Caracas and Los Roques

Caracas

A day almost entirely spent on various buses: from Mochima we moved on to Cumanà, the first useful stop for boarding on our way to Caracas. We arrived at our destination in the very late afternoon under relentless rain and with the nightmare of darkness which, according to everyone, could jeopardize our safety, a sort of curfew that begins when the sun goes down. Even the arrival station was certainly not promising and inspired a bit of fear. We hurried to stop a taxi to take us to the city center and in no time at all, safe and sound, we arrived at a pleasant hotel recommended to us by the taxi driver. Welcomed by a receptionist made in Italy, after the check-in procedures we headed to our little room.

Our stay in the capital would for the moment be limited to just one day because we were already in possession of a round-trip ticket for one of the most beautiful archipelagos in the world: Los Roques. Since going out in the evening in Caracas was practically impossible, we opted to confine ourselves to dining in our own hotel's restaurant: fortunately it proved to be a genuine and pleasant surprise even in price, which, considering also the elegance of the place, was reasonable.

The following day, after the countless warnings about the danger of the city kindly offered to us by our made in Italy friend, we ventured out to explore Caracas. In reality the city doesn't offer many attractions for the tourist, so much so that we couldn't even manage to get a map and we moved around exclusively thanks to intuition and the thousand questions we asked people. Besides the inevitable square dedicated to the Liberator Simon Bolivar and the government palace, the only interesting and characteristic thing are the countless little markets that populate the city streets, animating an otherwise lukewarm city. To visit the central area we didn't take more than four hours and, partly due to our tiredness as well, we made our way back to base, consoling ourselves with the thought that in a few hours we would take a plane to Los Roques.

Los Roques

The following morning, after packing our backpacks and having the last breakfast comfortably seated, we headed to the national airport of Caracas: five long days awaited us, to be spent isolated with our tent and few other things. Airport, boarding procedures and after a bit of waiting, due to excessive air traffic, we were flying over the Caribbean Sea. From the airplane window one could admire the countless shades of the sea, the coral reef protecting the little islands that make up the Los Roques archipelago and some little villas of those few fortunate ones who can afford it: enchanting! First stop the island of Gran Roque, equipped with an airport and countless posadas almost entirely owned by Italians.

Yes, we hadn't told you before but around these parts Italian is a language that is, to say the least, well known and widely spoken; most of the tourists in fact fly the Italian flag. As soon as we set foot on land we were greeted by a very strong wind and a sun that right from the start appeared arrogant to us. The main island wasn't exactly the paradise we expected to find even though the characteristic town center without paved roads gives the idea of the wild character of these islands. We immediately headed to the Emparque Authority, which handles the management of the national park, to obtain permission to pitch our tent.

No sooner said than done, in a few minutes we obtained free of charge the possibility to set up residence on the few islands where it was permitted; in fact Los Roques is an archipelago made up of about 365 islands and most of these are declared a nature reserve and therefore inaccessible to tourists. For our first night at Gran Roque we pitched our tent right in front of the Emparque guards' building (the only area designated for camping). We had lost familiarity with our little tent, in reality we had never acquired it, and it took us more than necessary to put it up; once the operations were completed we dove into the sea for a refreshing swim, shared by the way with a multitude of pelicans such as we had never seen before in our lives.

Needing to plan our stay in the archipelago we headed to the port to contact one of the countless boatmen who ferry tourists from one island to another. After the usual negotiations we managed to secure a tour that would take us to visit three other islands besides the one we were on. We left the port aware that the next day an adventure would begin, as beautiful as it was hard, on completely deserted islands, almost devoid of vegetation under a blazing sun with the only shelter offered to us by our little tent. Here night falls early and since we had no possibility of washing with fresh water we lingered on the beach to enjoy the sunset which came very quickly together with darkness and the numerous mosquitoes with which we shared the beach and the tent.

After taking off our swimsuits and putting on the association uniform we headed to the town center to find something to eat, parking ourselves in a restaurant facing the beach which however did not offer us an exciting little dinner (we ordered fresh fish and they brought us frozen: shameful!). After dinner we even treated ourselves to a gelato which made up for the bad mood caused by the frozen fish. Once the gelato was finished too there wasn't much else to do, and so after a bit of chatting on a bench in the center we headed to our lodging trying to fall asleep listening to the sound of the sea: it's not that easy when it's ten in the evening.

Waking at dawn to a sun that effortlessly made its way through the flimsy fabric of our tent, we got up and without thinking twice packed our backpacks and bundled up our home: we had to head to the nearby supermarket to stock up on food and water since at our next destinations there was only a small restaurant belonging to some local fishermen that operated whenever it felt like it. Once the shopping was done we headed to the port and boarded for Crasqui, one of the tourist islands farthest from Gran Roque. After a twenty-minute ride in a little boat that reared up on increasingly arrogant waves, drenched beyond belief, we arrived at a fantastic beach, furrowed by imperceptible waves made of unprecedented water: we could stay here describing such beauty for our whole lives but it would be an understatement.

Almost placed there on purpose, a single palm tree on the whole island seemed to invite us to pitch our tent at its feet, which we did shortly after. It wasn't the first time we found ourselves before white beaches and crystal-clear water but the beauty of these atolls is astonishing, partly matched only by those little islands we encountered in the heart of the Pacific Ocean: breathless! On a deserted island there aren't very many things to do, and so once the tent was set up, the backpacks arranged and the food secured, our activities were exhausted; all that remained were long walks on the beach, sea, sun and a pleasant solitude. After lying down under our only friend the sun, we ventured to explore the island, reaching the little fishermen's restaurant to make sure about the possibility of a dinner.

