The Epic Colliding of Worlds and Camaima Vacation

Wow, it has been an amazing three weeks. I wish I had taken time every evening to document my day because frankly, every day has been full enough to warrant documentation. But alas, this shoddy recollection job will have to do.

On Wednesday June 11^th, Mom and Christina were slated to arrive. Ivan and I went with Colleen, Catherine, Mike and a few others to Curry Night that evening to celebrate Gordon’s 3196^th going away party. It seemed fitting that Gordon would have a Curry Club farewell, since he was such a fixture at the place every Wednesday night, and most of the nights he stayed later than the waiters. He had quite the turn out and around 10:30 I checked Mom and Christina’s flight status as Ivan and I were about ready to head to the airport. Alas, bad weather in DC had delayed their flight on the runway and they missed their connection in Panama City! Soon thereafter, Christina Skyped me to let me know that Copa Airlines was feeding them and putting them up in a hotel. Relieved, Ivan and I headed home and I planned to go get them from the airport around noon the next day.

After a crazy morning at school, I left with Hernan (CIC’s jefe de transportacion) to go to the airport. Mom and Christina’s flight arrived with no issues- I was never so happy to see two familiar faces in my life. It was just so surreal. Here I am in the Caracas airport and suddenly out of the automatic doors from baggage claim come my Mom and Christina! JOY! We headed home, took some epic naps and then got ready to go out for dinner and drinks at 360. I really wanted Mom and Christina to see the city, and there’s no better place to do that than the rooftop bar at 360! So we went, along with Tania, Catherine, Colleen and Walli. Ivan, his mom Nereida and our Scottish friend Graham met us there. We had such a wonderful time chatting, getting to know each other and enjoying the ambiance. Mom got to meet Ivan’s mom and Ivan…. and it was adorable.  We all had such a good time!

Friday dawned and Mom came with me to school. I got to introduce her to Carmen and Kelly and my other friends. She attended the elementary school talent show and helped me clean up my office. My day was rather nuts, but I got everything done and at noon, summer began! We picked up some lunch from Casa Roux, packed and Nereida came to pick up around 3:30. We went straight from my house to Ivan’s house to get him. He was waiting, hopped in and we were off to the airport!

The first order of business was to gather Corey from the international terminal. I had advised him of where to go the night before, and from checking his flight statuses, I saw his flight had landed on time. I went to fetch him and at first didn’t see him anywhere. Just when I started to panic, I saw an orange UVA hat in the corner booth, and there he was! We hustled over to the domestic terminal to join Ivan, Mom and Christina. We had arrived almost two hours before our flight, so we posted up at a restaurant that had a nice table area. Domestic flights in Venezuela always leave late, as was evident from the TV’s showing nearly all flights delayed that evening, so we just chatted, ate some dinner and got to know one another. About 20 minutes before the flight was slated to leave, we got in line at our gate, which we could see from where we were sitting. The lines hadn’t been moving but we decided to go ahead and get in line anyways. There were many lines (colas) but when we looked, we couldn’t see our flight. Ivan went back to check one of the screens, and low and behold they had moved out gate, from 5 to 11! Ivan ran ahead and we trailed along behind with the luggage. When we arrived at the gate, we didn’t see Ivan at first but then he came running down the jet way, shouting for us to hurry down. As we approached the flight door, before I could see the plane, I heard Ivan break into shouts, and I knew we were in trouble.

As I learned later, they apparently shut the flight door in Ivan’s face, so by the time we made it down the jet way, his face was RED. Mom was a bit surprised by all the shouting, but I said not to worry, this is how Latinos communicate. Christina and I soon joined in, pointing at our boarding passes that clearly showed gate 5 and pulling the “my mom is old and can’t run” card. At first, I thought we were making headway, until the guy taking the brunt of our pleading called for “security”. Soon, two disabused looking 20-year-old girls who worked for the airline came down the jet way and snidely said basically “look, you aren’t getting on the plane”. Dejected and angry we walked back up. Ivan sat us at a gate and ran up to do some crisis management. At that point, it was 7:30pm. We officially had less than twelve hours to make it to Simon Bolivar Airport or else our trip to Angel Falls was not going to happen. Ivan reappeared about 15 minutes later saying we were going to take a bus. We took a cab to the bus station and found that the bus was sold out. On our way in another cab to another bus station, Ivan’s mom called ahead to say that they too were out of seats. We headed to Ivan’s house, where within 30 minutes, his problem-solver of a mother had graciously loaned us her jeep, a work truck and two drivers to drive us the 8+ hours it would take to get to Simon Bolivar. She saved our trip, and despite the obvious danger that driving through the night over half the country presented, no one seemed to care, so off we went!

