La Gran Sabana

Last weekend I traveled with 6 others to the Gran Sabana (literally, the giant bed sheet). We met at the church at 7:30am Friday morning. In typical Venezuelan fashion, we left town a few minutes before 11. We stopped in El Callao, a mining town known for its Carnaval celebrations but also for its jewelry stores, to look for a tool for Martin the jeweler. Sadly, while there Suzanna got a phone call informing her of the death of her grandmother in Maturín. I suppose we left late from San Felix for a reason, she was able to take a bus from El Callao back to San Felix to be with her family and go to the funeral that Sunday.

Without finding the equipment Martin was looking for, we continued on to the Gran Sabana. I didn’t bring my phone or a watch so my sense of time for the weekend wasn’t great, but we got to the huge national park well after dark. I had been told we were going to sleep in tents, and indeed we had tents packed, but we ended up staying in a couple little inns on the side of the road run by the local indigenous people. (Andreina made fun of me when we got back when I told her about this and called us tourists). I would have been fine staying in tents, but I didn’t complain about having an actual bed and not sleeping with the bugs.

On Saturday we went to one waterfall, but dedicated most of the day to the trip to “La Linea”, the line, the official name for the border of Venezuela and Brazil. The actual border crossing was nothing too exciting. We passed through a gate whose signs were all in Spanish, passed the two flags, and then passed through another gate whose signs were in Portuguese. We spent the day in a Brazilian town just past the border. There were lots of shopping opportunities, a lot of things were cheaper there than in Venezuela. One box of chocolates was particularly popular for 20 bolivares; we saw the same box later on in Venezuela on sale for 70. The vendors accept both Brazilian Reales and Venezuelan Bolivares. I didn’t ask about dollars. Portuguese was a new adventure. Martin wasn’t much affected since he doesn’t understand any Spanish; crossing the border didn’t change much. I, however, had some fun talking to the vendors in Spanish and trying to decipher their responses. They say that for them to understand Spanish is easier than for Spanish speakers to understand Portuguese. The languages are similar but just not quite the same. In one store, we had a nice mix of languages going. I was translating for Martin who was talking to Keyla, discussing which tiny Brazilian soccer jersey his grandson would like. She in turn talked to the vendor about finding the right size. The vendor responded in Portuguese, but when she heard Martin and I speaking English she came up with her own mix of English and Portuguese for me to figure out. Sentences with the same number of words of both languages are more difficult than just sticking with one, I decided. Overall, I really enjoyed the time in Brazil. We had a really great lunchtime meal, there was a buffet with rice, beans, platanoes, etc., and men everywhere circulating between tables with unlimited skewers of meat to serve. None of us were hungry for dinner that night. 

Sunday was the waterfall day. The first one we went to was Salto Kama. It was pretty spectacular, with a huge drop and a nice place to view it from. Two of us threw on our swimsuits and got in the water above the falls, and were able to get to a rock that looked over the falls. That is really hard to describe now that I try to do it. Just look at the pictures, that will make it easier. Basically we were right on the edge of the waterfall. Pretty sweet. 

I’m getting the order of stops confused but it doesn’t really matter. We want to la Quebrada de Jaspe, 

Completely random, completely riled

This next one was an awesome spot that I don’t remember the name of. From a distance it didn’t look like much but it turned out to be one of my favorites. Of course I couldn’t turn down the chance to jump from the top of the cliff by the tree. The water was cold and felt great. A bus full of university students eventually showed up, so we left as our serene space was invaded. 

We then went to a river that I also don’t remember the name of, where there was a spot to jump off into a really deep pool, and also some “slides”. The water running over parts of the riverbed has left the rock smooth, smooth enough so that just a few inches of water carries you right along. I was doubtful at first but they turned out to be a lot of fun. No pictures of this unfortunately. While at this river, my friends called to my attention a group of people who they thought they heard speaking English. They looked European; of course I had to ask. So I asked in English, excuse me, but do you speak English? The lady was startled to hear someone address her in English. She turned out to speak a little bit, and I found out they were German. I talked to the middle-aged couple just long enough to tell them I was born in Nurnburg, and that I was just in Bavaria this summer. They’re from Munich! I found Martin, who is Dutch and speaks German, and he had a great time talking with them in German. For once he was able to communicate clearly without acting things out or using me to translate! It was funny seeing the expressions on people’s faces around us as they observed a bunch of white people talk. A little later, I was putting sunscreen on my shoulders (I managed not to get too burned, success) when I heard a couple girls from the college group discussing amongst themselves if they should offer to help me put it on. All I had to do was turn around and smile for them to realize that I had understood everything.

The Gran Sabana is really pretty, and quite different than anything else I’ve seen here so far. “The Giant Sheet” is aptly named, but it’s more like a rumpled sheet before it’s pulled tight. There are huge flat areas, but then suddenly a group of big hills or mountains, and the occasional huge plateau that rises up thousands of feet. Roraima is one of those plateaus. I first saw pictures of Roraima on stumbleupon; I didn’t ever think I would actually see it with my own eyes. Even from a distance I could see how huge it is. There are actually species on top of the triangular shaped plateau that don’t exist anywhere else in the world, which is pretty dang cool. We only saw it from a distance, but it was impressive nevertheless. Another note, the entire area of the Gran Sabana is at about 1440 meters, while San Felix is at sea level. Nearly the entire climb was made just before entering the Gran Sabana, it isn’t gradual from here to there. 

Roraima in the distance

I didn't take this one...believe it or not we didn't have the cash to rent a helicopter

Only the indigenous people of Venezuela populate the Gran Sabana. Saturday and Sunday night we stayed in a tiny town with a few cabanas run by a man in his 40s and his mother. We met some of the locals who were eager to show off their handmade necklaces and bracelets, and for reasons I don’t understand, elephants carved out of stone. On Sunday night we ate dinner at the bar/restaurant/place with a TV to watch the Real Madrid game. (In the middle of the wilderness, but with a satellite dish to watch a soccer game happening in urban Spain: futbol is life). The girl who served us our food told us that she was about to go play in a soccer game between her village and the team from another village nearby. Sure enough, after we paid she came out of the back room with a blue uniform and tall blue socks on, no shin guards or cleats. We sat down in the grass and watched the game. Of course we rooted for the blue team. Our waitress scored a goal. Watching the game in this small town that was more a wide spot in the road brought back memories of my trip to El Salvador with CDH. We played an incredible soccer game during our time in a tiny community called Santa Cruz II. It was nice to sit in the grass and reminisce about those ten days, in particular the days spent in Santa Cruz II. I wonder how Ana is doing? How her two sons, and her daughter with kids of her own, are holding up in such a tough place to grow up? If they ever wonder how those strange/shy/loving/curious American kids are that lived with them for a few days almost two years ago now?

Sunrise

While descending from the Gran Sabana on Monday, we passed a small shrine to the Virgin Mary, where she is said to have appeared. We passed it after dark on the way up on Friday; the candles were lit at that time. Pretty cool. Overall a great long weekend, I’m glad to have been able to see a different part of the country and live a little differently. 

Don't paint the rock