We went on a 4WD tour of the Gran Sabana (Grand Savannah) today, and visited many waterfalls: Quebrada de Jaspe, Salto Yupriano, Salto Kama, Salta Kawi, and saw many tepuys from afar. We were so spoilt by the waterfalls at Canaima and the Angel Falls that we were a little dismissive of these smaller but still very pretty falls. I think we were also less appreciative because we were chauffered from one stop to the next; whereas when we were made to work for it, ie...

We flew out to Canaima 2 days ago in a 6-seater Cessna. The approach to Canaima was specatular with gorgeous views of the tepuys (tabletop mountains) and the 7 waterfalls skirting the north shore of the Canaima Lagoon. Our campsite was an open area with a roof and no walls, with hammocks strung all around the periphery and the dining area in the center - the campsite looked out directly onto one of the waterfalls (Salto Hacha).... a very idyllic setting! That af...

We were lucky and managed to get a bus with only 2 stops and got into Ciudad Bolivar before 6am today (only a 9 hr bus ride, vs the 18 we were expecting). We organised our 3-day trip to Angel Falls starting tomorrow morning, and then walked into the town center for a quick lookaround. It is a quaint little place on the Orinoco River - with many colourful houses and historical buildings. We got back to the hotel and found Katy in tears. We had left her to get som...

7/7/08: This was not the start of a holiday that I was hoping for. My plane arrived in Caracas a little after 5am. None of the 4 ATMs at the airport would accept my card. So I had to resort to exchanging cash. I thought that $50 was plenty to get me through the taxi ride, breakfast and lunch until I could find an ATM in the city. The taxi driver dropped me at the hotel and when he told me it was Bs170 ($85) for the 18 mile journey, I thought my Spanish was failin...