Ciudad Bolivar (¿and Angel Falls?)

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  Ciudad Bolivar, Guayana Highlands, Venezuela
Tuesday, January 5, 2010

After having failed to see Iguazu Falls and Kaieteur Falls all of my waterfall-related hopes now rested on Angel Falls, the highest in the world. After arriving at the Guyana/Brazillian border at 10:30 I finally made it across to Bonfim Terminal around midday, giving me a nice two and a half hours to use up before the next bus to Boa Vista. I got into Boa Vista soon after 16:00 and decided to spend another night there, mainly to give me two days worth of ATM withdrawals as I needed enough to last me for two weeks in Venezuela. This time I stayed directly opposite the bus terminal in a relatively posh hotel with a/c and a TV. Itīs almost double the cost of the cheap ones in Lonely Planet but I could walk there in two minutes instead of getting taxis each way, so it actually works out at the exact same price. And it was in a much more convenient location, near eateries and internet.

So the next morning I set off back to Venezuela. LP mentions a bus from Manaus to Caracas that stops off in Boa Vista, Santa Elena and Ciudad Bolivar. Unfortunately they neglect to mention the name of the bus company! I looked around and found one with a map on the wall showing stops in all of these places, but they denied that such a route existed (I find it much more effective to speak Spanish at people in Brazil, rather than trying to speak their language. We somehow seem to understand each other generally, itīs amazing) so I got a ticket just as far as Pacaraima. It would give me time to exchange my Reals to Bolivars at the border for the best rate, which was good.

So I got to the border, exchanged my money for a reasonable rate (not great) and entered Venezuela - my 4th border crossing where I was "required" to have a Yellow Fever vaccination card but was never asked to show it once! The border is just a few hundred metres from the Brazillian border town of Bonfim but 15km from the Venezuelan town of Santa Elena so I wanted a taxi for this bit. Getting the other way from Santa Elena to La Linea had been easy as there are collectivo taxis lined up in town to make the journey as soon as they are filled. At La Linea, there is no such taxi line... I asked some Venezuelan army people and they showed me where to wait. The problem is that the "taxis" that do this route are completely indistinguishable from private cars and none of them stopped where I was told to wait. After 15-20 minutes I decided to go with plan B and start walking. Iīm constantly bothered with taxi drivers wanting to drive me places I donīt want to go, so I figured it wouldnīt be long before one pulled over and offered to drive me into town.

I was wrong! An hour later I knew I still had a long way to go and wasnīt going to make it before dark. I started getting very moody at Venezuela again, like when that bandit money changer stole my $30... Then a random "ute", as Australians would say, did pull over. It wasnīt a taxi but the driver said he was going to Santa Elena so, as is my new custom, I got in the car with the random person. Turned out to be a fine decision - he was a good lad and drove me all the way into just opposite the hospital for free :o) I decided to continue the last couple of km on foot to the terminal (my feet had already been destroyed by that first hour of walking in my mouldy old sandals so I had planned to spent the night in Santa Elena if I had arrived after dark). I got there are managed to get a ticket up to Ciudad Bolivar that night, woohoo! Actually I got one for the third bus out, leaving at 20:00, to make sure I didnīt arrive ridiculously early in the morning.

The bus ride to Ciudad Bolivar was grand, like. I had a double seat to my self and only had to show my passport once in the whole 12 hour journey. The only problem was the air conditioning on full blast all night. Even my Berghaus fleece failed to keep me sufficiently warm so I was unable to sleep at all. But I was in Ciudad Bolivar, ready to attempt Angel Falls!

Arriving in Ciudad Bolivar isnīt very impressive at all. Itīs kind of like Cartagena, but nowhere near as good. The bus terminal is in the crappy new town, but thereīs also a reasonably well preserved old town. Ciudad Bolivarīs old town is quite pleasant but thereīs not a lot to do here besides wander around and look at the architecture, which doesnīt take long to be honest. It lacks the museums, volcanoes, beaches and other activities of Cartagena. In fact it does actually have a few small sand beaches on the mighty Orinoco River, but they donīt count. The main reason to come here is of course to organise a tour to Angel Falls! There is also a very nice view at sunset, of the sun setting next to Puente de Angostura (the only bridge over the entire Orinoco RIver) with dolphins swimming around in the river.

Anyway back to Angel Falls... Unfortunately January is right in the middle of the dry season. I did already know this and knew that the falls might just be down to a trickle and would be difficult to get to, with the low water level, but I was told that it would be possible. Turns out itīs not possible! The owner of the posada where Iīm staying said that the river level is too low and thereīs no way to get there (except the flyover, but itīs a waste of money because you donīt see nothing). I canīt believe it! Iīve completely failed with the three waterfalls I was targetting and will leave at 0 and 3 :o(

So what to do with the three days I would have spent getting to Angel Falls and back? I looked into a tour of the Orinoco Delta but the geezer in Adventure Tours said that, if the tour went ahead, it was looking like it would just be me and some random couple. I didnīt want to spend three days being the odd one out on their tour, so the new plan is to head back up to the Caribbean a few days early. Instead of just visiting Parque Nacional Morrocoy, I will now also go to Coro (and the "little Sahara Desert") and Puerto Colombia, apparently one of the main gringo places in Venezuela.

So, Tuesday morning, I set off to the bus terminal to book a ticket to Valencia that night (posada owner had again given me helpful advice that they alwayd sell out well in advance on this route). I got there about 10:00 after getting lost trying to walk there using the crappy LP map (itīs only 2km so I didnīt want to pay the lousy $0,40 US bus fare). I think I need to include that map in my long list of corrections to send them... Unfortunately by 10:00 every bus with every company to Valencia that night was already sold out so I had to get one for Wednesday morning instead. I donīt really mind spending another night in Ciudad Bolivar (although I think Iīve already īdoneī it already) but it does mean that instead of getting a night bus and spending Wednesday in Coro, I now have to waste all day Wednesday on a lousy bus.

The one good thing about it was that one my way back to the old town (walking!) I did finally pass some supermarkets, grocery stores and eateries. Turns out that what I thought was the new town (east of the old town, along Rio Orinoco) isnīt actually the main new town at all. Itīs just some clothes shopping district. Seems that the main town is over towards the terminal area, which explains why thereīs nothing in the old town. Itīs just a residential area not really set up to receive tourists. Itīs annoying to have to walk/bus those couple of km just to get food :o(

I do like the accommodation very much though. I sleep in a hammock with views of the Cathedral and Rio Orinoco (a mosquito net would be good though). I thought that I would actually be living with fellow gringos for the first time since December 26 but the ones that were there when I arrived in the morning were mostly gone by the evening (obviously waiting around for a night bus, like I planned to do too). The only people that were left at night were old and therefore donīt count. Venezuela and Guyana seem to be very far off the īGringo Trailī. Will be quite good to finally rejoin it for a few days in Puerto Colombia, if there are any gringos around...

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