El Banco to Cartegena

 El Banco to Cartegena  

My hotel in El Banco...

...and the view from the bottom of the street at 6am in the morning, so early as we had 350 kilometres to drive to reach Cartegena. 

                                       
The whole area  here is low lying and subject to frequent flooding in the rainy season. There was an ancient civilisation here that dug ditches, heaping the spoil into ridges and planting their crops on teh tops of the ridges. 

A view up the river from a bridge. 

A flooded field.  

More flooded fields. 

Another view from another bridge. 

Flooded fields and grazing land. 

But we were soon driving into the outskirts of Cartegena....

...past some of the cranes of the container port...

...and the giant petrochemical complex to the south of the city before we reached the ufban fringe and worked our way to the truck park to leave the truck and get taxis into the centre of the city and my last night in Colombia. 

Across the Andes

 Across the Andes  

Two hours out of Cucuto on the border with Venezuela, we had passed through some low foothills and had started to enter the mountains of the Andes in Colombia. There were plenty of deep valleys and soaring muntains whilst the road weaved its way along the middle slopes of the valley. 

There were grand views across the valley of the tree covered slopes ont he far side. 

And views back down the valley that we had just come up, with the oad hacked out of the steep vally slopes. 

The valley was ften wide but there were some choke points were it narrowed considerably. 

More majestic views...

...and just one of several btidges that took the road across major tributaries of the main river.

A view of another type of bridge across another tributary. 

Looking across the valley, there were some fields, lots of grazing and scattered trees. 

The road had been gradually ascending along the middle of the slope so that there were steep dropd down to the river somewhere out of sight below us and soaring  peaks above us. All of a sudden the road turned away from the valley that it had been following and wound its way up the side of the valley in a series of steep and tight hairpin bends. 

We hd long views back down the valley that we had just come up at every hairpin. 

It took a long time to reach the top of the pass. Every time I rthought that we were there, we turned a corner and had more gradients to climb up in low gear. We reached the top at an elevation of 2,421 metres. It was cool and windy.

Almost as soon as we had reached the top, the road dipped and started to descend. 

Looking down the valley on the far side of the pass. 

We could see the road winding its way down the valley. 



We descended to 1,400 metres and followed a valley

The road followed the base of the valley, never very far from the river in the bottom of the  deep gorge. 

Another view of the road that followed the river downstream on the small stretch of ground between the high water mark and the steep cliffs surrounding the valley. 

We didn't follow it far as we turned away from the river to climb up the valley side to reach the next valley as the road weaved its way through the mountains. We crossed a pass at 1,773 metres but it was noticeable that the vegetation was different. This area was in a rain shadow so it had fewer trees, a lot of shrub and grass. There were also no farms or roadside shacks as the area didn't have enough rain to grow crops. 

We descended into a broad valley. It had a lot of fields and a town in the distance. We had dropped to 1,400 metres but we weren't yet out of the Andes. This was just a road and fertile valley.

We drove into the town of  Abrego with the intention of stopping in the centre for lunch. We had not been keeping an eye on the calendar. It was Ascension Sunday and being a good Catholic country, evey family was out to celebrate in the centre of town. There were bands playing, street vendors selling their wares, street parties, funfairs in the parks and main plaza. And there was loud music blairing out from every cafe. And no where to park 

We drove on to the outskirts where it was less busy and somewhere to park the truck whilst we had lunch. 

We followed the road along a valley, with elevations oscillating between 1,100 and 1,400 metres through several towns. At Nueva Madrid, the main road left the valley and started climbin agin into some mountains. As we climbed we headed into low clouds. The temperature had dropped as had visibility.

After a lot of hairpin bends negotiated in low gear, we crested the pass at 1,539 metres and started a long descent in low cloud. The cloud persisted for a long way down this side of the mountain before we dipped below the cloud and had views across the valley. This was the edge of the Andes and we descended through more dramatic scenery and foothills, descending more than a kilometre. We reached Aguachica at an elevation of under 300 metres.

We followed the motorway northwards with the mountains to out right and flat plains stretching off to our left for as far as the eye could see. 

Looking back up the valley seeing how the road engineers had hacked the route out of the valley sides.

We drove on through the dark to reach El Banco, our stop for the night. 

