I arrived in Mérida hoping to book a tour to Los Llanos, but I also knew that it might be hard unless there was a group going soon that I could join. Luckily, there was a group ready and I only had to wait a day!
The first day of our tour just involved driving across a few states to arrive in the Los Llanos region. We passed small communities and watched as the climate and vegetation changed.
Damn it!
lunch time
adorable puppy time
Gas is famously cheaper than water here - 3 bolivares for 32 litres which is practically free! I'd tell you how much that was in Canadian dollars, but there isn't a clear cut answer as the value changes often and how expensive it is to you depends on a few factors.
But, to give you an idea, you can either buy 2 caramel candies or fill up a 70 litre gas tank.
As usual, we crossed a number of military and police checkpoints along the way. A family of monkeys lives near one of these points.
At the last checkpoint we had to get out of the vehicle, show our passports, and answer questions. Our guide said he used to have long hair and piercings and in those days he was constantly pulled over for questioning, so he made the choice to get rid of them.
Checkpoints can be such serious places, but it's kind of funny to see chickens wandering around the place between military personnel.
We crossed a bridge and finally got into the gorgeous Los Llanos region.
So! Many! Birds! And this isn't even the wet season where birds flock here in vast numbers.
roseate spoonbill
Chigüire, or capybara as I'd previously only known them. They're funny-looking, cute critters.
scarlet ibis
my sleeping space in Los Llanos
There's a hammock there if I want to string it up outside my room.
There were frogs in the bathroom. Have you ever taken a frog shower? I have.
I liked how there was a frame hanging there, but no mirror within. Just a friendly reminder that you don't need to know how you look when you're out here.
Way too many mosquitoes here. Even with long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, they just bit right through my clothes. Times like this, you don't want to be popular.
In the morning I woke up to the chirping of countless varieties of wild birds, crowing roosters, the mooing of cows and buffalo, and the sounds of a man imitating chickens.
There's a pool here!
It's for the birds.
northern crested caracara
turkey vultures
And then we went on a boat safari.
Have you ever seen a grown man jump from a boat and onto an unsuspecting turtle in the water? I have.
They call them the smiling turtle because they look like they have a big happy smile across their face.
This old guy had battle wounds - signs of a survivor, or just one who has made interesting choices. Its shell was very dinosaur-ish.
We saw lots of birds and iguanas, plus a pod of pink and gray river dolphins.
another playful puppy
This bird isn't too common, but we came across a bush with 5-6 of them in it.
I think this one has spotted me.
Praise the lord!
We saw many caimans, but they slide into the murky waters when you get too close.
Guineafowl on the ranch.
In the afternoon we went looking for anacondas with Ramon who has 30 years of experience in the area. We knew our chances of finding one were low in this season, but you never know.
Anacondas can often be found in the bora plant, though sometimes they lie on the road to absorb its warmth. Unfortunately, this also means more anaconda roadkill. Plenty of caimans also meet their maker in this way as well.
We spent two hours looking for anacondas in several different places, but came up empty handed in that department. Still, watching the guides wade through the waters, stick in hand - and without shoes - it was quite fun.
Later, we went on a night safari, looking for the perfect sized caiman to catch. We piled into and on top of the jeep which had a massive spotlight attached to it, making it easier to catch the glimmer of caiman eyes in the water. The light was also a bug magnet and I kept hearing little pings as insects flew their entire body into the spotlight.
We found a snake.
And then they captured a young caiman, small enough for 'sharing.'
They found another caiman, a larger one this time, and we watched from the jeep as the guys compared capture strategies, but in the end they left the caiman when they realized it was a pregnant female.
This cat looks like it has a mustache. Some say it's reminiscent of a certain dictator.
On the third day we went fishing for piranahas, but we met some difficulty since it was raining and the fish weren't biting.
While driving to other fishing spots we saw more wildlife, including a group of noisy otters.
kingfisher
The massive and graceful jabirú stork steps with delicate precision.
We found a good fishing spot later and the rain ceased, too. Piranha for dinner tonight.
This was the lucky spot with all the fish.
This insect kept walking around in the remains of my coffee mug, and it brought its own death upon itself in that sugary mess.
Here's a real cowboy. He catches wild horses, then spends 8 months training them.
He blindfolded the horse in order to get close enough to bridle it. Meanwhile, the horse shook in terror.
The idea of catching wild horses seems so distant to the world of horses that I'm familiar with. That's like a free horse! With a lot of work, no doubt, you can "make it yours."
In the late afternoon we rode horses and mules across the wide watery plains of Los Llanos, passing plenty of wildlife along the way.
A guy from the ranch spotted an anteater and kindly rounded it up for us while we took pictures.
I said 'yeehaw' and my horse prepared to start running. Riding horses here, I have to learn the local horse vocabulary - the horses here speak Spanish.
At night we tried one more time to find an anaconda, but it just wasn't happening. If you come during the wet season, however, you are guaranteed to see an anaconda.
Fried piranha, among other dishes.
One of the numerous toads by the bathroom and outside my bedroom.
On the fourth day, we headed back to Mérida.
Just a few shots of the road to give you a small idea of how bumpy and uneven large stretches of the road was.
We saw a chigüire by the road, gazing into the distance, completely unaware that a jeep had pulled up right next to it. Now I understand the expression in Spanish which goes something like - Don't look at me like I'm a chigüire by the river.
As of the day before, my camera battery was low due to all the zooming I'd been doing. Uncharacteristic of me, I didn't have my charger as I'd thought there would be no outlets available.
I'd been much more sparing with photos and I'd said that I wanted to save the battery in case we saw an anaconda. Our guide had even told us that it wouldn't be unusual for us to see one on the road on the drive back.
Perfectly and perfectly, we saw an anaconda on the way back, and I literally used up my camera battery after these photos.
A young male of about 6-8 months old. By catching it and moving it off the road, our guide likely saved the life of the anaconda as there was a car coming up from behind which showed no signs of slowing down.
When threatened, anacondas emit a stinky odour which sticks to your clothes.
Goodbye Los Llanos! I loved it, perhaps in part because I didn't know much about what to expect, or maybe just because being there and experiencing the place is better than reading or hearing a description about it.
Everything was great, until I got back to Mérida and went to the tour agency Xtreme Adventours. To keep a long, frustrating story short, the agency was quick to sell me packages but they neglected to get full knowledge of the process of the sale. In turn, the problem was passed onto me, causing me stress and I was stuck figuring out what to do. The cherry on top was that the owner of the company started lying to me and making excuses, excluding his company of all responsibility. Thank you Carlos for complaining about gas costs in Venezuela - who isn't thrilled to have their intelligence insulted!
This aside, I wouldn't recommend this company as safety was also much further down on the list than pocketing cash. Especially when going on multiple day trips in less accessible areas, there are some basics - like a spare tire and first aid kit - which shouldn't be neglected.
One of the main reasons I had a great time was due to our guide Pedro. It's much better to email him directly (caimanohembro@hotmail.com or free.r12@gmail.com) - you'd be saving yourself money and a potential headache.
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