Think about South America and once you are done with the Amazon rainforest, hot weather, exotic fruits and latino spirit you are bound to remember the longest mountain range in the world. The Andes are home to magnificent landscapes and form a massive geological barrier that influences the climate of the whole continent. They are a source of mystic stories and cultures, home to endangered wildlife and ecosystems and little did we know, that we could already encounter a glimpse of it all in the hot and lively Venezuela. From Caracas, we were happy to catch one of the unregular busses to the city of Merida paying less than 1,5$ per person for a whole night of driving.
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Venezuelans are very proud of their Caribbean coastline. On a weekend getaway with Emma and his friends, we could quickly understand why... The hot, lively athmosphere and tasty venezuelan rum are not only the most famous export materials of the region, but the locals enjoy both of them in large quantities as well. We spent two days in Chichiriviche from where we were visiting some of the beautiful little islands in Morrocoy national park. The weekends are just crazy there and tons of Venezuelans were migrating to the area, while stocking up on meat for the barbecue and alcohol to spice up the time. The Carribbean stereotypes come alive there with young and old usually standing chest deep in the water drinking mojitos or Cuba Libre while each of the groups on the beach listens to it's own mix of reggaeton. Most of them won't take a proper swim for the whole day :) Two days passed quickly and we had a beautiful first Caribbean experience even though the islands would probably have been way more charming without the weekend crowds. But our share of tranquility was coming soon enough since the guys dropped us off on the way back to Caracas so we could visit Henri Pitier national park. This stretch of land is a lush mountainous area that plummits to the sea on northern side thus forming beautiful secluded bays only accesible by boats. Apart from the scenery, the region is famous for it's high quality cocoa that is supposed to be the best in the world. A long and curvy bus-ride over mist covered mountains was separating us from Choroni village where we would get both of the trademark values. After a chocolate breakfast with brownies, muffins and a delicious cold chocolate drink we headed to the coast to fetch a boat towards Playa Cepe where we actually had our first accomodation reservation of the trip. We were surprised to find out the port was closed for traffic by the authorities because of dangerous waves at the port entrance. Just before we were about to give up, a fierce local fishermen quickly gathered some passengers to leave for the exact same beach we wanted to go. With the right timing and countless experience he pierced the foaming breakwater and we were "safely" on open sea. We arrived to Cepe beach unharmed thanks to another great action while exiting the ocean, the return passage however was in question. Apparently the guy really wanted to get home but he said he wasn't returning to Choroni in a while. We spent very relaxed days in Cepe as there was not a lot to do in the beachside village. The rough water conditions made it very difficult and dangerous to swim and the rain cancelled our laying on the beach plans. But we were able to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and after three days, we needed a ride back to the port. The restaurant owner "Gato" who was taking care of our seafood cravings told us that early in the morning one of the boat owners might leave back for Choroni. We got up early not to miss the boat and waited with a dozen other people if any of many boats on the beach will actually set to sea. After more than two hours of insecurity a couple of young boys appeared to offer the ride back. We mounted the boat and once again faced the waters. Just a couple of hundred meters out, one of the engines died and the guys took a while to repaire it with Gasper's swiss-army knife. Returning to Choroni, we rediscovered a village completely flooded due to high tide and waves from the past days. There was debree everywhere and the boats were drawn into the streets to avoid being damaged. Once again we realised how lucky we were to escape troubles and managed to get back in time for another trip. Our last, but the sweetest of all Caribbean experiences was La Tortuga, a small island in the middle of the sea with similar turquoise waters as the famous Los Roques archipelago, but way easier to reach and enjoy. Once again Emma showed his generousity and took us to the island as a part of his crew. To reach La Tortuga, we once again had to trust ourselves to one of the local navigators. The small, simple pink boat with two medium sized outboard engines was clearly overloaded but after more than half an hour of arguing how we can lose some weight, we only ended up leaving a single 50L water barrel behind. This time the passage lasted for 5 intense hours of slamming the water and licking the ocean spray of the face, as we countered oposing current and waves. For a majority of time, the land was out of sight and we had to rely on a small compass and the senses of our pilots to safely reach the destination. We stayed at one of the keys surrounding La Tortuga, sleeping in tents on the beach and walking the white sand in the morning and evening to observe sunrise and sunset. During the day we were cooling off in the surrounding blue waters and looking for shade under simple beach shacks of the local fishermen. The nights were spectacular. With no lights for miles around, we could observe the stars on the sky and sparkling of the plankton in the sea. A true Caribbean fairytale. After a far more comfortable way back from the island, we had to say goodbye to the sea for a while since we were headed into the countryside for the Venezuelan part of Andes and the flatlands Los Llanos.
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February 2019
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