My travels in Venezuela.

Almost Out

January 2-3, 2008
Days 826-827

Now that New Year's Day had come and gone, it was finally time to start heading out of Venezuela. While waiting in line to board the ferry to the mainland, several kids were swimming near us and begging for people to throw coins to them. Occasionally someone would oblige… Read More »

Drowning My Sorrows with Twenty-Cent Beer

December 29, 2007-January 1, 2008
Days 822-825

I took the hotel owner's advice and took a boat before dusk to Isla Margarita. The trip was a little rough, and a girl puked onto the floor before she could access a plastic bag, and it immediately ran directly under my backpack. Otherwise, the trip went… Read More »

Another Nasty Place

December 28, 2007
Day 821

I wanted to go to nearby Corumba today, but I couldn't find any buses going there despite its close proximity. I think I've already mentioned enough how unpleasant the Venezuelan people are, so suffice it to say that I got the first eastbound bus out of town that I… Read More »

Slow Buses and Sewage Beaches

December 26-27, 2007
Days 819-820

I had a bus ride northbound that took way too long to go the short distance to the coast. The roads were actually in better condition in Venezuela than in most countries in South America, but a combination of a lack of any semblance of organization at the bus… Read More »

My Shortest Layover Ever

December 23-25, 2007
Days 816-818

My flight back to La Paragua started out just like the one to Canaima. One Venezuelan guy was in the back seat, and I was the co-pilot. The plane was much older than the first one, but that didn't bother me at first. I knew the flight was going… Read More »

Getting Kissed by a Toad

December 22, 2007
Day 815

Angel Falls Trip Day 3

The first thing we did today was take a boat back downstream to Canaima. The rain barely let up before we left, but the sky was still really cloudy, so there wasn't much to look at. It was amazing how different those boat trips… Read More »

Don't Talk to Me About Waterfalls

December 21, 2007
Day 814

Angel Falls Trip Day 2

Last night we learned that we wouldn't be able to camp at the high camp near Angel Falls because "It was flooded." However, we met another tour group coming down from that camp early in the morning and confirmed that it wasn't flooded at… Read More »

Like Watching Paint Dry

December 20, 2007
Day 813

Angel Falls Trip Day 1

Today started off on a slow note as I had to wait for two hours just to leave the travel agency, and another hour at the airport in Ciudad Bolivar. I was then driven all alone for two hours in a cargo Read More »

What Time Is It?

December 18-19, 2007
Days 811-812

My bus pulled into Ciudad Bolivar at dawn, and right away I knew I was back on the tourist circuit. Two guys working for different tour companies grabbed my arm and offered me deals to Angel Falls before I could even catch my breath. The really good news was… Read More »

Lucky Me

December 17, 2007
Day 810

I got so San Fernando de Apure from my overnight bus at dawn and immediately went in search of a hotel. I found about five of them, but they were all full. It turned out that there was some sort of soccer tournament in town, so all of the… Read More »