October has been a memorable month with our visit to see the magnificent Angel Falls in Venezuela, and the Hindu Festival of Divali on our return to Trinidad.

We worked as hard as we could on the boat before leaving on the 7th October for Venezuela. There were a few traumas as we tried to get our American dollars out of an RBTT Bank ATM in West Mall. This is the only machine locally that pays out dollars and if it wasn’t broken down it then sometimes refused to accept our cards. Trinidad has been the first country we have had problems with our debit cards (apart from on Sal in the Cape Verdes where the machine wanted a 6 figure security number and we had to queue inside the bank for hours over the Christmas period to get any cash). The Venezuelan bolivar has a fixed exchange rate with the US dollar of only just over 2 per dollar but there is a black market exchange of between 4 and 7 to the dollar. Our travel agent there exchanged 5 bolivars for a dollar so we got a good rate. The government obviously don’t want foreign investment or visitors!

We had investigated the possibility of visiting Angel Falls from here but the air fare to Caracas was prohibitive and we just couldn’t justify spending nearly $1300 each for a four day trip, not including spending money. In the end, travelling by ferry, bus and Cessna plane, we had eight days and seven nights, including four days in the National Park at Canaima all for a total cost of just under $1000 (£600) including our spending money!

We left from Pier 1 just along the road from here in Chaguaramas, on the Sea Prowler ferry. This small ferry is surprisingly comfortable and well run, with complementary coffee and soft drinks and snacks available at low prices. It only runs once a week on a Wednesday. Twelve of us took the trip in all. We Mackems from El Lobo, Austrian Jochim and German Traudl from Bluesong, English Pepe and Steve from Beez Neez, Americans Connie and Fred from Tashtego, Canadians Leona and Bill from Voyageur C and last but not least Scots Anne and Alan from Freya of Clyde. Anne had done all of the arranging of the trip via e-mail and telephone with our agent, Branko and his girlfriend Beate.

After a pleasant three hour cruise we arrived in the harbour of the small port of Guiria on the northern shore of the Gulf of Paria. We then sat for nearly two hours in the middle of the harbour waiting for the doctor to board the boat to check everyone out for Swine Flu! We eventually trudged off the boat a little overheated as the air conditioning had packed in and were pleased to see Branko and Beate waiting for us on the quay. They live in Maracaibo in the west of Venezuela and they had had a long journey to meet us. After a nights stay in a small hotel (Hotel Plaza, only US $10 a night!) we set off next morning on the longest stage of the journey, the 350 miles to Ciudad Bolivar, the capital of Bolivar State in the south east of the country. This was the point when Mike started to feel unwell and complained of stomach cramps and the dreaded ‘Delhi Belly! After a dose of Immodium he was ready to go and we set off in a 19 seater bus which was luxurious by Venezuelan standards but the seats were pretty hard on your bottom and there wasn’t much leg room.  Pat unfortunately picked the seat right over the rear wheel arch and couldn’t contemplate the long journey with her knees up to her chin so she cunningly made a ‘nest’ among all of our bags on the back seat and ended up with the best seat in the house as she was able to stretch her legs out in comfort. We did have various rest stops on the journey, thank goodness.

We passed through some interesting scenery en route. There were many very poor settlements by the roadside during the first half of the journey, then the hilly landscape changed to flat plains where there were mile after mile of cattle ranches. The roads in the north of the country are very potholed and every time they pass through villages there are large ‘sleeping policemen’ or road calming bumps along the road. It drives you mad having to constantly slow down! We eventually reached a large town, Maturin, and from there the road improved and we made good time to our destination. We crossed the bridge over the mighty Orinoco river after dark and arrived at the Da Gino Hotel right opposite the small airport in Ciudad Bolivar. The others went out to find something for dinner but Mike thought it best he didn’t eat so we had an early night. The hotel was a little better than the Plaza and had cable TV so we watched Harry Potter on TCM before falling asleep.

