In Humboldt's Footsteps

Venezuela author to speak at Adventure Travel Show, London

2011-12-29T02:13:00.000-08:00

Russell Maddicks, author of the Bradt Guide to Venezuela, will give an illustrated talk about travelling in Venezuela at the Telegraph Adventure Travel Show at Olympia, London, on 28 January.

Saturday 28 January 2012
Time : 12:00 till 12:45
Where : Theatre 4, Olympia (Kensington)
Venezuela: Wildlife Wonderful. Russell Maddicks.
One of the 17 most megadiverse countries in the world, Venezuela, perched at the top of South America, is hot, tropical and home to Caribbean beaches, dense rainforests, high Andean valleys, mysterious table-top tepui mountains, and seasonally-flooded plains that are literally teeming with birds, beasts and creepy-crawlies. From the anacondas, capybaras and crocodiles of Los Llanos, to the jaguars, monkeys and tarantulas of the jungle, a well-planned trip to this fascinating country can reap rich rewards for wildlife watchers. Russell Maddicks, author of the Bradt Guide to Venezuela, has been adventuring in Venezuela for more than 20 years. In his talk he will give practical tips on how to minimize your impact on these fragile environments, travel responsibly, and give something back to the local communities you stay with.

Special Discount Tickets
Tickets to The Telegraph Adventure Travel Show cost £10 on the door, but you can get them for £6 (a £4 discount) if you quote "RUSSELLMADDICKS" when booking online at www.adventureshow.com or when calling 0871 230 7159 (calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras).

For full details of the Telegraph Adventure Travel Show click here.

Roraima bush toad escapes tarantula in spectacular BBC film

2011-12-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

This amazing footage from the BBC series Life shows how a hopless pebble toad uses a remarkable escape strategy when faced with a predator, in this case a tarantula spider.

But have David Attenborough and the BBC wildlife team got their names wrong this time?

The toad is identified in the programme notes as Oreophrynella nigra, commonly known as the Kukenan bush toad (sapito del Kukenan).

But if it was filmed on Roraima then it is more likely to be the endemic Roraima bush toad, Oreophrynella quelchii.

These knobbly, jet black toads are about an inch in length and are often mistaken for small black stones by hikers to the summit of Roraima.

A species older than the dinosaurs, they can remain still for hours, preferring to wait for the rain to wash them somewhere else.

Miss World promotes Venezuela at World Travel Market

2011-11-07T14:26:00.000-08:00

Wilmer Sifontes (maracas), Diego la Verde (harp), and Jose "Chebeto" Requena (cuatro) entertain visitors to the Venezuelan stand at the World Travel Market in Excel, London.

By Russell Maddicks
The Venezuelan Tourism Board, Inatur, set out its stall today at one of the largest tourism fairs in the world, the World Travel Market, which is taking place at the Excel Centre in London until Thursday 10 November.

To the joyful sounds of harp, maracas and cuatro, visitors to the Venezuelan stand were treated to giant photos of some of the country's top travel destinations, including Angel Falls, Margarita Island and Los Roques.

Manning the stalls and hoping to drum up new business for Venezuela's tourism industry were the Merida-based tour operator Natoura Travel and Adventure Tours, Anke Nöthling from the Cacao Travel Group and representatives from the Venetur chain of state-run hotels.

To give visitors a flavour of the country, snacks in the form of canapes made from fried plantains topped with cheese or shredded chicken, and empanaditas, were supplied by Mi Cocina es Tuya, a Venezuelan restaurant in Crystal Palace.

The biggest surprise of the first day was an impromptu appearance by the newly-crowned Miss World, Ivian Sarcos, who brought an extra touch of glitz and glamour to the event.

Alexis Pulido of Mi Cocina es Tuya with Venezuelan beauty Ivian Sarcos, the new Miss World. Photo courtesy of Robert Ramos.

Venezuelan beauty Ivian Sarcos wins Miss World 2011

2011-11-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

Ivian Lunasol Sarcos Colmenares, a 21-year-old from Guanare in Venezuela's Portuguesa State, beat 120 of the world's most beautiful women to win the coveted Miss World crown in London on Sunday, 6 November 2011.

The glittering ceremony culminated with Miss Philippines, Gwendoline Gaelle Sandrine Ruais, named runner-up, and Miss Puerto Rico, Amanda Victoria Vilanova Perez, in third place.

Sarcos' victory brings Venezuela's total wins in the competition to six, a world record.

Previous winners include Susana Dujim in 1955, Pilin Leon in 1981, Astrid Carolina Herrera in 1984, Ninibeth Leal in 1991, and Jacqueline Aguilera in 1995.

Venezuela also holds six Miss Universe titles, only surpassed by the USA with seven.

In 2009, 18-year-old Stefania Fernandez made Miss Universe history when she was crowned by her compatriot and 2008 winner Dayana Mendoza.

It was the first time any country has had successive victories since the pageant began in 1952.

No wonder Venezuela has a reputation for producing the most beautiful women in the world.

Combining a rare beauty with a fine brain, Ivian Sarcos is a human resources graduate, but her life has certainly not been all glitter and sparkles.

The newly-crowned Miss Universe was born the youngest of 13 children and was orphaned at the age of eight when both her parents died within nine months: her mother in a domestic accident and her father in a car accident.

At the age of 10 she was taken in by nuns from the Santa María Micaela del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús convent in San Carlos, Cojedes State, and considered becoming a nun before deciding to follow a university career.