Having agreed on time, menu and price with the owners we returned to finish the day near our tent. Despite what we might have thought, the day passed faster than expected and in no time at all evening came, and with it the inevitable mosquitoes, as usual hungry and arrogant. Having taken refuge in the tent to escape the attack of these nice little vampires we passed the time chatting and reading a good book and then put on long pants and headed to our dinner. Back with full bellies, all that remained was to sit on the sand and enjoy a marvelous starry sky in strict silence.

The following day was a carbon copy of the previous one with the only exception that this time we ventured to explore the northern part of the island. We set off mid-afternoon under a devastating sun, walking along the very white beach and dipping our feet in the sea from time to time to cool them down. The north of the island is the part where all the day-trippers concentrate and where a stunning natural pool is located. It's a sort of strait between two islands where sand, coral and various debris have accumulated, creating a shallow seabed that allows you to walk between island and island for hundreds of meters. If possible, at this point the water was even more crystal-clear and we didn't miss the chance to take a dip and take lots of photos.

Returning to base we stopped at the usual restaurant to book dinner and to snoop among the various animals present in this place: an albino dog, two parrots one of which completely featherless and, most surprising, a tub full to the brim with little baby water turtles just out of their eggs. Back near the tent we enjoyed yet another sunset, perhaps the most beautiful moment of the whole day, when the sun stops burning, the wind drops and the waters become even calmer.

The following morning was a day of transfers: after taking down and putting back up the tent, packing the backpacks and having a breakfast of bread and tuna (heavy!) we sat on the beach to wait for our boatman who was supposed to take us to the new island: Noronqui. Around ten in the morning, a bit late, our ferryman appeared on the horizon and in about ten minutes we had already arrived at the new island. It was a new paradise again based on white beach, enviable water and a wooden structure under which we could find shelter from a sun that left no escape. Taking advantage of this structure we granted a day of rest to our sunburned skin, sharing the shade with a countless number of big black lizards that climbed everywhere. Peace and tranquility reigned supreme, a refreshing swim and a little walk on the island certainly couldn't be missed.

We had agreed with the boatman on the time of our pickup; in fact the stay at Noronqui was limited to a single day, in the evening we would spend it at a new destination. Between one commitment and another evening came... the noise of the little boat coming to pick us up broke the silence of the sunset. After loading the backpacks we headed to Gran Roque for food supplies and from there after about half an hour we set off again for Francesqui, the island by far the most visited by tourists, also because it is the closest to the main island. On our arrival the tourists had already left and the island was practically deserted except for a black quadruped, a nice big dog that earned a place in the annals of Lonely Planet. Our first thought was to find a place to pitch the tent and, like classic inexperienced tourists, we had started setting up our little house under a mangrove tree.

It seemed good to us, in the shade and cool, but we hadn't reckoned with the mosquitoes residing on the island which certainly didn't hold back in organizing a welcome committee for us. Thanks to the advice of two tourists who still had to leave the island, we realized it was time to move since mangrove trees are the natural home of mosquitoes. During the tent-pitching operations we got to know an Italian couple on their honeymoon who had chosen to spend a vacation at Los Roques visiting the numerous islands and living on a boat. Francesqui gave us one of the most beautiful sunsets of our lives: a slightly cloudy sky in which the weak rays of the sun were reflected while it died in the warm waters of the bay. Once evening came, this time we didn't even have the commitment of dinner since we had already wolfed down a sandwich while stocking up on food.

By eight we were already ready for bed even though absolutely sleepless; we took advantage of the only living being on the island, the big black dog, to distract ourselves and pass a bit of time.

The usual wake-up at dawn with the sun doing its job at best and us camped in the middle of the beach, with the tent as our only natural shelter. We enjoyed a bit of that paradise in peace since around ten the tourists would invade the beach, and so it was. By mid-morning the traffic of little boats was, to say the least, congested: they arrived, unloaded the tourists and set off again for a new load. Despite the extreme crowding Francesqui certainly didn't lose its charm; we ventured to visit the natural pool that was behind us without neglecting the other tip of the island. From these new viewpoints too one can understand why the flow of tourists is so devastating.

The lagoon offers pastel colors, the parked boats enrich the picture and wild nature does the rest; a swim among the countless corals and the very colorful species of fish that inhabit the natural pool is an experience absolutely not to be missed: go there! Our plan was to spend the night camped on the beach as well but the information we had received regarding the operation of the island's restaurant was wrong. No restaurant, no food and only a few glasses of water made us choose what was obvious: all that remained was to return to the main island. A bit disappointed by this change of course we contacted the boatman to come pick us up in the late afternoon and we enjoyed those few hours that remained before the sun went down. The usual procedures of taking down the tent and sitting with our bottoms on the sand, we just had to wait for the little boat.

We left Francesqui, one of the most beautiful islands we visited at Los Roques, and in a few minutes we arrived at the main island where we had to start all over again with the tent. For the last evening in the archipelago we treated ourselves to a dinner with all the trimmings made of fish, this time very fresh, and one last walk in the little village.

The following morning, no sooner had we packed our bags than we were already at the airport ready to return to Caracas. A refreshing shower and a real bed awaited us, things we had given up for a few days but which certainly would not be missed as much as the Caribbean little islands. Our stay in the Venezuelan capital would not be prolonged for long since the following morning we had planned to take the good old bus in the direction of Las Trinceras. The return to a "civilized" life certainly didn't erase our habit of going to bed early; after a little dinner consumed in the restaurant without our inevitable swimsuit and with our feet caged in shoes, we slipped into bed without even turning on the television (very serious!). Wake-up at the first light of dawn, hearty breakfast, taxi, bus station and off to Las Trinceras: our journey had begun again!