[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-a3QhVD4B_B8/UhbBfl8a5nI/AAAAAAAAWYs/UxvkZkvdyy4/s144-c-o/photo%252520%2525281%252529.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage15VenezuelaBoarderColombiaToCaracas#5915127909103363698″ caption=”One of my *SIX* coastguard escort boats” type=”image” alt=”photo (1).JPG” ]

Big buzz arriving in Maracaibo

Pos: here
Loc: Balneario Lago Mar
Acc: Gabriel’s parent’s house
Dist: 51,8 km
Start: 7:40 End: 18:20

My fishermen neighbors let me sleep nicely, and were on hand to help me drag my kayak back to the water and to carry my bags. This is how I like neighbors! The sea was relatively calm, and the headwind only around 10 knots, so I could make good progress for the 20 km left on the outer shore. My first GPS played up, already which I started to use in the north of Chile, and I needed to use my brand new spare. Good to be prepared for such break downs! Not that I wouldn’t find my way into the bay, but I am so used to all the informations on my GPS with chart, that I really don’t want tot miss using one. I will need to see where I can get a new spare one now around here.

I was not too sure about the water situation on the entrance of the bay, but as the sea was generally calm and it was 1,8 km wide, I had hopes the current wouldn’t be too strong. So it was, I had first a counter current of maybe two knots, then it was with me, then against again, and on arrival in Lago Mar again with me…strange. But all easy.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2YB22JupAtU/Uhaqtq7omsI/AAAAAAAAWWo/MApLNi3QW9Q/s144-c-o/P8200058.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage15VenezuelaBoarderColombiaToCaracas#5915102862192974530″ caption=”La Castilla San Carlos right after the entrance of the Lago de Maracaibo” type=”image” alt=”P8200058.JPG” ]

Reaching the second headland inside the bay right at the Castillo, I decided it should be possible to arrive tonight just before darkness, and called Gabriel to let him know. He instantly notified the coast guard, and the first boat with my familiar guys was welcoming me friendly with two ice cold bottles of water. Thanks! They said they’d escort me until Lago Mar, to protect me from pirates. Ok…many many motorboats were buzzing around me, but all had kept their distance so far. But I always hide my GPS under deck when one is coming closer, which is probably a good idea.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TpKrNBVGNSQ/UhbBgxvG80I/AAAAAAAAWY0/OBFhmQDCaq8/s144-c-o/photo.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage15VenezuelaBoarderColombiaToCaracas#5915127929448624962″ caption=”I’m doing a bit of a paddle show for the press and for the coast guard flotilla” type=”image” alt=”photo.JPG” ]

At some point, a second coast guard boat came by, and the first one left. A bit later came two more, and all three  escorted me for a while. Was that already all? Nope, very soon two more coast guard boats drove up to our formation, and I eventually trailed five coast guard boats behind and besides me, an escort well worth of a president’s arrival! I don’t think they expected so many pirates attacking me, that they needed to form a closed circle around me 🙂

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-CJGXR0AjvPM/UharIXUXg5I/AAAAAAAAWW8/UZHsSDC-Zfk/s144-c-o/P8200059.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage15VenezuelaBoarderColombiaToCaracas#5915103320784470930″ caption=”Electrical wires on huge poles cross the Lago de Maracaibo” type=”image” alt=”P8200059.JPG” ]

But to top it all, coast boat number six with a bunch of TV and press people showed up, including José Gabriel with his wife Veronica and daughter Valerie on board. Keep smiling into the cameras, Freya! After 40 km with 10 km left and surrounded for hours by engine noise and smell, this was not that much of an easy job, but I felt quite honored! Welcome to Venezuela! They provided me with some more cold drinks, and my smile on my face stayed until I spotted he high rise buildings of the posh sea bath Lago Mar.

Soon I spotted two paddlers coming up to me to complete the escort, it was José Gabriel’s cousin, also named Gabriel with a friend in an open kayak with no spray deck. The sea became a little choppy the last few hundred meters, as it got dark and the wind breezed up to over twenty knots, but we all arrived safely at the small beach right in front of a line of nine high rise apartment buildings. José Gabriel’s family greeted me, I thanked the coast guard guys, and I could unload and relax. The two guys run a kayak center called “Kayak Maracaibo” with their storage room right at the basement of their apartment in one of the high rise buildings, very convenient! I could store my kayak in that room, diagonal on top of a loaded trailer, as my boat was much longer than the short polo boat types they mostly use here.

Tonight I was invited to José Gabriel’s parent’s house, where a large group of about fifteen family members was gathering in the big kitchen, all sisters, brothers, cousins and uncles and whatever. It was a typical nice large well off South American family. Thanks to the Fajardo family for hosting me! José Gabriel himself has been traveling a lot in Europe and spoke a perfect English, and at the dinner table with some large pizzas I got already filled with informations of this new country. Venezuela is a bit different from the other South American countries, as it has a socialist background with a strong president. This comes down to a different economical situation, better here, different there.

I eventually fell asleep at 11 pm, excited what kind of adventures the new country will bring! For the start I will have to do a lot of chores the next days.