Beach hunting in Venezuela
23.09.2005
28 °C
I´d like to start off with saying: we haven´t been beach bums all the time here in Venezuela! For instance, we did a pretty though 4-day-hike through immense (and very muddy) rainforest, in order to reach Canaima, the jump-off point to Salto Angel - the highest waterfall in the world! - otherwise only accessible by plane...
Though, Venezuela is in fact the only Caribbean country in our itinerary. Obviously, beaches, Calypso music and fruity coctails have to be a large part of it!
That´s why we went to Playa Pui Puy. According to Lonely Planet, Playa Pui Puy is "almost as beautiful as Playa Medina". Well, I haven´t been to Playa Medina but it must be goddamn beautiful! Because Playa Pui Puy is truly stunning. Crescent-shaped and postcard-perfect, and completely hidden from the rest of the world(it was actually a pain to get there). Big waves - though not big enough for surfing (as the disappointed surfer who had come all the way from Puerto la Cruz found out).
A few houses in the eastern corner of the beach. A bar, selling beer, snacks and water (occasionally) and playing loud salsa music (continuously). A small bodega selling other stuff (mostly canned tuna and cigarettes). And the brightly-painted posada with the huge veranda where we were staying. Since there weren´t any other guests, we had the veranda to ourselves most of the time. A few meters only from the sea - and it was perfect to watch the sunset from!
When we first got there, we panicked. "There´s nothing to do here! We are going to get bored!!!". You see, we were really keen to DO stuff - and it wasnt´t even possible to hire a surfboard!
But after a few hours we calmed down and exhaled. ...and 3 days passed by, just like that! To swim in the waves, to make small expeditions in the surroundings, to read on the veranda, to "have conversations" with the locals (i.e. to ask questions in poor Spanish and not understand the answer) - activities sufficient to keep us busy. And more than anything, enjoying the peacefulness, and the beach with its beauty... very relaxing.
Arrived in Santa Fe yesterday - it took us five different vehicles to get there from Pui Puy. The beach here is quite touristic but there are no tourists really, and the village is just as sleepy as they all seem to be. Still, various activities are available (such as kayaking and snorkeling) and we´re finally able to Do stuff! 
Also, for the first time in Venezuela, we´ve actually been able to order coctails on a Carribean beach (which was sort of the whole purpose with this part of the trip...). Last night, the electricity was off (seems to happen quite frequently here) so the beach was in complete darkness, except from the lightning in the sky and a couple of candles at the tiny but delightful beachfront restaurant. Though, food was available, and so were the coctails... Yummy!
Today, we´ve spent most of the time in the water, snorkelling with colourful fish in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The islands in Mochima National Park are full of pretty little beaches to spend the day on and surrounded by coral reefs to explore with the snorkelling gear. So, here we are. Relaxing.
And Angel Falls? Yeah, it was pretty cool. But that´s a whole different story. I might tell it some other time.
In a few days, we´re off to Ecuador!!!
Posted by snatterand 11:10 AM Archived in Backpacking | Venezuela Comments (2)