Ivan and I took the work truck and Corey, Mom and Christina took the jeep. We got gas, filled the tires and we were off. Christina and I decided that this journey called for an Ambien and so we both popped a pill, wished the drivers luck and passed out. About two and a half hours later, I woke up to pounding rain. We were on a back road and not making much progress. Ivan said we were avoiding the highway because it was dangerous, and I didn’t have the energy to argue since it was now 1am and I had an Ambien hangover that a back road in a rainstorm was not much safer. We stopped around 1:30 for the drivers to get some coffee and something to eat and to use the bathroom at a small truck stop and then were off again. Around 3, we suddenly stopped short in the middle of the road. There was an accident almost directly in front of us. Ivan and the drivers got out to investigate and Ivan locked us gringos in the car. They came back and said a bus had collided with a tractor-trailer! It was a mess, so we prepared to wait. About a half hour later, the crowd checking out the accident was swelling. Ivan and the drivers were worried people would soon start looting the waiting cars and they decided it was time to make a run for it. We drove through the crowd, the emergency vehicles, ditches and shoulders and somehow made it through the accident. Around 5, we stopped again for bathrooms and coffee. When we got on the road again, I noticed the road was straight and flat. We were in the last two hours of the trip! The two hours became about one and a quarter, because our driver was going consistently about 190 kilometers an hour. There was no sleeping through that! But, they got us to the airport before our flight, so thank God we weren’t killed AND we made our flight.

Groggy but excited, we thanked our drivers and went to check in with our travel agent. An hour later, we got on a 21-person flight headed towards the Canaima National Park and Angel Falls! Five minutes later, we were deboarding due to a problem with the plane! We were so crestfallen. WE WERE NEVER GOING TO MAKE IT. Ivan, who we had nicknamed “Mama Duck” as all we did was follow him around or wait for him to tell us what to do, went to investigate and the rest of us passed out on the benches. To our surprise, we were back on the plane in under an hour! By around 10am, we were in Canaima. We were quickly greeted, gathered and brought to the boats on the river. Everyone was exhausted but brimming with anticipation. The boat ride to Angel Falls seemed so much shorter than last time. Maybe it was because we were lighter, or maybe we were just having fun. We enjoyed swimming in the “happiness pool”, enjoyed the beautiful scenery, and enjoyed each other. The cloud cover was significant, and we started referring to the Tepuys as “Ninja Tepuys” because they would be completely covered by clouds and then suddenly peak out. The river water was as red and clear as I remembered and I kept feeling like every moment couldn’t have been a happier moment. Really I was just in awe that we actually made it! I could finally relax my sphincter, as Corey would say!

When we made it to the falls, we tried to hike up right away, but then it started raining. I pitched a fit because it was getting late in the day and I was not about to walk a flooded path in the dark and a rainstorm. My fit was solidified when I almost stepped on a snake right in the middle of the path. No further would I go. We came back down the path and to camp, where the rain just kept coming. It had cleared for about a half hour, at which point I got a lot of “told you so's" from Ivan, but I maintained that my knees, rain, slick paths and the dark was not in anyone’s best interest.  We waited around for dinner, chatting and napping and then had epic fire cooked chicken dinner with rice and vegetables. It was amazingly delicious and no sooner had I finished than I completely passed the hell out in my hammock. Like, do not pass go, do not collect $200, out cold. Hammock, full stomach, no sleep and rain on a tin roof. It was kind of amazing.

When I woke up, I could still hear a soft rain on the roof. I thought it was dawn, as the faintest hint of light was coming in to the shelter. My rustling around must have woken Ivan, and I said excitedly “Baby, it’s almost dawn hooray!” Ivan groggily replied” No baby it’s the moon go back to sleep.” I was indignant. “No, it’s the sunrise!” “Baby, it’s the moon, I promise. Go back to sleep.” He replied. I was sure he was wrong and told him so. As I lay there basking in my correctness, I noticed that it didn’t seem to be getting any lighter and my confidence began to suffer. Finally, despite the warmth and comfort of my hammock, I got up, put on my shoes and walked out of the shelter, only to see the moon shining through the clouds. Dammit, he was right!

