasta luego!!
Oh, here's info on the lodge, if you're interested.
I caught a pirhana yesterday but had to throw it back. Too small.
Tomorrow we're out to Isla Margarita, playpen of the European traveller, where we'll mostly bask, and perhaps snorkle a bit.
I just realized I'm not much of a travel writer. Sorry about that.
Hasta luego!!
Oh, here's info on the lodge, if you're interested.
from the wilds of the Orinoco jungle
Hello all you statesiders (and anyone else). Writing now from a cage at a lodge on the banks of one of the rivers that makes up the huge Orinoco Delta. Arrived in Maturin yesterday from Caracas (had to awaken at 4:00 a.m. to take an alternate route to the airport because a mudslide closed down the main road (or something, my Spanish is really limited)) and immediately was in a boat fast-laning it to the lodge here. I don't know if I'll be able to get used to cars quickly after this. Amazing to just ride, looking at kilometers upon kilometers of trees and endless river, broken up by Warao huts/villages, some cool wildlife (river dolphis, toucans, ibis, red howler monkeys, among others). Sunsets are especially cool. Our guide on the boat is a young guy from Argentina who speaks decent English, and the boat is driven by a local Warao. We stopped at a couple of indian villages today to shop for local crafts and say howdy. They were ready for our arrival, immediately and somewhat prosaically setting out their wares, and giving us the prices in their limited Spanish. Got some cool stuff. At one of the villages, there was a local kid running along the planks, wearing a 2005 White Sox World Champions t-shirt with a photo of Ozzie Guillen. Didn't have time to snap a photo, but have plenty of photos of other stuff. Also met a random Canadian who was squatting in one of the huts. His name? Jonathan! Young guy who is trying to see all of South America. He doesn't communicate with the locals, just sort of sits there and watches them. He's been there 5 days and plans to stay another two. I'm not sure they realize what's going on. Quite unusual. Francisco, our guide, wasn't too impressed.
I caught a pirhana yesterday but had to throw it back. Too small.
Tomorrow we're out to Isla Margarita, playpen of the European traveller, where we'll mostly bask, and perhaps snorkle a bit.
I just realized I'm not much of a travel writer. Sorry about that.
Hasta luego!!
Oh, here's info on the lodge, if you're interested.
I caught a pirhana yesterday but had to throw it back. Too small.
Tomorrow we're out to Isla Margarita, playpen of the European traveller, where we'll mostly bask, and perhaps snorkle a bit.
I just realized I'm not much of a travel writer. Sorry about that.
Hasta luego!!
Oh, here's info on the lodge, if you're interested.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Caracas is damn large
Okay, I have 9 minutes and 23 seconds to post, and I'm not sure what I want to post about. Well, frankly, I would like to show photos from my ongoing trip to Venezuela but that would require, like, emailing them to myself and it all seems like too much of a hassle.
Mi padre and I arrived late late late Friday -- actually early Saturday -- into the Caracas airport, due to a 4 hour plane delay caused by the incoming plane not making it out of Belize for a long time. No matter, we hadn't planned to do much Friday anyway. We had a driver there with my name on a card, and he zipped us to the Hotel Tamanaco Intercontinental. We've been here 3 nights now, and tomorrow morning will be off on a flight to Maturin, where another driver will pick us up for a 2-hour drive to Boca de Urucao or something like that, where we'll stay at the Orinoco Delta Lodge. That should be quite exciting.
So far we've done some walking, some shopping, took a cable car (teleferico) to the top of Mt. Avila where it was raining but we could still see the city, and on the way down we met Louis, of Venezueland descent but American from Miami, who was the first American we've seen so far.
Eaten some decent food, took a tennis lesson from Rainer, a German-Venezuelan pro, swam in the luxurious pool, eaten more, had a bout of my stomach not getting along with something, saw the house where El Libertador (bolivar) was born and some squares and museums & stuff. Managed to avoid any kidnapping so far. But the night is young.
Actually, it's early to bed tonight I think - our flight is at like 7:40 a.m. Again, wish I could post pictures. It's very cool here. Huge city. Damn large. Dangerous, apparently, but full of life and cool people.
Sta Luego!
Mi padre and I arrived late late late Friday -- actually early Saturday -- into the Caracas airport, due to a 4 hour plane delay caused by the incoming plane not making it out of Belize for a long time. No matter, we hadn't planned to do much Friday anyway. We had a driver there with my name on a card, and he zipped us to the Hotel Tamanaco Intercontinental. We've been here 3 nights now, and tomorrow morning will be off on a flight to Maturin, where another driver will pick us up for a 2-hour drive to Boca de Urucao or something like that, where we'll stay at the Orinoco Delta Lodge. That should be quite exciting.
So far we've done some walking, some shopping, took a cable car (teleferico) to the top of Mt. Avila where it was raining but we could still see the city, and on the way down we met Louis, of Venezueland descent but American from Miami, who was the first American we've seen so far.
Eaten some decent food, took a tennis lesson from Rainer, a German-Venezuelan pro, swam in the luxurious pool, eaten more, had a bout of my stomach not getting along with something, saw the house where El Libertador (bolivar) was born and some squares and museums & stuff. Managed to avoid any kidnapping so far. But the night is young.
Actually, it's early to bed tonight I think - our flight is at like 7:40 a.m. Again, wish I could post pictures. It's very cool here. Huge city. Damn large. Dangerous, apparently, but full of life and cool people.
Sta Luego!