She put herself through college by waiting tables in a fast food restaurant and later worked in a store in the Sambil shopping mall in Caracas to pay her way through university. It was there in 2009 that she was spotted by a friend of Osmel Sousa, the head of the Miss Venezuela organization.

Hollywood couldn't come up with a more dramatic fairytale than the story of Ivian Sarcos and the incredible drive, determination and luck that saw her crowned Miss World tonight in front of a global TV audience of 1 billion people.

After the ceremony, an emotional Sarcos spoke about the tragic loss of her parents, saying: "This has taught me that life, although it may be bad, doesn't have to end badly. Although I no longer have my parents it has taught me to be stronger."

Venezuelan Soap Stars in London - Esperando Al Italiano

2011-11-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

By Russell Maddicks
Anybody who's followed a Venezuelan telenovela, or soap opera, will have heard of Carolina Perpetuo or Hilda Abrahamz, two legends of the small screen who've played everything from wide-eyed country-girls with hearts of gold to evil vamps, pouting their ruby lips like their lives depended on it. And who will ever forget Hilda Abrahamz as the jungle girl Ka Ina.

Both actresses have starred in more than 20 soap operas, movies and TV dramas but they are also accomplished theatre stars, and later this month will be in the UK to perform in a light comedy called "Esperando al Italiano" ("Waiting For the Italian") at the Chelsea Theatre in London.

The performances on Thursday, 17 and Saturday 19 November are in Spanish.

The funds raised will benefit the UK-based children's charity CHAMOS, which aims to help needy children in the urban and rural areas of Venezuela.

Caridad Canelon, sadly, will not be performing in London but is replaced by the versatile actress and singer Fanny Arjona.

Marisol Matheus and Hernán Marcano also star.

The play was written by Mariela Romero, produced by Rolando Padilla, and directed by Tulio Cavalli.

This is a rare opportunity to get up close to telenovela royalty. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Performances:
Thursday 17 November: 7:30pm
Saturday 19 November: Matinée 2.30 pm, Evening 7.30 pm

Directions: Chelsea Theatre, 7 World's End Place, Kings Road, London SW10 0DR

Price: £30 p/p (£27.00 p/p for CHAMOS members)

To purchase tickets or find out more about the performances visit the webpage of CHAMOS or contact Janin Barboza at janinbarbozaf@yahoo.com.

Bradt Venezuela author at Globetrotters Club - 1 Oct 2011

2011-09-26T04:32:00.000-07:00

Exploring Venezuela: A Land of Natural Wonders

Russell Maddicks, the author of the Bradt Guide to Venezuela will highlight some of the most fascinating areas of Venezuela to visit and what you can expect to see and do. Drawing on his experience of adventuring in Venezuela for more than 20 years, Russell will take you to:

* The “Lost World” mountain of Roraima and the unique ecosystem of its summit
* The unique thunderless lightning phenomenon in the south of Lake Maracaibo known as Catatumbo Lightning
* The magical mountain of Sorte where devotees of Maria Lionza practice a syncretic religion unique to the country
* The record-breaking and awe-inspiring waterfall of Angel Falls, known as Kerepacupai-meru to the local Pemon people.

One of the 17 most megadiverse countries in the world, Venezuela is home to Caribbean beaches, dense rainforests, high Andean valleys, mysterious table-top tepui mountains, and seasonally-flooded plains that are literally teeming with birds, beasts and creepy-crawlies.

Venezuela is also alive with the sound of folk music, from the Afro-Venezuelan tambores of the coast, to the harp-driven Joropo songs of Los Llanos and during his talk Russell will present several examples of the music to be found in the regions he discusses.

Rona Cant — Just do it – become the best you can be!
Once an unexceptional, single parent she took part in the BT Global Challenge Round the World Yacht Race (the toughest yacht race in the world); two days later she embarked on the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island (one of the world’s toughest), encountering bears and cougars. Rona helped organise and was on The Nordkapp Expedition, dogsledding in the Arctic Circle to the northernmost tip of Europe, a trail thought to be impossible.

Rona tells how she has achieved her goals using stories from her childhood, her marriage, how she entered into a life of adventure, her diverse adventures and what she has accomplished.

For more information see: http://www.ronacant.com

Globetrotters Club Venue details:

London meetings of the Globetrotters Club are held at 2.15 p.m. at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden (WC2B 5EZ).

Admission: Members £3.00 - Non-members £6.00

Tickets are not sold in advance. Entry is payable on the door on a first come first served basis. For more information call (+44) 0207 193 2586 or use the Globetrotters online contact form.

Hato Masaragual, Los Llanos and Orinoco Caiman on BBC

2011-09-25T03:02:00.000-07:00

Veteran BBC presenter Jonathan Dimbleby visits Hato Masaguaral, a ranch in the plains of Los LLanos Venezuela, that breeds an endangered species of crocodile commonly know as the Caiman del Orinoco, as part of a BBC series called "South American Journey with Jonathan Dimbleby" that airs on 25 September at 8 p.m.

In the hour-long documentary the broadcaster happily strokes a three day old caiman but the larger ones prove to be more challenging. The breeding males live in cages on their own and can grow up to six metres long.

Killed for fun or for their skins, this crocodile only exists in Colombia and Venezuela. It is critically endangered which is the highest risk category for wild species. This means it's numbers will decrease by 80 per cent within three generations.

