MY TRIP TO VENEZUELA

July 9 - July 26, 1993

Why did I want to go to Venezuela? First of all I have been interested in the Neotropics for some time. The Neotropics is roughly that area of Middle and South America situated between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and are home to an unparalleled diversity of birds and habitats. This area has the highest carbon fixation, largest tree diversity, most fresh water, largest fish fauna, more newly described bird species and so on. This area is the home-away-from-home for a large proportion of the birds that breed in North America. In September I read an article about birding in Venezuela. Venezuela is roughly the size of Texas plus Utah. 1296 species of birds have been recorded in Venezuela, 46 are endemic, 115 species migrate from North America. For comparison there have been about 750 species recorded in the United States and 9016 species throughout the world. Venezuela has not yet become a tourist destination for the rest of the world and that appealed to me. I asked my friend Nancy Hay if she'd go with me and she too was intrigued by the idea so we started looking into going. The trip that appealed to us the most was run by Doug and Gail Cheeseman but it was full. In December a couple canceled and we were able to go with them. There were 11 of us plus the two leaders. In Venezuela we had a leader Mary Lou Goodwin who is the president of the Venezuela Audubon Society and is very active in conservation in the country. Venezuela is a beautiful country and has a great potential but the politicians are corrupt and are not thinking about anything but lining their own pockets. Up until about 15 years ago things were pretty good because of the oil but OPEC changed that and there is not the money available that there once was. Venezuela is really a third world country. There is a lot of poverty. Driving through cities and developed areas there was a feeling of neglect. Everything needed painting and repairing, homes, roads, buildings. The plumbing is very poor, the toilets cannot even handle paper. Often there was not enough pressure for a decent shower. There is lots of litter in the streets and roads and piles of garbage everywhere - even in the jungle. Tourism is not encouraged at all and we certainly were an oddity. Many times people stopped to stare at us. They were also fascinated by our bus which was about 2 years old and very nice. When we stopped for gas or lunch men would gather and walk all around examining it very carefully. The poverty was appalling but the people were so nice and very friendly. Very few people spoke English but our bus driver and Mary Lou took care of us as needed. Our bus driver, Alejandro was wonderful. He spoke almost no English but learned a few words, most noticeably "Let's Go" and "Bird". He really looked out for us. Now for some more specifics from my daily journal, such as it was.

FRIDAY JULY 9, 1993: We left San Francisco at 7:30 AM. It was five hours and 3000 miles to New York with a one hour lay over in NY. Then four hours and 2000 miles to Caracas arriving 11 hours after we left SF. The airport is actually in Maiquetia, along the coast, about an hour from Caracas which is about 3000 feet above sea level. It was a pleasant flight as flights go, ok food and very empty planes on both legs. Mary Lou Goodwin and Clemencia Rodner met us at the airport. Clemencia is the editor of the Audubon and also very active in conservation, she is a native Venezuelan, Mary Lou came to Venezuela in 1947 from Oregon to work for Shell Oil, married and has stayed. Going through customs was a breeze, we exchanged some money and went to our Hotel Tajamore in Macuto. It was about 30 minutes away, a small family run hotel along the coast. We both slept like logs until 9 AM the next morning, thank goodness for air conditioning as it was very warm.

SATURDAY JULY 10: We slept too late for breakfast so we just ate what we had left and waited for the Cheesemans to arrive. The area we were staying didn't look to comfortable for walking around although later we did and it was rather interesting. After Doug and Gail and John D. arrived from Trinidad, MaryLou and Clemencia took us up to the university grounds and we did some birding there. It was exciting to see our first birds, so different from own own. It was the usual type of driving through the streets, like all Latin countries, close your eyes and go. We are staying along the beach in an area that was once a very nice resort. It is still the favored resort area but it has been so badly allowed to deteriorate, it is a shame. There are big holes in the street and on buildings. Everything is very dirty, lots of litter in the streets and piles of garbage everywhere. We had some good traditional food, empanadas a corn meal turnover stuffed with meat or cheese and arepas - the native bread served everywhere. They are either small or larger buns made of corn, water, and salt, crisp on the outside and served hot. They are very heavy. The fruit drinks are wonderful - all kinds of juices are made into drinks. Wine is not good, it is from Chile and is expensive. Beer is the drink of choice and Polar the brand most common. It is all right. Rum is also a rather common drink and I did have a couple of run punches during the trip but it is strong. Anyway we went early to bed ready to start the tour with the group early Sunday morning.