Leaving Merida, Venezuela

 Leaving Merida, Venezuela 

My hotel in Merida, just a stone's throw from the teleferico to Pico Bolivar. My rooms were the two windows, one storey down from the top right hand side. To the left of the two windows is a wide opening with a wide parapet that I would sit at with my laptop to write anf gaze across the plaza to the mountains. 

The truck drove down the same road that I had travelled along to reach Lake Maracaibo and back to Merida. Since I knew the road, I was ready with the camera for this shot. A tunnel built for the road but no mountain to go through. 

In reality, it is an avalanche tunnel to deflect rocks over and not onto the road.

We moved on to the border and after a misunderstanding at the border where we had to move on to another crossing point, we crossed into Colombia. 

Pico Bolivar

 Pico Bolivar 

We got back to Merida from Lake Maracaibo at midday. The one thing that I wanted to see in Merida was the cable car.  It was the longest and highest cable car when it was built. It held the record for a long time but now the longest cable car system is  the Ba Na Hills cable car near Danang in Vietnam at 5,801 metres that opened in 2013.

The Merida cable car was originally opened in 1960. After many years of operation, it closed in 2008 to be reconstructed. After several delays, its new format was opened in 2016, It starts at 1,577 metres and rises to Pico Espejo at 4,765 metres.  

On my first visit to the city, I baulked at the cost for foreigners at nearly USD50 (when Venezuelan citizens pay a tenth of the price). When I decided that it was worth the price and I was going to pay that much, the cable car was closed due to high winds. It also only opens on certain days so the opening day and weather conditions must coincide with your planned time in the city. The last trip up during the day is at 1pm or 2pm (depending on the day of the week). The last trip down is at 6pm.

On my return from Lake Maracaibo, the weather forecast for the next day was 86% chance of rain, so you might see nothing due to rain and low clouds plus high winds, so there was a high probability that it would be closed. The weather that afternoon was clear blue skies. I had to change my plans and go straight away. I grabbed thermals, gloves, buff and fleece.

I raced to the base station, bought my ticket for an exorbitant amount when other people in the queue in front of me paid a tenth of what I was charged. A view across the valley to the next station high on the ridge on the far side. 

Running parallel to the main cable car is an auxcillary cable car system that is used for maintenance.

Another view of the maintenance system with the base of one of the towers of the main cable car to the left. Looking down, there is a well maintained path that roughly follows the path of the cable car. It zig zags across the mountain slopes, sometimes at a gradient, sometimes gaining height with steps cut into the rock.  I didn't see anyone on it. 

The sister cable car coming down as I ascended. It is painted in the national colours of the flag of red, blue and orange. 

A view of the mountains. 

One of the towers before the next station. 

The first station on the asent. 

There is something to see at every station, plus opportunities to eat, drink, buy souvenirs or engage in a selection of adrenalin activities or just sit to acclaimatise to the altitude and enjoy the view. 

My plan was simple. To get to the top first, then work my way back to the base station. 

The approach to the second station, with a large grassed area, plus cafes and seating in the sun. 

I was well above the tree line. Below were glacial features such as these twin tarns...

...and another tarn.

A view of one of the cable cars on the parallel maintenance cable system. 

A view as we approached the top station. The cable car had ascended over three kilometres and although there were clear blue skies and bright sunshine, it was cold with a biting wind. I had already put on my thermals, buff, gloves and thick fleece, all brought on a three month trip for just this one day when I knew it would be bitterly cold. 

A statue of Santa Maria at the top of Pico Espejo. This is at 4,765 metres, or it may be 4,880 as there are many differing heights suggested from different sources but when you are nearly five kilometres above sea level in thin, cold air, perhaps gasping for breath if you have not acclimatised, a hundred metres will make no difference. 

To the north is the Pico Bolivar, a ragged outcrop of bare rock. It is the highest point in Venezuela at 4,978 metres. It was just a half an hour walk away but walkers need a permit and their are staff on hand to make sure people don't walk along the path without the required permit and guide. It was so close yet so far. 

A view across the mountain in the opposite direction. It was cold and windy at the top station, whether you were inside or outside. In the sun, it was pleasant but in the shade or when a cloud passed over, it was cold. Even the baristas and souvenir sellers were wrapped up warm with hats, gloves and balaclavas. 