Dimbleby also explored the music of Venezuela, visiting the studio of Desorden Publico - a ska band that has been at the top of the charts in Venezuela for over a quarter of a century.
Playing to audiences of up to 150,000 people, Desorden Publico are not mere entertainers but have a profound political purpose invariably challenging the status quo.
As Jonathan stomps his feet to their energetic beat, Horacio Blanco, the lead singer is worried. He tells Jonathan that Chavez's 21st century Socialist revolution has polarised the country.

The full documentary is being shown on BBC 2 at 8 p.m. on 25 September and will be available on the iPlayer for a week after broadcast.

Bradt Guide to Venezuela: At home with the author Russell Maddicks

2011-09-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

Author, translator and traveller Russell Maddicks discusses his latest book: "The Bradt Guide to Venezuela" in a short film directed and shot at his house in Caversham by Reading film maker Jorge Franca.

Socialist Dreams & Beauty Queens - author interview

2011-08-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

It's always good to see a new book about Venezuela, especially a travel book, and Jamie Maslin's "Socialist Dreams and Beauty Queens" does not disappoint.

The author not only takes his readers on a journey to the capital Caracas and the tourist isle of Margarita, but also heads south to the jungles of the Gran Sabana where he treks up Mount Roraima and takes a canoe to the highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls. He even camps out on the shores of Lake Maracaibo to experience the natural phenomenon of all-night lightning storms known as Catatumbo Lightning.

What makes Maslin's account different is that he learns most about the country from the strangers he meets couchsurfing, a friendly bunch of Venezuelans and expatriates who not only show him around their respective towns and teach him a few basics in Spanish but also give him a sofa to crash on.

So what did the author really learn about Venezuela? What were the highs and lows of his trip? And what tips does he have for those wishing to visit Venezuela or publish a travel book of their own? I put these questions to the author and this is what he had to say:

Your first travel book "Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn" took you around Iran, a country that few tourists visit or know much about. What made you choose Venezuela for this latest book?
I first decided to visit Venezuela after flicking through a dog-eared National Geographic magazine in the dusty confines of a second hand book store in London. Whilst doing this a photograph stopped me in my tracks. Rising up from the magazine was the most magnificent flat-topped jungle plateau jutting ominously out of a sea of Amazonian mist. Even before reading where it was located, I knew, there and then, that I would have to visit the place one day. On turning the page I discovered that the mountain was Roraima and it was in Venezuela.

Couchsurfing is quite a new phenomenon. What turned you on to it and how easy was it to travel around Venezuela relying on the hospitality of others?
I first heard about Couchsurfing whilst trying to find a place to stay in New York which I travelled to on my way to Venezuela. I had to do some book promotion there and needed to find accommodation for about a month before continuing to South America. Despite contacting the limited friends I had in the U.S. I initially struggled to find a place to crash, it was then that one of my friends suggest Couchsurfing. In the end I didn't need to couchsurf in New York but it gave me the idea to try it in Venezuela, which, with the exception of Caracas was relatively easy to use to find a place to stay – Caracas, for some reason, proved tricky, although not impossible to find willing and available couchsurfing hosts. It's such a great website that I've now used it all over the world and have made some great friends and been shown incredible kindness and hospitality through it.

How difficult was it to travel without any Spanish? Are there things you could have done before your trip to have made it easier?
Couchsurfing was the key to travelling in Venezuela with zero Spanish. One of the things you can do on the couchsurfing website is select people who as well as speaking the local lingo also speak English. This is what I did, which made my trip a hell of a lot easier than it would have been otherwise. I discovered soon after arrival in Venezuela that quite a low percentage of the general populace speak English.

That said, there were times when some rudimentary Spanish would have made my life a lot easier, and I really should have brushed up on it before going. On one occasion I was trying to get pills for malaria but, like a complete numpty, ended up with a jab for yellow fever instead. As anyone who speaks Spanish knows, yellow fever is fiebre amarilla, it was the “amarilla” bit that was my downfall. On asking at the hospital for Malaria tablets I received in response what I incorrectly heard as a confirmatory “Amalaria.” It was only after afterwards when I met up with my couchsurfing host in the evening that I discovered my schoolboy error – they'd been saying “amarilla” not “amalaria” and I got jabbed up with an unwanted vaccine unnecessarily.

You spent time in the capital Caracas, on the island of Margarita and in the south visiting Angel Falls. What were the highlights of your trip?
Climbing Roraima was magnificent and exceeded all my expectations, as did Angel falls. Venezuela has some truly world class scenery and no shortage of it. I got to see a little of the famed Catatumbo lightning too but unfortunately not at its best. It's something I'd love to return and see when it's really firing.

Were there any low moments when you questioned what you were doing, or got fed up?
I got quite badly ill during my trip – shortly after getting the yellow fever jab! So obviously that wasn't the best of times. One low moment occurred on my second day in the country when I was arrested by the [local Caracas] Policia Metropolitana for not carrying my passport on me in the street. I ended up getting berated for the next couple of hours at a makeshift police station by a stumpy little cretin of a cop who drew his pocket knife and mimed slitting my throat – nice chap. Other than that the rest of the trip was top draw.

Any tips for budding travel writers considering following in your footsteps around the world and producing a book of their own exploits? How do you go about getting published, for example?
Getting published is no easy task. You've got to have a tenacity bordering on obsession and refuse to take “no” for an answer. Unless you're incredibly lucky, you're going to get a ream of rejection letters, so you've got to keep at it. If you get knocked down ten times, damn-well get up eleven. Re-write, re-edit, try every agent, try every publisher and if you have no success domestically try those abroad. Then try them all again. And again.

