[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TMDX7dV_rvg/UlmfQG3oFuI/AAAAAAAAXhQ/iONpSDATDaA/s144-c-o/PA080004.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage16VenezuelaTrinidadGuyanaCaracasToGeorgetown#5933949083107989218″ caption=”Eduardo Batalla with his family presentd me his self made professional collection of dehyrated fruit. Many thanks!” type=”image” alt=”PA080004.JPG” ]

Chores as usual
Pos: here
Loc: Rio Caribe
Acc: Francisco’s guest house

Arghhhhh…I hate rewriting posts I just updated long and then for some technical reasons they got deleted…so once more investing another hour:

After some online work Eduardo drove Edgar and myself to Carupano to get my exit stamp out of Venezuela. I got friendly received in the office and the stamp with no problem. Thanks! But besides wishing me a good trip the officers also mentioned again that his peninsula is one of the most dangerous places in Venezuela. Piracy is common, kidnapping happens and drug runners to Trinidad do their job from there. It is also a common hideaway for escaped prisoners, as the peninsula has at the end no road access and no communication via cell phone. Ok…there must be a reason that all yacht owners since a lot of years are avoiding Venezuela at all costs? Colombia was already bare of yachts…why can’t people just live their lives safe and in peace on all sections of this world?

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iE9aRgtbqlE/UlRVmSKrL4I/AAAAAAAAXdM/kzE_Izy_7rs/s144-c-o/PA080001.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage16VenezuelaTrinidadGuyanaCaracasToGeorgetown#5932460725353787266″ caption=”Edgar Lopéz, my friendly helper in Venezuela allover, and Eduardo, one of my hosts in Rio Caribe, with two immigration officers giving me the exit stamp of Venezuela in Carupano” type=”image” alt=”PA080001.JPG” ]

Aramis has been paddling this section, while kind of surveying the possible landings, did all right, but gave me a list of places to avoid and the some kind of “safe” villages. But no guarantee, the situation can change every day…this was the only “solid” information I had. David with two friends also paddled there, and they were doing all right. Was it because they were locals, men and three persons? Or is it all more story than reality?

I actually still think as a solo traveling sporty international woman in an “important” looking kayak I am not more in danger. I know how all boat people react once realizing I am a woman – at first they try to ignore the approaching kayak, but after realizing “this is a not local and a woman” they put up their broadest smile, put themselves in posture and play caballero/ gentleman…and I am hoping so would do any potential “bad” guy also. But still I didn’t really enjoy those thoughts, here more people were talking about it, and I agreed to the suggestion of Eduardo to try to get the coast guard to send an escort boat like I had in Colombia. Some guys already tried in Barcelona, no success and I was all right and quite happy without. As long as I stayed away from that island where that robbing of the kayaking group happened…

We were allowed to enter, after many pre-talks with the guards at the gate, the fancy looking built high over the city on a cliff, coast guard house in Carupano. The Teniente we were supposed to talk to was just in the worn out entrance hall talking to some “clients” with many many words that he couldn’t help them – whatever they wanted. I could read in his gestures he was rather up for getting rid of anyone than to be happy to help where he could. When it was our turn for the talk still in the entrance hall, the Teniente ignored me fully and was only talking to Eduardo and Edgar in Spanish. I already knew this wasn’t going to go anywhere, and despite the two guys did their best to fulfil their mission, thanks, they must have seen I was not really happy about an escort. I survived so far the Venezuelan waters, and will do for the rest. Would I?

Besides the fulminate escort into Marcaibo with six coast guard boats at once the Venezuelan coast guard held back with contacts, and felt most of the time safe and much better by myself anyway.

We left the building with no success, and rather were diving into a local (fruit) market which was quite an experience for me. But actually, was it so different to the stall holders at home calling out their goods? I am just wondering how they keep all the yummy piles of fresh fruit and goods fresh in the heat? I bought my favourite pssion fruit, which keeps quite long in the kayak. Eduardo was talking about presenting me later a bunch of dehydrated fruit sachets he produced himself. Thanks!

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xbusxmeu03g/UlmgAZeRv8I/AAAAAAAAXhQ/5m9cMW611H4/s144-c-o/PA080007.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage16VenezuelaTrinidadGuyanaCaracasToGeorgetown#5933949912735662018″ caption=”It is chrismas for me! The sweet baby girl was unfortunately not my present…” type=”image” alt=”PA080007.JPG” ]

When he came later at night to Francisco’s guest house, he brought his family with wife, two sons of eight and ten and a newborn baby with the fruit gifts. It was almost like x-mas! He seemed to be quite an expert and makes part of his living with producing those bags. Yummy! Just what I needed on my trip!

In between we tried to drop Edgar at the local bust station, but no bus was going due to some demonstration on the roads…and he stayed another night with us. I invited him for some lunch in a local restaurant, quite delicious. We had a little hard time to find the way back the guest house, but with a final call to Francisco we were not “lost” any more. Thanks for all your help, Edgar!

I was talking also to Francisco who knew the coast as a boat man quite well about the potential danger, but he said Aramis’ places list was all right, he doesn’t know more. I had already my plan – to paddle without updating my website or informing anyone but my inner circle friends about my night stays, and to get much faster through the potential “danger area” as planned and unfortunately announced on the press and TV contact in Rio Caribe. Five or six days were planned, but with the help of a low wind window on Thursday and Friday, I’d be paddling also over night and would take only three days. I didn’t want to stay any second longer in this very beautiful, but danger infested area! Not giving any suspicious subjects any time to maybe develop a plan…or was that all only in my imagination?