We were up at the crack of dawn again for our flight to Canaima. and our group left the airport in three 6 seater Cessna planes. It felt to Pat that we were travelling in her old Citroen 2CV. It came complete with bungee cord holding the window closed! The 119 mile flight was a treat, flying over a massive inland lake dotted with numerous islands at between six and seven thousand feet and then on to where we could see large isolated mountains rising out of a green plateau. Canaima is a settlement of mainly native Pemon Amerindians in the middle of the Canaima National Park. The park covers an area the size of Switzerland and consists of the Gran Sabana, an upland plateau dotted with those amazing flat topped sandstone mountains known as ‘tepuys’ (pronounced tepwee). The Pemon believed that mischievous spirits lived on the top of the tepuys and resisted climbing them until recently. One of the largest is Auyan Tepuy (Devil Mountain) and this is where the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls, is situated. It has an overall height of 979 m, (3212 feet) and the clear drop of 807 m (2647 feet). We had always thought that it was named for some ethereal quality but it turns out it was named after Jimmy Angel, the pilot who first flew over it in 1937. The native name for it is either Körepa K’upö Vena or Churún Merú, we have seen both?

To reach Angel Falls was our aim, of course, but the Canaima lagoon with it’s white beaches and many other magnificent waterfalls was a wonderful place for our base, Camp Bernal, on Isla Anatoly. We crossed to the island by native hand built dugout canoe, the curiara, getting a close up view of the falls as we passed. We were presented with a local beverage and bead necklaces and bracelets by the owner’s children and then we met our river guide, Danielle. Danielle is Venezuelan born with Guyanan parents and is therefore fluent in Spanish and English. She was a really lovely girl and is a student when she is not taking tourists up and down rivers! We were introduced to our sleeping quarters which were in huts with beds, or you could opt to sleep in the communal living, eating, sleeping area on either beds or in hammocks. We shared a pretty little round hut with Anne and Alan. We spent the rest of the morning wandering at leisure and swimming in the lagoon then Danielle took us for a hike across the island to the westernmost waterfalls, Salto El Sapo (frog), via a pretty little beach, Playita, where we yet again swam in the warm lagoon water. We then passed behind the Salto El Sapo on a path hewn out of the rock by the late Tomas Bernal, then returned over the top of the waterfall where the river ran below the rocks in channels worn by the water flow. We then returned by another path to the most spectacular of the Canaima falls, Salto Hacha (axe), where we again walked behind the cascade. This was an amazing experience, the sight and sound of all those tons of water crashing within touching distance.

The next day we stored our backpacks and took with us the minimum for our final camp, Refugio Rustico, at the base of Angel Falls. We were ferried across the lagoon and walked up to the top of the waterfalls through other camps and the local village, complete with church and school and an internet cafe. We reached the ‘port’ above the village about half an hour later and we 14, our luggage, enough food for three days, Danielle and our two drivers boarded our curiara. They are burnt out from huge trees with a further 8 inches or so of bulwarks above. We were heavily laden as we set off to begin our 44 mile journey. The scenery was magnificent as we progressed upriver. Danielle told us that Jurassic Park was filmed here and you could just imagine all those dinosaurs running about the plain. We all had to get out and walk for another half an hour at one point as the drivers negotiated a particularly shallow part of the river.  We stopped for a picnic lunch at a pretty little waterfall, the Lucky Well, on the Rio Carrao before turning right onto the smaller Rio Chürun. This is where the driver had to change propellers as the rapids became more difficult to negotiate. He was having to lift the whole prop out of the water while we scraped across the rocks, with the bowman frantically paddling to keep us on the proper line. The pitch caulking was leaking just a bit as we crashed through flying spray. We loved it! There were a few more smaller walking episodes then we got even wetter when the heavens opened and the rain began. The rain eventually stopped then we got our first breathtaking view of Angel Falls in the misty late afternoon. What a sight - and it was even better the next morning from our camp as the early sun bathed the rock face.