Once you've got your manuscript written a good place to start is the Writers and Artist's Yearbook, which lists all the agents and publishers in the UK, US and elsewhere. Different agents and publishers have different submission guidelines, all of which can be found in the book. Most will require a cover letter and synopsis of the work which, if they like, they will then request a small sample of. If this meets with their approval, they’ll then generally ask for a bigger sample or possibly the whole book. Even if all this goes well, they still have to feel really strongly about the book’s potential. If they do, hopefully they'll make you an offer.

However, there exists something of a catch 22 situation in the book business, in that without an agent a lot of publishers won’t look at your submission, and without any published work a lot of agents won’t consider taking you on. There’s no real answer to this dilemma other than to keep getting your work out there to both and then hopefully you'll succeed.

Another bit of advice a friend of mine who writes scripts once told me was that when you’re happy with what you’ve written and you think that it’s finished and ready to be submitted, well, the chances are, it isn’t. On the whole I agree with this, so get other people to read it and then re-edit until it is as good as you can possibly get it and then, and only then, submit it.

You devote a portion of the book to discussions about the pros and cons of President Hugo Chavez with the people you met couchsurfing. Did your impression of the political situation in Venezuela change at all during your trip or when writing the book?
I think if anything visiting Venezuela affirmed my belief in the importance of engaging people from all walks of life in the political process. It was very refreshing to see and meet so many people who were politically active, either for or against Chavez.

What tips would you give anybody wanting to visit Venezuela?
Read the superb Bradt Guide to Venezuela, it's got everything you need to know! Other than that I would probably add a word of caution; be wary of the cops, especially in Caracas. As my couchsurfing host there told me, “If you see the police coming, cross to the other side.”

What's next for you? Any more travel books in the pipeline?
I've recently returned from a trip hitch hiking over every land mass from Tasmania to the UK. It took over a thousand lifts through Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, and France to get me home to England. I'm currently writing up this adventure and am contemplating continuing the journey next year across the Atlantic, North America and the Pacific... We'll see.

Jamie Maslin's book "Socialist Dreams and Beauty Queens: A Couchsurfer's Memoir of Venezuela" is published by Skyhorse Publishing and is available in hardback and Kindle editions.

To purchase Socialist Dreams and Beauty Queens in the UK click here -in the USA click here.

Venezuela's mysterious Catatumbo Lightning on ABC News

2011-08-16T01:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the annoying advert. If you wait 16 seconds you can watch an interesting report by ABC News about a unique Venezuelan phenomenon known as Catatumbo Lightning, a nightly show of thunderless lightning that occurs over the southern part of Lake Maracaibo.

Video of a talk about Venezuela I gave in London

2011-07-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is the video of an illustrated talk about travel and tourism in Venezuela I gave at the Venezuelan cultural centre, Bolivar Hall, in London on 7 July.

Exploring Venezuela: A Land of Natural Wonders in Words, Sounds and Pictures
In this illustrated talk, Russell Maddicks, the author of the Bradt Guide to Venezuela will highlight some of the most fascinating areas of Venezuela to visit and what you can expect to see and do.

Drawing on his experience of adventuring in Venezuela for more than 20 years, the author will take you to:

* The "Lost World" mountain of Roraima and the unique ecosystem of its summit

* The thunderless lightning phenomenon in the south of Lake Maracaibo known as Catatumbo Lightning

* The magical mountain of Sorte where devotees of Maria Lionza practice a syncretic religion unique to the country

* The record-breaking and awe-inspiring waterfall of Angel Falls, known as Kerepacupai-meru to the local Pemon people.

One of the 17 most megadiverse countries in the world, Venezuela is home to Caribbean beaches, dense rainforests, high Andean valleys, mysterious table-top tepui mountains, and seasonally-flooded plains that are literally teeming with birds, beasts and creepy-crawlies.

From the anacondas, capybaras and crocodiles of Los Llanos, to the jaguars, monkeys and tarantulas of the jungle, a well-planned trip to this fascinating country can reap rich rewards for wildlife watchers.

Venezuela is also alive with the sound of folk music, from the Afro-Venezuelan tambores of the coast, to the harp-driven Joropo songs of Los Llanos and during his talk the author will present several examples of the music to be found in the regions he discusses.

There will be a live group performing traditional folk music, an opportunity to sample some of Venezuela's excellent local rum and Gillian Howe of Geodyssey - a tailor-made travel company specializing in organized trips to Venezuela - will be on hand to offer her own expert tips and advice on travelling in Venezuela.

Google doodle marks Venezuelan Independence

2011-07-05T02:18:00.000-07:00

Google has created a special doodle today to commemorate Venezuela's Bicentenary - 200 years of independence from Spain.

The event marks the historic signing of the Declaration of Independence in Caracas on 5 July, 1811, although it wasn't until the historic battle of Carabobo on 24 June 1821 that indepence hero Simon Bolivar was able to decisively defeat the Spanish militarily.

The doodle features the Flor de Mayo orchid (Cattleya mossiae), Venezuela's national flower.

Explore Venezuela in London - Bolivar Hall - 7 July

2011-06-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

Click on photo to expand. Catatumbo Lightning image courtesy of Alan Highton.

Exploring Venezuela: A Land of Natural Wonders in Words, Sounds and Pictures

In this illustrated talk, Russell Maddicks, the author of the Bradt Guide to Venezuela will highlight some of the most fascinating areas of Venezuela to visit and what you can expect to see and do.