SUNDAY JULY 11: We started our day at 5AM and I am writing this at 11 PM so don't expect much sense. We drove to Henri Pittier National Park where we were guests of the Biological Station for two days. In the park are the ruins of Rancho Grande which was to have been an hotel and was under construction at the time of the death of the dictator Juan Vicente Gomez in 1935. Eventually it was converted to a biological research station and William Beebe and Paul Schwartz worked here. The building was abandoned until recently and is only marginally repaired. We stayed at the Hotel Maracay in Maracay for two days but we ate our meals at Rancho Grande. They were very good family style meals. We had to pass through the first of many inspections to get into the park - this was the National Guard and they gave us a lot of trouble before they finally let us proceed. The park covers 210,000 acres of mountain forest land; rain and cloud forests, jungles, and wastelands. In this area is found the largest variety of insects, flora, and fauna, as well as ornithological specimens of any similar area in the hemisphere. We had a wonderful walk through the cloud forest with a field biologist, Dr. Jorge. A cloud forest is the same as a rain forest - 90% humidity but the moisture condenses to fog in a cloud forest. He explained the ecology of the forest as we walked through. It was an incredible experience - the number of plant species is so overwhelming - I have never seen anything like it. After lunch we sat on the third floor balcony and watched the birds - what beautiful sights we saw - the colors are so different from ours. We also heard Howler Monkeys in the distances. It sounds like the wind blowing - such a haunting sound. We walked on the trail through Portachuelo Pass where so many northern migrants pass on their annual flight from North American. We had dinner, tried for owls, watched the moths fly in and then came to our room. This was a nice large room but the shower and sink don't drain and the bidet shoots straight up. We got hysterical because it was all so funny! We are tired!

MONDAY JULY 12; We left at 6:00 AM and headed back to Henri Pittier Park to see early morning birds and did we see them. They had left a light on and it brought in moths ad we had lots of birds eating them. The moths were also incredible - so large and so colorful. They served us breakfast and then we went for a walk in the forest. What a lovely experience and so many birds. We drove to the coast over a mountain road than can out curve and out scare any road I have every been on. The road is cut through the jungle and they have to keep cutting or the jungle will reclaim it. We would walk a while on this road and then Alejandro would drive ahead and pick us up. We saw birds you can't believe. They are birds you sometimes see in cages here and they look so much more beautiful out free in the wild. We stopped for a picnic lunch and wow there was a troop of twelve Red Howler Monkeys! We saw them for a long time and so very close it was unbelievable! We watched them move around in the trees and cross the road while we ate. They are beautiful animals and the dominate male was hugh. Then we continued towards the coast birding along the way to the town of La Tillo. On the way back we stopped for a Polar - the local beer - at a shack along the road and did we enjoy it - we were so hot and sweaty. We went back to Rancho Grande birded a bit and saw a wonderful three-toed sloth. He was so large and we watched him for a long time. We had dinner and returned to our hotel to prepare for an early start in the morning. What a wonderful day.

