July 2002
ihana.com - big trip - diary - venezuela - july 2002
Bridge over the Orinoco |
Jimmy Angel's plane |
Buying some fishing kit |
Thursday 26 July
Cuidad Bolivar is home to the only bridge across the Orinoco and the plane used by Jimmy Angel when he discovered the worlds highest waterfall. After we paid our guide, T bought himself a hammock and some fishing kit in the hope of spending some time chilling in the jungle and catching pirahnas. Freddy introduced us to his cousin who lived on the outskirts of the town where we could park the landy for the night then we dropped him off to 'see his mother' and never saw him again.
Mural |
Colourful colonial style... |
...buildings in Ciudad Bolivar |
Nurses demonstration |
Strange cargo |
We stocked up at the local chinese run supermarket, narrowly avoiding being charged almost double 'accidentally', saw a peaceful but fiery demonstaration outside the hospital of the nurses and staff who haven't been paid for months, then left, heading south for Paragua. Just beyond Ciudad Piar, an american baptist style town which houses the workers who chop away at the nearby iron ore mountains, we made camp for the night in a grove of mango trees. In between eating the mangoes, T changed the landy diff oils, making a fair mess in the process. A bit later we were having tea out of the thunderstorm and an old guy appeared with a shotgun and a headtorch. He was out hunting deer and we gave him a mug of tea to keep him warm and distract him from the oilslick under the car.
Old hunter with head torch and gun |
Spillage in the... |
After collecting a big bag full of mangoes in the morning we continued on to Paragua but were delayed while stopping at a little shop staffed by a pair of energetic sisters who insisted on dancing with us, how could we refuse...
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