Drawing on his experience of adventuring in Venezuela for more than 20 years, the author will take you to:

* The "Lost World" mountain of Roraima and the unique ecosystem of its summit

* The thunderless lightning phenomenon in the south of Lake Maracaibo known as Catatumbo Lightning

* The magical mountain of Sorte where devotees of Maria Lionza practice a syncretic religion unique to the country

* The record-breaking and awe-inspiring waterfall of Angel Falls, known as Kerepacupai-meru to the local Pemon people.

One of the 17 most megadiverse countries in the world, Venezuela is home to Caribbean beaches, dense rainforests, high Andean valleys, mysterious table-top tepui mountains, and seasonally-flooded plains that are literally teeming with birds, beasts and creepy-crawlies.

From the anacondas, capybaras and crocodiles of Los Llanos, to the jaguars, monkeys and tarantulas of the jungle, a well-planned trip to this fascinating country can reap rich rewards for wildlife watchers.

Venezuela is also alive with the sound of folk music, from the Afro-Venezuelan tambores of the coast, to the harp-driven Joropo songs of Los Llanos and during his talk the author will present several examples of the music to be found in the regions he discusses.

There will be a live group performing traditional folk music, an opportunity to sample some of Venezuela's excellent local rum and Gillian Howe of Geodyssey - a tailor-made travel company specializing in organized trips to Venezuela - will be on hand to offer her own expert tips and advice on travelling in Venezuela.

Venue: Bolivar Hall, the Venezuelan cultural centre in London, 54 Grafton Way, London, W1T 5DL
Nearest Tube: Warren Street
Doors open: 7:15 p.m.
Date: 7 July

Hugh Hefner conditions in notorious Venezuelan jail - NYT report

2011-06-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

New York Times reporter Simon Romero and photographer Meredith Kohut went inside Venezuela's notorious San Antonio prison on Margarita Island to produce this video report on the amazing conditions they found, including a swimming pool, a dance floor and private rooms for conjugal visits.

"Bikini-clad female visitors frolic under the Caribbean sun in an outdoor pool. Marijuana smoke flavors the air. Reggaetón booms from a club filled with grinding couples. Paintings of the Playboy logo adorn the pool hall. Inmates and their guests jostle to place bets at the prison’s raucous cockfighting arena," writes Romero in his report.

He also interviewed Paul Makin, a British national who was arrested at Porlamar airport in Margarita on 16 February 2009 with 24 kilos of cocaine concealed in his luggage.

According to Makin, who says "it's the best jail in the world", the unusual privileges are down to Teofilo Rodriguez, known as "El Conejo" (The Rabbit), a convicted drug-trafficker and top dog at the prison.

Read Romero's fascinating article in the York Times: "Where prisoners can do anything, except leave"

A gripping new book by two British lads who spent four years in Venezuela's violent Yare prison has just been published: "Banged Up Abroad: Hellhole"

A video tour of Venezuela's top tourist spots

2011-05-31T03:10:00.000-07:00

The latest tourism campaign in Venezuela tries to widen the scope from the usual Margarita, Merida and Angel Falls combination to take in some of the other top destinations in the country.

It's a great way to get a quick overview of the country and the subtitles in English give a fairly good description of the places featured.

Bradt Guide to Venezuela - come and meet the author

2011-05-29T05:25:00.000-07:00

Writing a guidebook can be a lonely business, hours and hours checking facts and then even more hours writing them up to make sure your guide is as up-to-date and useful as possible.

So it's nice to have a chance to meet your readers and get some feedback on what they like about the book and what they think you could add.

That's why I'm so excited about meeting my public at an event being planned for 7 July at Bolivar Hall, the Venezuelan cultural centre in London.

It's designed to appeal to anybody interested in travelling to Venezuela as well as those who simply like to see beautiful images of unique destinations, such as Los Roques, Choroni, Los Llanos, Canaima, Angel Falls and Mount Roraima.

The main focus of the evening will be illustrated talk covering my favourite places to visit, what to see and do and some background on history, folk music, gastronomy, fauna and flora.

But we'll also have some excellent Venezuelan rum to get everybody in the mood and music from Los Llanos to bring a little bit of Venezuela to London.

The date is just provisonal for now but as soon as it's confirmed I'll post something here with the full details.

David Attenborough explores freaky plants on Roraima

2011-05-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

British TV naturalist David Attenborough climbs Venezuela's Mount Roraima to get up close and personal with some of the freaky carnivorous plants that live up there.

Bradt Guide to Venezuela - Reading Library talk

2011-05-09T04:32:00.000-07:00

How to Write a Travel Guide

Whether you are an aspiring travel guide writer, a seasoned travel guide reader or thinking about a trip to Venezuela, don’t miss this. Russell Maddicks, author of the Bradt Guide to Venezuela, will speak about his 11 years living and working in Venezuela and how he transformed his experiences into a guide for the rest of us. From the steamy salsa bars of Caracas to piranha fishing with the indigenous tribes of the Orinoco Delta this will be a fascinating talk.

The promo blurb says it all. I'll be giving an illustrated talk at my local library on 16 May 2011 at 7 p.m. about my many adventures in Venezuela and the process of writing the Bradt Guide to Venezuela (2011).

The idea is to give an overview of the country, highlight the best travel destinations and talk about the pleasure and pain of putting it all down on paper to help others experience this incredibly diverse country.

So come down and meet the author. All are welcome.

Date: 16 May 2011

Venue: Reading Central Library

Time: 7 p.m.

Entry: £2 library card holders/ £3 other

Banged Up Abroad Venezuela - Just say no!