TUESDAY JULY 13; We left Maracay and took a different mountain road to Choroni on the coast. It was a beautiful trip through the mountain forests. We ate breakfast in the field on the way, not bad, they have a delicious liquid yogurt that I put on my cereal. We took one trail over a river through an area that had been cleared for farms. This area was called Hacienda La Sabaneta and is a cocoa plantation. Cocoa is very interesting and requires so much processing you wonder how people discovered its use. This area was a real eye opener to me. Of course I hate the destruction of the rain forests but when you see the people who work the farms you realize the problem. On the mountain side are small homes that are just shacks. The roofs are mostly corrugated metal and the walls bamboo stakes. They are not much by any standard - not as snug as a camping tent. The men walk a long way through the trails and return with firewood, corn, cane carried on donkeys, wheelbarrows or backs. It is not an easy life. Sometimes small children are doing the work. In some areas you see small children going to school but you also see lots of children during the day who are not in school. I saw lots of small children but almost no teenagers. We saw lots of men standing and sitting around but no women. Lots of men were walking around carrying children but not the women. I get the feeling that the women do a lot of the work. The people, especially the children are so friendly and they are so curious about us. We met two little boys while walking through Choroni. They spoke to us in very careful English: "Good Evening" "How are you" "Very well thank you". It was so cute and he was so proud of his English. Anyway these people seem to live a very minimum existence and do not have much. If we want them to stop cutting and burning the tropical forests we have to give them some alternatives for living - and not just handouts - they need work. Anyway it was very interesting and very much of an eye opener to me. We arrived at Choroni around noon, an interesting little town. The streets are one car width wide, no sidewalks and the houses are flat against the street many opening into a courtyard or a small room that then opens into a courtyard. Our driver is a wonder - I don't know how he does it. When we got to the hotel we saw a door in the wall and knocked. What a surprise to open the door. It was like a secret garden with a beautiful courtyard surrounded by a two story building of rooms. It was Spanish style. The owner has been restoring a rather decrepit building for the past 15 years and she has done a beautiful job. We sat on the balcony and had a cold beer and then a very elegant lunch with white linen and fine china. All three meals we had there were so good - real gourmet cooking and very nicely served. It would be a lovely place to spend some time. In the afternoon we drove to the coast for a while - it was so beautiful. The Caribbean is a different color blue from the Pacific, it was a lovely spot with not many people. This area was obviously once very elegant but it has decayed a lot today. In one little courtyard as we left some teenagers called out "Bye Guys". People really stare at us but do seem friendly. We went back up the mountains to look for Manakins which we didn't find but it was such an experience to stand in the jungle and really experience the adventure even though it was hot and humid and I was soaking wet!

WEDNESDAY JULY 14; We had breakfast at seven - an extra hour of sleep and left at 8:00 driving back to Maracay and then on to Acarigua and the Llanos. The Llanos or plains curve in a band some 600 miles long from the Orinoco Delta westward into Colombia. The plains are crossed by many streams and big rivers all draining into the Orinoco. This is about a third of Venezuela but is home to only 9 percent of the population. Much cattle, rice, sorghum, cotton and corn is grown here. It is dry and parched from December to April and flooded from June to September. We drove through the high Llanos which are between 300-800 feet. It was a lot of farm land somewhat like our Central Valley. There are many nice homes built of stucco or brick with tile roofs but most homes are mostly shacks with corrugated metal roofs. It isn't poverty so much as just unkempt and sometimes dirty. We drove through towns and a few cities. Much reminded me of Eastern Germany. But the people seem friendly and boy are we a curiosity. They love the bus. When we stopped at a road stop to pick up a picnic lunch we were soon surrounded by men looking at the bus (and us too.). We ate at the big Monument to Simon Bolivar and his battle of 1821. They have 4 guards who stand at attention dressed in red uniforms. It is like Arlington or Buckingham Palace. We were lucky enough to see the changing of the guards. Three of us went with Alejandro to watch and he kept watch over us as it is all very formal and very military. There was a large group of school children who were very will behaved, observing the changing. All very impressive and memorable. By the way this country is sure a military country. We went through many check points - Army, National Guard, local Police and state Police. Some wave us through by the Nation Guard was the worse. He inspected the bus and even got on and walked up and down. We have to hide our binoculars and cameras each time. They just don't understand why North Americans would come to watch birds - they are afraid we are political revolutionaries. It is so hard to keep a straight face as these morons with a little bit of power strut around. The littler they are they more pompous they are. Once we had to get off the bus while he inspected the bus. We all watched him very carefully to make sure he didn't steal anything. He then slowly inspected each passport as we got back on. We were stopped on average once a day and one day we were stopped four times. Anyway we continued on and birded around the dam by Aguas Blancas and went on to Acarigua to stay in the Hotel Payara which was an American style motel. We had dinner across the road - very good but too much food. A lovely day - tomorrow the Andes and cold!