I didn't stay long and took the next cable down to pose at the Estacion Loma Redonda at 4,045 metres. 

I wanted to walk down to get some exercise and to see the mountains at my speed from a different angle. The paths down were blocked with a tape across the start and a member of staff nearby should anyone attempt to start walking down. After attempting to walk down and being called back by several rangers who I pretended not to understand until they physically blocked my progress, I discovered that a permit is required to walk along the path. Permits have to be requested in advance, forms filled, and national park entrance fees paid...at the base station. Again, so close but so far. And there had been no mention on the website and advertisements that a permit was required. A poor piece of marketing.

Further down the cable car system, I stopped at the third station. This is a mecca for adrenaline sport enthusiaists. It has a climbing wall and some zip wires where people can zip between towers supporting the cable cars. 

I was tempted but begrudged giving even more money to the operators after I had been fleeced of so much to get here. Not to mention being stopped from taking a stroll down the mountain because I didn't have a permit. I just sat and watched to pass the time, watch the shadows lengthen as the sun went down and caught the last cable car back to the base station. 

Lake Maracaibo or Lightning Lake

 Lake Maracaibo or Lightning Lake 

We hired a taxi and left Merida to go down the valley to sea level. We had left behind the big and slow but dependable truck to take a side trip. We were going to have an overnight stay in a house built on stilts in a large lake. 

But this is no ordinary lake. Its hydrological characteristics may better describe it as a bay or estuary as it is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela. The area is rich in oil and gas reserves. This results in eutrophication caused by oil pollution which is a major problem facing the lagoon. 

Its alternative name of Lightning Lake gives  clue as to where so many people want to visit it. It is the place on earth with the most frequent lightning on the planet. The lightning can light up the night sky for hours on end without the often associated rain or thunder. All forms of lightning can be experienced such as fork lightning, sheet, cloud to cloud and many more. 

It was midday but we were in no hurry as we were descending from a bright and comfortable 1,600 metres to hot, sticky, sea level, so arriving late afternoon and avoiding some of the midday heat by seeing things on the way seemed a good idea. 

We stopped briefly at Laguna de Urao. It is a saltwater lake created by plate tectonics. It is named after the mineral found in the lake, Urao, produced by a concentration of salts leached from the local rocks. It is a popular recreational site and tourist attraction surrounded by attractive mountain slopes. There are several local legends about the lake, the source of an element traded amongst the Amerindians and the mythical home to a large snake. There are many stories, and some that are hard to believe but the lake does have a certain air. 

We stopped at some cliffs overlooking the river. There used to be condors throughout the Andes. The birds in the Venezuelan Andes had disappeared years before. There was a government sponsored project to reintroduce them.  

Eggs were collected from abroad. They were hatched and the youngsters carefully brought up in remote areas. They were tagged and chipped. They were fed well and looked after but with the minimum of handling so that they would not become tame or habituated to humans. Condors take at least six years to reach sexual maturity so the programme had to be well funded over a long period. 

Several areas were selected by scientists whch they thought would be suitable for the condors to be reintroduced. The birds had different ideas. When the day came for them to be released into their new homes, the birds flew due west to Colombia where there are other condors and where the mountains are higher. Within just three hours, all of the condors had flown over the border to Colombia and were never seen again in Venezuela. 

The main road follows the river valley from Merida. It descends through rugged mountains and includes Venezuela's longest road tunnel at 1,475 metres. When I cross referenced this, Google still claims that the La Cabrera Tunnel is the longest road tunnel in Venezuela at 520 metres. It is situated between Maracay and Lake Valencia and we had passed through it just a few weeks so everything you read on the internet is not up to date or correct. 

At the end of the valley through the mountains lies El Vigia. Loosely translated, it means 'The Watchman'. The indigenous tribes wanted to defend their land. The location of El Vigia is ideal as it protects the valley approach to Merida. It also overlooks where the narrow valley widens as it reaches a broad plain. It oversees Lake Maracaibo and any threat posed by invaders arriving by boat. 

The land here is considered some of the best agricultural land in the country. It used to be known for its beef cattle and the production of beef. In recent years, agricultural production has shifted. Thee are now many large scale plantation operations in the area. Despite Venezuela's largesse in heavy oil reserves, the area produces a lot of palm oil. There are also a lot of banana plantations and the country is the second largest South American exporter of bananas after Ecuador. 

