December 16, 2007
Day 809
As soon as I got up this morning, I tried to figure out how to change my dollars into bolivares on the black market (this is technically illegal, but everyone's doing it nowadays). I quickly learned that in Venezuela, the most often used word is "no."
"Do you know… Read More »
December 15, 2007
Day 808
I rode for seven hours in a taxi to Cucuta on the Venezuelan border this morning rather than take the bus for the same price. Maybe the only reason buses aren't more popular in Colombia is because they should be way cheaper than smaller vehicles but aren't. At any… Read More »
November 22, 2006
Day 420
I spent today catching up on my blog and staying out of the sun. Craig went for a walk to a swimming hole near town, but I had no interest in spending another day in that heat. I now feel mentally prepared to meet the challenge of going all… Read More »
November 21, 2006
Day 419
Roraima Trek Day 6
I woke up this morning to a spectacular sunrise. It got hot quickly, however, so I motored my way through the open grasslands back to Parapetui, the sun beating down on me the entire way. Normally the walk takes four hours,… Read More »
November 20, 2006
Day 418
Roraima Trek Day 5
Just as our porridge was done cooking this morning, we ran out of fuel. I don't know if I should call it good planning on our part, or just good luck. We packed up camp and headed down the edge of the teupui toward… Read More »
November 19, 2006
Day 417
Roraima Trek Day 4
Today we took a long walk all the way to the other side of Roraima. It was another tough trip despite carrying only daypacks due to the uneven terrain. We eventually reached our goal, the tripartite border between Guyana, Brazil, and Venezuela. It was… Read More »
November 18, 2006
Day 416
Roraima Trek Day 3
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… Read More »
November 17, 2006
Day 415
Roraima Trek Day 2
We got up early to begin a long day of walking. The first four hours to base camp were at a slight incline resulting in an altitude gain of 820 meters. We had an early lunch and continued uphill through the forest toward the… Read More »
November 16, 2006
Day 414
Roraima Trek Day 1
The Frenchman picked us up early today, and we loaded all of our gear into his '72 Land Rover. He had to tinker with the engine, but eventually got it started. It was extremely beaten up, but that seems to be… Read More »
November 15, 2006
Day 413
I wanted to get my stove working again, so I went to the gas station to get some more fuel. I tried cooking with diesel last time, which was a disaster, so this time around I decided to try unleaded. Craig told me about the legendary low fuel prices… Read More »