THURSDAY JULY 15; Well here we are in the Andes at 10,000 feet. What a day and we are so tired Nancy and I are a little bitchy. (Not at each other but at various things going on.) Nancy and I are good room mates and have gotten along well and at the moment are hysterically laughing. Anyway we started our day at six AM with juice and coffee and cookies and drove from the High Llanos towards the Andes. We had a long day of driving stopping for breakfast finally at a roadside stop. The food is interesting, a lot of corn meal, beans and eggs. I could eat the black beans if I was starving but I still can't eat eggs. We stopped at the Santa Domingo River and birded for about three hours and saw some wonderful birds. We were in the tropical forest that had been cleared and was being farmed. It was obviously a big operation but they had the usual small shacks. It is so hard to think how these people live. Every house has lots of darling little children hanging around along with lots of dogs everywhere - many very skinny dogs. Seldom do we see women but always men - either walking or sitting, few teenagers. I think children go from childhood to adults very quickly here. Anyway we birded in hot and very humid 80-90 degrees and 90% humidity. I did better than I expected but I am glad I've carried fruit bars and dried fruit because our meals were rather too far apart today. Some of this group are really intense birders. After lunch we started climbing, the road is unbelievable, cut into the side of the mountain and very narrow. We passed homes built right on the edge, no back yard, just straight down and if they opened the front door it would hit a passing car. It is so hard to understand how these people live. It is like camping out all the time, they all have lots of clothes hanging up and lots of children and lots of dogs roaming around. The cities are like most Latin American cities , a real mix of economic levels. Anyway we went up to a ceramic quarry to look for a bird. No one will believe our route up - it was pouring rain and we had one lane with a straight drop off. Our bus driver is tremendous. I didn't walk down the trail because it was too dangerous for me but they missed the bird anyway. What an adventure this all is. The drive was beautiful - lots of fog and lovely waterfalls. Cool weather at last, we'll sleep tonight. We are staying at the Hotel Los Frailes on the Paramo near Santo Domingo. The Paramo is the treeless area above 10000 feet. Hotel Los Frailes is a converted monastery and is in a beautiful setting. It was cold and foggy but was lovely anyway. The yellow-flowering frailejon is all over and very beautiful. There are 45 species but they all have furry leaves which look like rabbit ears.

FRIDAY JULY 16; My brain is on overload we have seen so much. We birded around the hotel and up at Laguna de Mucubaji in the Sierra Nevada National Park. It was pouring rain so we didn't see many birds but what a wonderful experience to be walking at 11500 feet in the Andes. We gave up and came down lower where it wasn't raining and then drove to Merida where we are staying at Posada Dona Rosa. It is a hacienda which has been converted to rental rooms. It is next to the National Park. We saw so many interesting little towns and large farming areas along the way, it is just fascinating. They mostly use oxen to plow the fields. I doubt if I will be able to keep these scenes all straight in my head and I find it hard to describe them all. These scenes are as good as the birding. There are several people on the group who are very serious about birding and nothing else but I enjoy it all.