2011-05-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

"Banged Up Abroad: Venezuela" is the harrowing story of James Miles, 18, and Paul Loseby, 20, two young lads from Leicester who were stupid enough to fly out to Venezuela in 1996 after agreeing to smuggle cocaine back to the UK in a pair of padded vests.

But drug smuggling is a mug's game and rather than flying back home with a 8,000 US dollars in their pockets the boys were detained at Maiquetia airport in the capital, Caracas, in November 1996.

Although they claimed they had been forced to carry the drugs by a man who had threatened them with a gun, the boys were arrested.

After spending 8 months in a holding cell at La Vega police station they were sentenced to four years each and two years later were moved to the notorious Yare prison.

Miles was 18 at the time of his arrest and was on his first trip abroad. After arriving back in England he told an interviewer of the horrors of prison life: "The conditions were like hell. At first we were scared because everyone had knives. So we had to get knives as well."

Eventually, after being let out on parole, they managed to skip the country and fly home.

Loseby, who contracted Tuberculosis in jail, has suffered the effects since.

To buy their new book "Banged Up Abroad: Hellhole" click here:

Out of the Wild: Venezuela - surviving Roraima

2011-04-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

Could you survive on Venezuela's remote Mount Roraima if you were flown to the top of the mountain by helicopter with a group of strangers and a few supplies?

That was the challenge set on US reality show "Out of the Wild", produced by the Discovery Channel.

Basically, nine ordinary US citizens were taken to the border between Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana and helicoptered to the top of Roraima with the aim of getting off the famous table-top mountain, known as a tepui in the language of the local Pemon tribe, and making their way back to civilization.

The show is not like "Survivor" or "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here", nobody was voted off by the public, but anybody could leave at any time if the challenge got too tough for them by activating a button on their GPS devices.

The lack of food, damp conditions and gruelling 70-mile hike down the mountain, across the savannah and through dense jungle put even the toughest participants to the test.

US Army Captain Nick Albini, a combat veteran, lost almost 30 pounds during the nearly three weeks it took to complete the trial.

He said afterwards, that it was a much tougher adventure than he had ever dreamed:

"I ate bugs for eight days straight without eating any meat - insects, worms, grasshoppers, spiders, grubworms, scorpions..."

Veteran travel journalist Ryan Van Duzer was also put to the test, calling his time in Venezuela "the most difficult mental and physical challenge of my life," although he said he enjoyed "stretching my limits... to the max."

Could you do it?

Part 2

Part 3

Killer wasps

Juicy Guava

Bradt Guide to Venezuela published in Czech

2011-04-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

From 13 April 2011, the Bradt Guide to Venezuela is available in a Czech translation by Robi Mahel published by Jota.

For more details see Jota's webpage.

Venezuelan Carlos Coste breaks freediving record

2011-03-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I missed this back in December last year, an amazing video of Venezuelan free diver Carlos Coste breaking the Guinness World Record for freediving in an underwater tunnel network after swimming 150m through a sytem of caves in a Mexican cenote called Dos Ojos with just a monofin to propel him and a torch to light the way.

Coste, 34, has been diving competitively for 10 years and is a multiple record holder in freediving.

He can hold his breath underwater for an astonishing seven minutes but only needed two minutes and 30 seconds to cover the 150m that put him into the record books.

"I have been doing competitive diving for 10 years and this is by far the most bizarre run I have ever made. To achieve this is a dream come true for me. I have been interested in speleology since I was a little boy and to combine this with my profession as a freediver was amazing," he said after achieving the feat.

Coste made his record-breaking cave dive on 3 November 2010 and it was officially recognised by the Guiness Book of Records on 23 December 2010.

Bradt Guide to Venezuela goes to Roraima

2011-02-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Dharmender Singh Tathgur the Bradt Guide to Venezuela is on the move. This is a shot of the book in front of the imposing tepui Roraima taken from the stoney banks of the Rio Kukenan.

Dharmender's next stop is the highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls - or Kerepakupai-Meru in the language of the local Pemon people. Let's hope he gets some shots to rival the spectacular cover photo of the falls.

This photo shows the Bradt Guide to Venezuela in the Pemon village of Paraitepuy, the starting and finishing point for treks to the top of Roraima. Keep sending the photos. It's so great to see the book being used to get people safely round Venezuela.

Geodyssey promotes tourism to Venezuela in UK

2011-02-08T01:22:00.000-08:00

While taking part in a meet-the-author event for the Bradt Guide to Venezuela at Destinations Holiday and Travel Show in Earl's Court, London, on 5 February, I met Gillian Howe of travel firm Geodyssey, the UK's top holiday company specializing in trips to Venezuela.

Geodyssey's brochure on Venezuela is a work of art, with excellent photos from every region of the country.

Destinations was a great opportunity to meet and greet travellers planning trips to Venezuela, sign a few guide book and give out tips on where to go and what to see.

New guidebook to Venezuela - interview with Latina Network

2011-02-01T09:08:00.000-08:00

An interview about my new book, the Bradt Guide to Venezuela, with Jorge Martinez of Latina Network.

I bumped into Jorge and his crew at the Venezuelan Embassy's annual Christmas bazaar at Bolivar Hall in London and I'm grateful to him for uploading the interview on Youtube as it's really helped to publicize the book.

Venezuela at top UK adventure tourism event

2011-01-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

Showing off the new guide with Adrian Phillips, Bradt publishing director and guidebook author, at the Bradt book stall at the Adventure Travel Live show in London.

