November 18, 2006
Day 416
Roraima Trek Day 3
I admire the cliffs.
Craig's stove began acting up this morning. I wished that I had brought mine as a backup. He eventually figured out that a pin was bent and fixed the problem, but not before wasting a lot of fuel. I think we'll have enough left to cook the rest of our meals before returning to our cache in a few days, but there won't be any to spare. We agreed not to make any more hot drinks, so I could get grouchy without any coffee in the morning.
We had two full days planned on top of Roraima, so today we did a shorter walk near the campsite. We walked past a large assortment of crystals, though puddles, and over massive boulders, some of which were shaped like rabbits and UFOs, to traverse the mountain. It proved to be not as flat on top as it appeared yesterday from below. We ended up at a place called "The Window," which was a narrow opening between the rocks looking all the way to the bottom. We sat around for awhile and enjoyed the view of the other tepuis in the area as the clouds rolled in and out. When the clouds did clear, the view became vertigo-inducing.
Sitting on top of the clouds.
Next, we stopped at the "jacuzzi's," which Braulio told us were thermal hot springs. When I dipped my toe in the water, however, a chill was sent through my bones. I decided to give it a miss and checked out some more of the massive crystal rocks instead. They'd probably be worth a fortune at home, but are just part of the natural landscape here.
Our final stop of the day was at the highest point of Roraima, which overlooked the massive cliffs and the land below. I felt like Jack at the top of the beanstalk the view was so awe-inspiring. Afterward, we finally made our way back to camp for a siesta and a pasta curry cooked on a stove that was finally working better.