SATURDAY JULY 17; Today we went up on the teleferico. Some people decided they preferred to bird so Mary Lou took the four of us who wanted to go up. The boy who worked at Posada Dona Rosa took us in his jeep to the start - it was a fun ride. Anyway we took the cable car up to the Andes. There are four stages of the car but the last stage was broken - it fell down last year so we only were able to take the first three stages up to 13348 feet. We all agreed that our trip was worth any birds the other group might see. The scenery was spectacular and we had a beautifully clear day. We could see the snow on the highest peak of the Andes, Pico Bolivar at 5007 meters - only the very top of this peak was in the clouds. We could see the valley of Merida and it was wonderful. We walked around and enjoyed the view. I certainly felt the elevation but was ok as long as I walked slowly. I do feel as though I am dehydrated so I hope I don't get sick tomorrow. We came down without stopping which took about an hour and enjoyed the view. Then we took a taxi to the Central Market in Merida, a three story building filled with little shops. The bottom floor was all produce and what a variety they had. I didn't buy anything but some people did and Nancy got a beautiful sweater. We ate lunch there, $8 for five people - lots of food. We met the rest of the group there and went back to El Mucuy in the Sierra Neveda Park and birded until dinner time. The young man who drove us to Merida also took my suitcase into town and got it fixed - the seam had ripped so I am delighted to have it together again. I'll be able to get home with it but I'll never trust it on an airplane again.

SUNDAY JULY 18; We certainly have a lovely setting at Dona Rosa Posada. It is owned by the husband of Maria Rosa Cuesta who has been guiding us in the Andes. She is the resident ornithologist in the Andes and had studied in California and was a student of Doug. We ate breakfast on the deck and watched birds. They serve very good food, simple but tasty. We have lots of soups and juices. After breakfast we went back to Laguna de Mucubaji and this time it was beautiful. We walked and birded. Some walked further than the rest. About half of us are suffering from the altitude and the cough that is working its way through the bus. I certainly have a bad headache. This afternoon we went up to the very top of the range and it was exciting to be up so high and the view was spectacular but did my head ever pound. We were at 15000 feet. I could feel the pressure release as we came down. This is certainly an exhausting group. Right now I cannot keep up and I cannot get enough sleep. I hope it will be better at lower elevation even though it will be hot.

MONDAY JULY 19; I was too sick to do anything today. At times I thought I'd cry because my head hurt so much. I think it is a combination of altitude and the cough that is going around. I also know it is from lack of sleep for me. We did go into town so some people could get money. We also did some shopping but not me. I just enjoyed the scenery. We ate at Hotel Frailes again and then went to the Cock of the Rock sight again. I just couldn't go so I slept in the bus but they didn't see him anyway. We arrived late in Barinas and are staying at the Hotel Bristol. Tomorrow we leave at 4AM for the Llanos.

TUESDAY JULY 20; Wow I do finally feel better. I think the altitude just affected me more than I realized because of the cold/cough going around. Anyway we were on the road ten hours before arriving at Hato Pinero. The road to Hato Pinero was very slow driving. It used to be full of pot holes so they fixed it by removing the asphalt in sections so you would have a section of asphalt followed by a section of dirt - it was worse than a dirt road. It took an hour to go some 20 miles. There has been no hunting here for four decades so there is an amazing abundance of flora and fauna. There is a biological station here where scientist come to study the birds and animals. This is also a working ranch where they raise cattle. It is a lovely place. We saw some wonderful scenes and birds along the way. When we got here we were settled into our rooms and then taken on a ride in an open truck. Oh the scenes and the birds we saw. The birds look so much better in the wild than in the cages as pets. The Scarlet Macaws were spectacular. Lovely evening, lots of fun good dinner and then to bed!

WEDNESDAY JULY 21; What a great day and I survived the heat and humidity just fine. We were driven around for 4 or 5 hours this morning and saw so many birds. Since this is a working ranch we also saw lots of cows and "cowboys". The llaneros who were driving the truck were wonderful as spotters and they know the birds. The sights and sounds are something I'll always remember. This afternoon we rode out again at 4 and came back at 8:30. The night sounds and sights were wonderful and we saw night animals as well as birds. Also the sky was clear and the stars lovely. We've had very little rain. It rains for 10-15 minutes and we cover up with ponchos. Then we uncover and dry off - it is so warm it is like a sauna. It is fun. All the people here seem so nice and friendly but no one speaks English - we are all learning the important Spanish words. We also had about three hours on our own today so I caught up on my bird list and laundry. You can't believe how dirty my clothes are.