This Sunday, 30 January, from 15:00 till 15:45, I'll be giving a talk about travelling in Venezuela at the Adventure Travel Live tourism fair at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Victoria London.
The event brings together all the major adventure travel companies, guidebook publishers and specialist magazines for a three-day bonanza aimed at publicizing off-the-beaten track destinations, specialist wildlife destinations and once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences.
This is a great opportunity for me to promote Venezuela as a travel destination, especially Los Llanos, Catatumbo, Angel Falls, Mount Roraima, Los Roques and cool places like Choroni.
It's also the perfect venue to talk about my new book - The Bradt Guide to Venezuela.
Here's the description of the talk from the Adventure Travel Live website:

Venezuela: Wildlife Wonderland - Russell Maddicks

One of the 17 most megadiverse countries in the world, Venezuela, perched at the top of South America, is hot, tropical and home to Caribbean beaches, dense rainforests, high Andean valleys, mysterious table-top tepui mountains, and seasonally-flooded plains that are literally teeming with birds, beasts and creepy-crawlies.

From the anacondas, capybaras and crocodiles of Los Llanos, to the jaguars, monkeys and tarantulas of the jungle, a well-planned trip to this fascinating country can reap rich rewards for wildlife watchers. In this talk, Russell Maddicks, who has been adventuring in Venezuela for more than 20 years, will highlight the main wildlife areas to visit and what you can expect to see. He will also give practical tips on how to minimize your impact on these fragile environments, travel responsibly, and give something back to the local communities you stay with.

Special advance price:
Adults: £6. Under 16s free.Order online at adventuretravellive.com or call 0871 230 7159 and quote “PV4”.

On door price:
Adults: £10. Under 16s free.

Show opening times:
Friday 28 January 6pm to 9pm
Saturday 29 January 10am to 6pm
Sunday 30 January 10am to 5pm

Mini meltdown as Venezuela guide hits the shelves

2011-01-21T13:49:00.000-08:00

My first book, the Bradt Guide to Venezuela, came out at the end of December, but due to the Christmas rush it took a while to get out to high street bookstores like Waterstones and W.H. Smith and was constantly selling out on Amazon.co.uk due to unexpected demand.

So imagine my surprise and delight when I walked into my local branch of Waterstone's on Broad Street in Reading this morning and found a copy on the bookshelves, wedged (ironically?) between guides to the USA and Vietnam.

It's every author's dream to get published and see their work in print and I freely confess that it was a magical moment when, after months of feverish writing, editing and fact-checking, the finished book dropped through my letterbox in December and I could finally hold it in my hand.

However, nothing prepared me for the rush of blood to the head when I saw my humble guide to Venezuela in the travel section of Waterstone's.

So thanks to all the super-friendly staff at Waterstone's for humouring me as I snapped away like a Japanese tourist and posed the book around the store as if it was a supermodel, because it really did make all the hard work and frantic travelling and sleepless nights worthwhile.

The whole point of the exercise is to try and raise Venezuela's profile as a tourist destination and provide travellers with all the information they need to get the best out of their trip to this fascinating and beautiful country.

Readers of the book should have all the information they need to master some basic Spanish, learn something about Venezuela's history, music and culture and be able to succesfully organize a trip Angel Falls by canoe, mount an expedition to Mount Roraima or simply spend a week basking in the warm crystalline waters of the Los Roques archipelago.

Earlier in the week I had my first ever book signing, writing a short dedication for Jorge Franca, a good friend who has been a keen supporter of the blog and the book for some time now.

Venezuelan actress Elba Escobar in London shows to aid charity

2011-01-10T04:43:00.000-08:00

Venezuelan actress Elba Escobar is bringing her highly-acclaimed one-woman comedy show to the Chelsea Theatre in Kings Road, London, on February 17 and 18 to raise money for the UK-based Venezuelan children's charity CHAMOS.

The play is a monologue in Spanish on the ups and downs of married life from a Venezuelan woman's perspective and is teasingly entitled "Mi Marido es un Cornudo" ("My Husband is a Cuckold").

This is a rare opportunity to see one of Venezuela's most popular and engaging actresses performing in the UK.
With only 110 seats for each performance you should book early to avoid disappointment.
Escobar has appeared in countless Venezuelan movies and soap operas over the years, including knockabout comedies such as "Cóctel de Camarones, en el Día de la Secretaria" and hard-hitting black comedies like "Secuestro Express".
The event is being organized by CHAMOS, a not-for-profit UK charity that aims to improve the living standards of the most deprived children in Venezuela, whether living in urban or rural areas, or in indigenous communities.

CHAMOS has no political or religious affiliation, and all funds raised through volunteer work are used to financially support NGO’s working in Venezuela.

Tickets are priced £30 and are on sale now. You can pay by either: 1) Electronic tranference to HSBC Bank, Sort Code 40-07-30 Account No. 11891677 CHAMOS, Reference: "Mi Marido es un Cornudo"; Or 2) Send a cheque payable to CHAMOS c/o 19 Earls Terrace, London, W8 6LP.
For more details visit the home page of CHAMOS or email chamosukcharity@googlemail.com or janinbarbozaf@yahoo.com.