After a while, I fell back to sleep only to be awakened in what felt like seconds later by Ivan. We had to quickly pack up and eat so we could hike early to the base of the falls and then head back to the camp at the lagoon for more adventures.  It was foggy at first and then suddenly, the sun burned through the clouds. The falls were twice as big as they were the night before! It was amazing! And huge! It was my turn to tell Ivan “I told you so.” Mom and I got some pictures together with the falls in the background and then the rest of us scarfed some delicious breakfast and hopped in the boat. We had to take a whole other direction to the path since the river was so high from all the rain. We arrived and were all relieved to see that the path was waterlogged but passible.  As we got closer to the falls, it felt like it had started to rain again- the wind picked up and we started getting wet from mist and water droplets. But our guide Rafael said that it was actually the falls! There would be no swimming in the pool at the bottom of the falls this time- we would be crushed! We made it to the lookout and it was almost like being in a hurricane- the falls were massive! Almost as soon as we arrive, clouds rolled in, making it hard to see the top.  It was Ivan’s turn to say, “I told you so”. We got a few good glimpses of the top and sat around for a while just enjoying the enormity of it all, and then headed back down. At the camp, we gathered our things and got back in the boat. After what again seemed like a short ride, we made it back to the main camp in Canaima. This time, we stayed outside the little village at a camp right in front of the main falls in the lagoon. We were there all by ourselves and the view from the camp was incredible! We could see the whole falls and had our own private beach! We ate lunch and then went for another excursion to Salto Sapo and Salto Sapito. We took a wooded trail about twenty minutes from the camp. On the way, we saw some Sapito’s- little yellow and black frogs! Christina even caught and held one. When we made it to the falls, we took off our shoes and made the socked journey under the falls. Just like the rest of the falls, it was MASSIVE due to all the rain. Walking under it was such an adventure! We made it to the other side and got some incredible pictures at the base- we hadn’t gotten to do this last time I went so it was a real treat for me. Then, we went to Sapito and from there, you can see a great view of the valley, other falls and Tepuys. Truly beautiful!

We went back to camp, grabbed Mom and went for a swim in the lagoon. The whole trip, Ivan had been pretty protective of Mom, but when we got in the water, Ivan quickly realized that it was he that needed the help, because in the water, Mom and I are practically fishes. There was a pretty strong current from the waterfall, so we had to be careful not to get sucked in. Mom just darted and swam around as if it was, you know, NBD. We stayed there until sunset, enjoying the cool, clear water, the beauty and each other’s company. After dinner and two quick games of Rummy, we hit the hay.

The next day we were off again, this time to my favorite place on earth- Kavak. We woke up early, caught a lovely boat ride through the lagoon, where we got to see the waterfalls up close, and made it to the airport with five minutes to spare. Our plane was late, as was every plane we took the entire trip except the one we missed. When it arrived, we loaded in and as it was a six seater, got to enjoy the plane all to ourselves! I love the flight from Canaima to Kavak. We travel along the side of the Auyen Tepuy on one side and the valleys and rolling hills on the other. Because of all the rain, waterfalls abounded. Before we knew it, we were landing on the Kavak landing strip- a stretch of dirt road in the middle of the prairie. The village of Kavak is truly in an amazing setting. It sits nestled at the base of the Auyen Tepuy and opens up to a beautiful prairie. It was Ivan’s first time in Kavak, so he along with the rest of the crew were truly amazed at the beauty. We dropped our stuff in our rooms, met our guide and then took a siesta in hammocks. Before lunch, Corey, Ivan and I trekked up to the top of the hill right at the edge of the village. From there, we got an amazing view of the village and the whole valley. It was so great to be back!

After another amazing lunch (all the food, the entire trip, was delicious), we took off for our final excursion to the waterfall canyon. We made sure that Mom could come on this one, because the path wasn’t too challenging. We went over the hill and along a river and soon it opened up into a beautiful natural pool flanked on one whole side by canyon walls covered in plants. It was so beautiful and amazing. We swam, skipped rocks and dove from a rock above. The best part was watching Mom’s reaction- she was so excited and happy! It made the rest of us so excited and happy to see her enjoy herself so much! Next, we went into the crevice between the canyon walls. The water was shallow and when we tried to walk, even with our socks on, a few of us bit it hard. I with my crazy knees made the whole traverse on my butt. We swam through the crevice and suddenly the walls opened up to a huge waterfall in a cave! It was so breathtakingly beautiful! We swam a bit and Mom and Corey even swam under the falls- so daring! Then we went back to the first pool to swim some more and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

Back at the camp, we enjoyed the outdoor showers- probably the highlight of my trip to shower outside overlooking the Tepuy- and had another delicious meal. Then, Ivan and I went out to enjoy the night sky. It was perfectly clear and we could see more stars than either of us remembers seeing ever before. We even saw a HUGE shooting star! It was a truly magical evening and something I will probably remember forever.