Refugio Rustico is on the Isla Ratón right at the base of the falls, the only camp in the area with a view. We were so lucky. This camp is really rustic. Basically a tin roof with hammocks enclosed in mosquito nets slung over a dirt floor with benches for dining and relaxing. No running water or electricity. We flushed the two toilets with river water and ate by candlelight, but the food was excellent with large servings – especially the wood fired barbecued chicken!

The next morning, after a surprisingly good nights sleep and a cooked breakfast we began the climb up to the base of the Falls. It was a good hours walk through the rain forest, progressively getting steeper as we approached the mirador overlooking the pool at the base. We had to negotiate large boulders and gnarled tree roots as we climbed. At last! We were there! Magnificent! After posing for photos we all hotfooted it down to the pool for a welcoming swim. All except Mike that is, as he was still suffering with his bowels and didn’t trust himself in the pool!!

The descent back to the river was a little easier and we all returned to camp ready for lunch -Spaghetti Bolognese - how did they do it? We set off after lunch but the river level had dropped again, even after the previous days rain, and there were many more walking episodes on the way back to Canaima. We were doing up to 20 miles an hour through some of the rapids and we got as wet as on the previous day! Darkness had fallen by the time we got to the top of the falls and we were dropped off on Isla Anatoly to save time. After a torch lit walk we eventually reached home, tired but extremely happy.

The next morning before our flight back to Ciudad Bolivar, Danielle took us to another, secret pool in the middle of the Salto Wadaima, which is next to the Salto Hacha. We had to make sure no other tourists saw us as we scurried up the path. We have since learned that guides only take you there if they really like you so we must have made a good impression! We then returned to camp to pack our bags and have lunch. Before leaving for the airfield we were entertained by some local children in native dress singing and dancing for us. They thought Mike was Santa Claus!

We then retraced our outward journey via Ciudad Bolivar and Guiria before landing at Pier 1 at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 14th October. Branko and Beate had left us when we reached the north coast and there were many hugs exchanged when we parted. This was the first time they had arranged such a trip as most people fly to Venezuela and then the Bernal Tour can be arranged locally. We were very grateful to them for organising us so efficiently and many other cruisers seem to be interested in following in our footsteps. We have already had a meeting among ourselves to share photos and discuss the trip and we are having a presentation next week so other people can see what we did.

There are many videos of the falls on YouTube but this is one of our favourites. Just wish we were young enough to do that!

We had only been home a couple of days then it was the Hindu holy day of Divali, or the Festival of Lights. Divali is derived from two Sanskrit words meaning ‘light’ and ‘a row’. It is marked by devotees lighting small bowls - deeyas - made of clay and filled with oil. Rows of these small lights are then placed in lines around the home and village streets. This is celebrated throughout the world by Hindus and obviously Trinidad has many adherents. The lines of lights signify your journey through life and the pursuit of knowledge to free you from ignorance and darkness.

We travelled to the village of Felicity in Western Trinidad where we were welcomed with drumming, dancing and a vegetarian feast served on palm leaves in the temple . We were then free to wander the streets to see the thousands of lights. They were accompanied by many loud fire crackers exploding and fireworks lighting up the sky. A bit like Guy Fawkes night back in Britain without the burning of the guy on bonfires! Felicity is famous for it’s elaborate Divali celebrations and many Trinidadians visit to see the sights.

Since then we have been back working on Lobo. Mike finally got the prop shaft out and we have had to order a new one as it had been twisted, probably when the drogue wrapped itself around the propeller in mid Atlantic. He and Jim from Wendreda had to move the engine to draw it out from inside the boat mind you! We have got the foresail almost bent on to the mast, just waiting for adjustments to the new sail catchers, Pat has repainted the gantry. We are going to have a stainless steel one made next year so a touch up of paint will have to do for now. Mike has done quite a lot of rubbing down and varnishing of the doghouse now too. We had to do it to match the shiny new toe rails! When the doghouse, coach roof and decks are painted we will be getting back to normal, thank goodness.

That’s it for now folks. Hopefully, hopefully we will be back in the water next time you hear from us.

Check out some great pics below. We have had to leave the Divali photos until next month.