[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_pdOFbSavq4/Un2duzwm5RI/AAAAAAAAYTA/HwzGRUDtrt8/s144-c-o/PA200057.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage16VenezuelaTrinidadGuyanaCaracasToGeorgetown#5944080510692549906″ caption=”The mudskippers really stir up the shallow water!” type=”image” alt=”PA200057.JPG” ]

Back in Venezuela!

Pos: here
Loc: beach
Acc: tent
Dist: 47,1 km
Start: 2:30 End: 14:15

I had chosen the right camp site between the two villages. From the one before  very low voices and music came over, nothing to bother my sleep. But when I started early in the night, as I knew this would be a windy day, and I passed the one I actually was planning to land on, hammering bass and loud music from a Saturday night party came over to me on the sea. Thanks goodness I didn’t stay there!

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WWChovoDpOc/Un2bpncHs0I/AAAAAAAAYTA/L3MYqiVSpUI/s144-c-o/PA200054.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage16VenezuelaTrinidadGuyanaCaracasToGeorgetown#5944078222462792514″ caption=”My huge ship “lighthouse” on the crossing from Trinidad back to Venezuela, in the dawn light” type=”image” alt=”PA200054.JPG” ]

I had a convenient navigation light from a huge ship anchoring in the middle of the crossing. It was calm, full moon and I just had to fight a bit tiredness despite quality early sleep, but it was too short. That ship turned out in light to be extreme huge and ugly, exact on this position my chart shows a light house – was that the one?

The green endless strip of the Venezuelan jungle was lurking already, but first it disappeared behind some short but heavy rain squall with strong wind. After that it stayed calm, and I paddled already too close to the jungle, noticing too late how shallow it got! And it was not even low tide! So I better paddled out again, the wind breezed up, and on the shallow water it began to break endlessly, but very low and easy. Just annoying with 15 knots headwind. But the water now is pee warm, and at some point I decided to have a break at a pole in the middle of the shallow water. The ground is solid sand, so I could get out once my kayak was tied to the pole. A bunch of more poles in some lines serve here as a fishing net attachment, and I saw some guys simply walking to work on their nets! Some motorboats were parked, but on low tide not able to get away. Intersting way of fishing here…

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-K1tovt7aOzk/Un2c4Mc_X_I/AAAAAAAAYTA/_PrYbQKr0wg/s144-c-o/PA200055.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage16VenezuelaTrinidadGuyanaCaracasToGeorgetown#5944079572428349426″ caption=”Those fishing net sticks in the shallow water make a perfect anchorage – here on sandy ground here I could get out and just walk!” type=”image” alt=”PA200055.JPG” ]

I also had to walk around low tide a bit, I was just  as fast as if I’d be paddling in the sucking shallow water against 15 knots wind with 3-4 km/h, hahaha! At some point I noticed two of the fishermen walking behind me, and I wondered if the Venezuelan pirates come here by foot, walking faster than I can paddle? But no fear of those guys, and they actually just wanted to check their nets where I just paddled over. I didn’t touch them, honest!

With the rising tide, I could again paddle closer to the coast, earlier I was probably 3 km out. But soon I got trapped behind a sand bank and had to turn around. What a pity! The water just became so nice and calm here, and I could watch the birds and forest. The forest is as wild as it can be and goes seamless into the water, no ground to see. I could watch a bunch of bright red birds, beautiful! Not flamingos though, no idea what their name is. Also many white birds, it seems like the wildlife here gets more lush. In the shallow, swarms of fish are jumping ahead of me, I’d just have to hold up a net.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SoEHCxOseeY/Un2ecHmR71I/AAAAAAAAYTA/iPZMq1nkBNA/s144-c-o/PA200059.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage16VenezuelaTrinidadGuyanaCaracasToGeorgetown#5944081289112055634″ caption=”My first shallow wet beach, back in Venezuela. Camped on the somehow dry grass.” type=”image” alt=”PA200059.JPG” ]

I decided to go into the first accessible beach as the water was rising to high tide around 4.30 pm, and saw one behind a sand bank, accessible from both ends. I took after a few thoughts the back entrance, and with some dragging over the last shallow area I was in. The beach was just firm mud, and I am camped on a similar wet green looking ground having lots of plants on top like yesterday. Works well, the tide is not coming here as it is high tide now and all of the muddy beach is covered. I am just not hoping for a heavy rain squall at night, but it should also be ok on top of the plant bed. A few motor boats are passing by, but they can’t come here. Hehehe! And tomorrow early morning is high tide again that I can get out easy. A lot of fish swarms are jumping here in the shallow pool behind the sand bank. Cute!

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lR1sUrV7N-s/Un2erB4zK-I/AAAAAAAAYTA/27hiyPK8ors/s144-c-o/PA200060.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage16VenezuelaTrinidadGuyanaCaracasToGeorgetown#5944081545277156322″ caption=”A fat grasshopper on my bug net of the tent – fortunately outside…” type=”image” alt=”PA200060.JPG” ]

I had to make camp again fully covered, this time I even sprayed my clothing with bug spray. Those nasty fat horse flies are the worst during the day. I changed very quickly in the wind, showered even quicker and dived into the tent still wet with only one fly bite on my butt. If necessary, I can shower inside and mop it up. But that is not so nice and easy. I can now watch the critters all from inside, not making a single step outside before tomorrow morning! I just forgot to take a camp picture, sorry…I will descend into well earned sleep very soon. See where I end up tomorrow! The planned beach I saw on Google Earth this is not, this one is 5 km ahead.[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-t06gARVETJg/Un2du0nQITI/AAAAAAAAYTA/WNXyFnj5KC8/s144-c-o/PA200056.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage16VenezuelaTrinidadGuyanaCaracasToGeorgetown#5944080510921744690″ caption=”Mudskipper fish on the run from my approach” type=”image” alt=”PA200056.JPG” ]