The Trek to Angel Falls

Now where did we leave off from last time?  I think we were on a boat....for a very long time.  But as I said before, the beauty of the land served as a good enough distraction until, as we rounded yet another bend in the river, we saw what we all thought definitely HAD to be Angel Falls.  It was stunningly tall, and though the flow was not very large, it was clear we were beholding a massive and spectacular naturally wonder.

Our boat pulled over at a camp on the opposite side of the falls.  We took our bags and scrambled up the bank, only to find a structure with a roof that covered some tables and hammocks.  I was super pumped.  I am a hammock lover through and through and I was actually pretty thrilled to get to spend the night in the jungle in hammocks. We threw down out stuff and ran along the bank to get a closer look at the falls.  See exhibit A:

After some exploring around the camp, we were served some great chicken, straight out of the firepit.  Then, we unknowingly began the longest game of Uno ever played.  Our new friends from the neighboring international school in Caracas had their nine year old daughter Elka on the trip, and since I had brought Uno, I asked her if she would want to play.  Given that there was nothing else to do at night in the jungle, we ended up having eight players- Elka and seven adults who had nothing better to do than relive their childhoods.  The first game was innocent enough. The second game, however, became an all out war of pick fours.  In the end, if got so dark that we donned headlamps, and finally, since we couldn't tell the greens from the blues and yellows from reds, we simplified the game by calling everything orange or teal, which ended things swiftly enough.  Then it was to the hammocks for night.  You would be surprised how cold it gets at night the jungle.  I was so happy that I had the insight to throw my little jacket in my bag at the last minute because I definitely needed it. In the morning, coffee was definitely a necessity, not so much for the pick me up (since waking up in a hammock in the jungle is enough of a pick me up) but for the warmth.  

Everyone got up and ready fairly quickly, and after some eggs, juice and coffee we hopped on a boat to cross the river and took off for a hour hike up to the base of the falls. Churun was a great guide, showing us all kinds of cool things in the jungle, like insect eating plants and different species of orchids.  The hike wasn't so hard, thanks to Ivan's death-defying Avila training course; I even kept up with Gordon, though I did wear my knee braces for good measure.  Jackie, Gordon and I were the first to the view point, and then went tearing down the mountain with great excitement in search for the pool at the base of the falls.  The hike to the pool was every bit as treacherous as the Avila.  Steep, rocky and slick, it was more like mountain climbing than a hike.  At one point when Gordon had gone out of view, Jackie and I were sure we were lost in the jungle.  Without food or water, we figured we would last about three hours before being eaten by wolves.  Thankfully, we carried on and soon found Gordon and the breathtaking pool at the base of Angel Falls.

I can't really describe what it was like there.  I mean, here we are, at the base of the worlds tallest waterfall, in a jungle that so few people have ever laid eyes on, swimming in this cold, clear pool being fed by this roaring falls, overlooking scene that was just to vast and wild and enchanting to put into words.  I mean, just look at this! Just being there, with the sun and water and jungle and falls...it just doesn't get more terrifying and enchanting and mesmerizing.  

We stayed for a number of hours there, just basking in the awesomeness of the place.  I mean, it took so much god damn effort to get there, we should have stayed all day.  But alas, hunger and thirst set in and we reluctantly made our way down the mountain.  We were particularly reluctant knowing that we had to get back in the boat again for another three hours.  Back at the camp, we ate lunch, packed our things and got on the boat.  Churun advised us to bring our rain jackets, and good thing too, because within twenty minutes the skies opened up and it just poured.  Let me tell you what's worse than a Greyhound bus ride- three hours in the rain on a wooden canoe   To be fair, it didn't rain the whole time, but long enough for Gordon to be very, very whiny.  When Churun announced that we were going to visit one more waterfall- Salto Sapo (Toad Waterfall for all you Gringos), Gordon was not pleased.  See exhibit B:

I have to admit, I was pretty wet and cold myself, but Sapo was worth it to see, because we got to walk behind the falls, which was a super neat experience.  I also learned that if you wear socks on slick rocks, you don't slip!  So when I finally get all my pictures posted, that will explain why I am always wearing socks and a bathing suit! See exhibit C:

We finally made it back to the lagoon that the base camp was on after dark and another canoe was there to take us back to the camp.  While we were in the boat, Churun pointed out the only bar in the village on the edge of water about a 15 minute walk from where we were staying. Gordon became remarkably more chipper.  At camp, we retrieved our stuff from the closet, which apparently stayed locked as my passport, cash and suitcases were unmolested. After a cold shower (ALL WE WANTED WAS A FREAKING HOT SHOWER!), we had a nice meat-filled dinner and headed to the bar.  There, we drank overpriced beers and Cubolibres, made the DJ play Guns and Roses and basically reveled in the awesomeness of dry clothes and alcohol.  At that point in the trip, none of us had any idea where we were going next (since no one read the itinerary), but we knew it would be hard to top what we had seen so far.

As it turns out, it wasn't that hard.  But our adventures in Uruyen and Kavac will have to wait until another night:).