We reached the port of Concha. I didn't recognise the approach but I instantly recognised the port. It was unchanged. There was a small communal wharf. There was a large crab processing plant on the far side of the harbour, as the major industry here is crab fishing. 

Trump and America have introduced sanctions against Venezuela, but they still buy Venezuelan oil, their palm oil and all the crabmeat processed here is sold to America. 

The trip to Maracaibo included an overnight stay in hammocks. I love to snooze in a hammock after a big lunch, or perhaps have a quiet afternoon siesta but I don't sleep well overnight in a hammock. My local fixer knew this and had provided a mattress just for me. 

The harbour was covered in floating plants, blown here by an onshore wind.

The crab processing plant. Lake Maracaibo had highly oxygenated water, resulting in strong algae growth that u=in turn feeds a lot of fish and crabs. The abundance of fish also attracts predators so there is a lot of wildlife in the lake. 

A colourful flower of one of the floating water lilies

Just one of several boxes filled with crabs caught during the day. Some of the smaller crabs were thrown overboard as discards. I was still astonished at the number of fishermen and boats that we passed as we went out to our stilted house on the lake as they came back to harbour with their catch. There are no quotas here. 

We left the harbour. The channel was deepened and widened in the 19th century to allow easy access for ocean ships to reach a harbour near Merida for trade. It was a partial success but with improvement in vehicles, roads and the road infrastructure, most goods were soon moved by road. 

A view along the tree lined river with floating vegetation covering the surface.

A howler monkey jumping from one tree to another. 
                                       
At the mouth of the river there is a ranger station where visitors to the national park sign in. It also acts as a beacon as it has a generator and is lit up at night until 10pm.

Our house on stilts was just a hundred metres away from the ranger station. It had its own pier where our boat tied up and we unloaded our luggage, our hammocks, the food, the charcoal for the barbeque and a generator.

Our hammocks.

I was concerned that it was a swim to the outhouse but we had our own facilities...and it wouldn.t have been a swim...

...as the water here isn't very deep. Our captain jumped into the water to rescue a kara kara that was drowning in the water. He left it to dry out in a corner. It proved that it was only waist deep. Much of the lake is shallow but it does get deep in the south, the deepest point being 60 metres. 

The sun was setting and it was time to go and find some wildlife.

We motored along the shore looking for dolphins and manatees, both of which live in the lake but we saw none. We passed some mangroves. We heard something large moving in the undergrowth but couldn't see anything. It was probably a crocodile of a caiman.  

Whilst we were cooking our barbecue, the captain caught two fish so these were gutted and cooked as well. We settled down to watch. Lake Maracaibo is the world's lightning hotspot and this is what we had come here to see. It has an astonishing 233 lightning flashes per square kilometre. Lightning occurs on average 297 nights a year for up to ten hours at a time. The phenomenon is called the Catatumbo Lightning, named after the river that flows into the lake which provides over half of the lakes freshwater from the surrounding mountains.

Those mountains are the cause of the lightning. The air above the water and in the mountains heat up at different rates and at night, they cool at different rates. The air above the mountains cools and creates mountain breezes that rush down the slopes and collide with the warm moist air above the lake. When these air masses meet, they cause electrical discharges that light up the sky. 

We didn't all stay up all night, but one person stayed awake with instructions to wake the others when the lightning started. There was a display off to the south west. It was partially obscured by cloud but there was sheet and fork lightning that lasted for more than an hour. It was pointless trying to get pictures without professional night time photographic equipment but we had witnessed the lightning for ourselves.

Tim still on lightning watch as the sun rose.

Then it was time to pack up and retrace our steps to get back to the harbour. We passed some yellow shouldered macaws. They are noisy parrots and you often hear them before you see them.  

And of course we saw more monkeys and had to stop to watch them as they moved through the trees. I wasn't so lucky this time getting a photo of them. 

We were soon back at the harbour to catch our taxi for the three hour return journey to Merida n the mountains. I was just glad to get away from the heat at sea level to relax in the insect free, cool mountains. 

The largest brewery in Venezuela has a polar bear as its marketing emblem with brands called Polar and Plar Light. They have depots and retail outlets throughout the country and many has a statue outside, and having sampled many of their brans, I had to have a photo of a polar bear.