The next morning, we had an early breakfast so we could go ride bikes across the prairie. There was a river to explore and a small hill in the middle of the prairie we wanted to walk up. We made it to the river and then back up to the hill, where we abandoned our bikes and made the short walk up. The view from the top was incredible. 360 degree views of the whole valley, the Tepuy, the village. It was amazing! As we made our way down the hill, we saw our plane arrive and booked it back to Kavak. Even though we were all dripping in sweat, we had to just grab our stuff and get on the plane. The flight out was equally beautiful and before we knew it, our great adventure vacation was overL. The rest of the day was a blur of driving and waiting, driving and waiting. We arrived very early for our flight, then a power outage bogged down the line, then our plane was three and a half hours delayed. We finally made it back to Caracas around 11pm. Ivan took us home and then we all passed out.

The next day we decided that we didn’t want to do anything. We slept in, Christina made breakfast, and we did a monstrous amount of laundry and caught up on our lives. Christina, Corey and I walked to school to drop off my keys, so they both got to see where I worked. Christina and I also took some time to get our nails done. Christina made an amazing dinner and Ivan came over and we all talked and laughed….and polished off three bottles of wine. Even though our flight the next day was leaving at 6am (so we had to be up at like 2:30!), we stayed up until passed midnight! 2:30 came way earlier than we all expected and we slowly and painstakingly made our way out the door. When we got to the airport, Christina, Corey and Mom were on one flight and I was on another. I checked in no problem, but the other’s line was creeping slower than molasses. Ivan, God bless him, waited patiently the whole time, saying that as long as I was still in his country he wanted to stay with me. :::heart breaks with joy:::. Finally, the others checked in….15 minutes before the plane was supposed to take off. Despite the ticket agents reassurances that the flight would wait, I was anxious. By the time we reached customs, Christina had had enough and told me to just relax my sphincter and stop letting off the anxious energy. Thankfully, we made it through customs quickly and they made it to their gate, where we, you guessed it, waited. They boarded about 45 minutes late, which still gave all of them time to make their connections. I headed to my gate, where I quickly found Colleen and Sean! They were heading to LA, but we had the same flight to Atlanta. Colleen asked if I was still drunk before I even had a chance to tell her we were up until after midnight drinking, so I guess I looked a little worse for wear, which was confirmed when I chugged two bottles of Gatorade in under ten minutes while we waited at the gate.

My plane left on time and without incident and I got a couple hours of shut eye. In Atlanta, Colleen and I took silly pictures together at customs and then parted ways. I was thrilled when I got to my terminal and saw a Chic-Fil-A as soon as I got off the elevator. I was not so thrilled to see that Mom and Christina had sat on the runway again (this time for no reason) and missed their connection! They were once again stranded in Panama City, but this time, they were given meal vouchers and booked on a flight that evening, putting them in Dulles at 1am. I quickly changed my travel plans and arranged to spend some time that evening with James and Cara in Alexandria. Ken, my Mom’s husband, would come and get me around 11pm and then we would head to Dulles together.

On the plane, I savored my Chic-Fil-a and then had another nap. I still didn’t feel human but at least I was no longer drunk AND somehow didn’t have a hangover. Exhausted as I was, I still considered it a win. I landed on time, took a cab to Alexandria and was greeted by a smiling Cara and Katie! I hopped in the shower and as I got out, I heard a Mr. Richard yelling from the playroom “Aunt Tracey, come play with me!” I was home and couldn’t have been happier! Richard and I played trains and picked strawberries and played on his swing set. Cara made tacos for dinner and I enjoyed all the comforts of home- milk, strawberries, cheddar cheese….I was so happy. But soon after I ate, I could barely keep my eyes open. After hugging on Katie for a while and playing with Richard in his bath, I was spent. Thankfully, Cara and James understood and put me to bed in the guest room. To my surprise, James busted in a half hour later. At first I was confused, but then I saw what he was carrying- fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and a huge glass of milk. If I hadn’t been so asleep, I would have cried tears of joy. I have amazing friends!

Around 11pm, Ken showed up and James had to wake me up again, and this time we said some whispered goodbyes and we were off to Dulles. Mom and Christina arrived on time and in good spirits, since their plane was way under booked and they each got a row to themselves to stretch out and sleep on. In the car, the trip home was a half-awake blur and then we were home sweet Valley home!

I couldn’t believe, after all the planning and problems, that the trip had actually happened. I also couldn’t believe how amazing it felt to have my friends and Mom visit me in my new country. I was so incredibly happy to have my lives overlap. My friends from home got to meet from friends from Venezuela. My mom met Ivan and Ivan’s mom. My mom noticed that Ivan’s mom collected bells, just like my grandmother had when she was alive. The little details just made the experience so rich. It was all just too good to be true.  The vacation itself was also just epic- an epic adventure, but also just generally a wonderful time. We all travelled together so well, despite my overactive sphincter. I couldn’t have asked for more. And I don’t think I’ll ever be able to replicate such an amazing adventure again!