THURSDAY JULY 22; This AM we rode a small boat down the river and saw the hoatzins very close. They look like birds from a Dr. Deuss book. The boat ride was wonderful it was like a swamp and we were so much a part of the scenery. The guide caught some piranhas and we could see them close up - what teeth they have. While we were waiting for the second boat load to return five of us hitched a ride back to the ranch with some workers in a dirty old pick up truck. Wow what a ride - I haven't been in the back of a pick up truck for 40 years and we really hauled - I thought I'd bounce out. After lunch and a two hour break we went out in the truck again and drove further. It is great fun coming home in the dark. I have never seen fireflies before and they are incredible. Now I understand their attraction. The stars where wonderful, I saw scorpio, the southern cross, the big dipper and a very bright comet. But boy is it hot and sticky. I don't even feel better after my shower. Oh by the way we do not have hot water and you'd think it would be easy to take a cold shower in this heat - but it isn't. Last night a clap of thunder awoke us - it sounded like it hit the house. It was like a bomb that exploded. In addition to the birds we have seen an opussum, many variety of bats, rabbit, capybara, crab-eating fox, crab-eating raccoon (like our coati), white-tailed deer, spectacled cayman, two kinds of iguana, and two kinds of turtles, plus lots of lizards and insects.

FRIDAY JULY 23; We birded in the morning and still saw new birds. It has been a very interesting place. We then set off on our six hour journey to Colonia Tovar back in the mountains at 6000 feet. Colonia Tovar is a German village founded in 1843 by Bavarian farmers who were isolated here for one hundred years. We stayed at the Alta Babiera. We had German food for our meals here - it is a very German town. One more day of birding. It has been fun but I am ready to go home. I miss David, my washing machine, and my own bed - in that order.

SATURDAY JULY 24; We birded around this area but it wasn't too good, too many people. We shopped a bit in the town. How funny to be in a German town in Venezuela. They sold typical Venezuela items plus typical Bavarian items. There were lots of tourists from Caracas there.

SUNDAY JULY 25; We drove the rode to Caracas today stopping at Mary Lou's home which is just outside of Caracas - about 30-60 minutes away. She has a lovely home with a view of the mountains - all of which have been burned in the last twenty years and are now totally bare. I wonder how long before they totally erode. We spent some time there eating breakfast and then we drove through Caracas. Caracas is a typical big city with suburbs of rich and middle class and large apartments in the main part. The hillside is filled with very poor shacks for the masses of poor people. The streets are filled with liter and there is a lot of neglect as far as building and street maintenance. The traffic was tremendous and is always. We stayed at the Hotel Avila which was a four start hotel. We finally had plenty of towels, toilet paper, and even a bath mat. But even there the tile in the bathroom was broken and poorly repaired. We went to the Audubon store and bought tee shirts and odds and ends. Then we went back to pack up for the trip home.

MONDAY JULY 26; We left early for the airport, checked in, paid our exit tax (about $10 to leave the country!). We went through six check points even checking our baggage and body check. We arrived in San Francisco 12 hours later and were glad to see David and Walt waiting for us. It was a wonderful experience but I am glad to be home.

Monday, January 18, 1999

Highest cable car system breaks down during reopening

Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela -- The world's highest and longest cable car system broke during its reopening, leaving a government minister and other passengers stranded for three hours on a 15,725-foot mountaintop.

No injuries were reported Sunday when the cable car suddenly tilted to one side as it left Pico Espejo to return to the Andean Mountain city of Merida, 420 miles southwest of the capital city Caracas.

National Tourism Minister Hermann Luis Soriano, Merida Governor William Davila and about 30 Venezuelan journalists flown to Merida for the event were slowly brought down in a small cable car used for cargo.

Government tourism officials said Monday they had not determined what caused the problem.

The 7.8 mile cable car system shut down in 1991 after two people were killed during an accident on the same leg of the four-station route. The system reopened partially in 1996 and the final leg was to reopen to the public this week.

Officials said that's been postponed pending an investigation of Sunday's malfunction.