One of the Venezuelan charities supported by CHAMOS is the Hogar Santa Ana in Maracaibo, which feeds over 150 children every day. CHAMOS were able recently to provide colourful new tables and chairs for the dining area, which can be seen in this short video highlighting the fantastic work being done at Hogar Santa Ana:

Venezuelan actor brings "Carlos" movie to UK

2010-10-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez seems all set for international superstardom. After playing a CIA hitmen hunting down Matt Damon in "The Bourne Ultimatum" and Keira Knightley's love interest in "Domino", the versatile actor is back on cinema screens in the UK from October 22 as the notorious Venezuelan terrorist, womanizer, and OPEC hostage-taker Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, AKA Carlos The Jackal.

"Carlos The Jackal - The Man Who Hijacked the World" by French director Olivier Assayas, was originally screened as a three-part, 5-hour, made-for-TV biopic.

The stripped down cinema version focuses on the 1970s heyday of the infamous revolutionary - when for a brief period his daring exploits, playboy lifestyle and cool but ruthless execution of terror plots made him the poster boy of international terrorism and one of the most wanted men in the world.

Born in Caracas in 1949, Carlos was named Ilich by his staunchly marxist father, who named his two other sons Lenin and Vladimir after the Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilich Lenin.

After being sent to Russia to study he was expelled from the Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow after only a short period and travelled to Beirut to join the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and embark on a life of international terror.

He chose his code name "Carlos" himself but the nickname "The Jackal" was given to him later by the Guardian newspaper after Frederick Forsyth's novel "The Day of the Jackal" was found in a bag assumed to belong to him.

The French director says he knew Edgar Ramirez was perfect for the part the minute he met him.

"His father was a Venezuelan military attache, so he travelled a lot growing up", says Assayas, "if I hadn't met Edgar Ramirez and immediately realized he was perfect for this part, I wouldn't have made this film".

The film has won rave reviews from the critics, with Time Magazine saying "you won't find a more explosive and ambitious film this year" and the latest edition of Variety magazine listing Ramirez as one of its "10 Actors to Watch" off the back of it.

The film was well-recieved at the London Film Festival on 16 October, with an animated question and answer session with Ramirez in which he gave a very informed introduction to the life and crimes of the infamous, yet enigmatic Carlos, who started life as a pampered idealist but ended up an embarrasment and a liability for the Soviet bloc and Middle Eastern governments that had employed him as a terrorist for hire.

In the end, after 20 years as one of the most wanted men in the world, by the 1990s Carlos cut a pathetic figure as an unwanted revolutionary under the protection of the Sudanese government. In 1994 he was confined to a dingy flat in Khartoum and urgently needed an operation to a varicose vein on one of his testicles when Sudan decided to hand him over to France.

In 1997 a French court sentenced him to life in prison for the murder of two policemen and he is currently in solitary confinement in Clairvaux prison.

Edgar Ramirez, meanwhile, will soon be appearing as another Latin American anti-hero in the eagerly anticipated "Killing Pablo", in which he plays the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

"Carlos" opens in select cinemas across the UK on 22 October in both the 160-minute short version and the marathon 330-minute long version.

Diosa Canales - Tu Boquita

2010-09-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

The exuberant Venezuelan model and singer Diosa Canales has just released this video to her track "Tu Boquita", a bouncy tropical number much like the singer.

Venezuela cracks down on illegal mining - Photo essay

2010-09-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

A photo essay on the website of Time magazine includes this dramatic image of Venezuelan soldiers arriving by helicopter at the beach at El Playón on the Rio Caura, Bolivar State, during an operation to clear out illegal miners on the Upper Caura.

The photo was taken by Venezuelan photographer Carlos Garcia Rawlins, who has worked as a freelance photographer since 2007 and is a stringer for the Reuters News agency. His photos have appeared in The New York Times, the LA Times, The Washington Post, The Wall St Journal, USA Today, Newsweek, The Guardian, Le Monde and Stern.

I was in El Playón in October 2009 when the illegal mining operation in the Río Yuruaní was in full swing. Each night, heavily laden canoes arrived with barrels of gasoline and diesel used to power the pumps in the mining camps.

Sanema Indians came in from all around the Caura to work as porters carrying heavy plastic cannisters of gasoline up the portage route from El Playón to the top of Salto Para, where they were loaded onto canoes and taken upriver to the Yuruani.

I was told by local Yekuana that the "bulla", or seam of gold, was discovered in 2006 by an indigenous group who dug up some gold nuggets.

As soon as word got out about the gold the area was invaded by illegal miners that had been kicked out of La Paragua by the army and National Guard.

At one point over 3,000 people invaded this remote fragile rainforest, stripping the tree cover with powerful hoses and washing tons of sediment and poisonous mercury into the river system in their desperation to extract every last grain of gold from the ground.

It's just tragic to see the absolute devastation and contamination left by the miners in the Caura basin, formerly one of the most pristine areas of rainforest in Venezuela.

To read more about the crackdown on illegal mining in Venezuela and see more of Garcia Rawlins' photos click here:

To read about my trip to the Rio Caura to visit the Yekuana click here:

Venezuelan beauty aims for Miss Universe crown

2010-08-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

Can Venezuela break another Miss Universe record and win for the third time in a row? That's exactly what 21-year-old Marelisa Gibson will be hoping when she lines up with the 83 other contestants on August 23 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for the 58th annual Miss Universe beauty contest.

In 2009, 18-year-old Stefania Fernandez made Miss Universe history when she was crowned by her compatriot and 2008 winner Dayana Mendoza.

It was the first time any country has had successive victories since the pageant began in 1952 and it brought Venezuela's total number of Miss Universe crowns to an astonishing six, only surpassed by the USA with seven.

No wonder Venezuela has a reputation for producing the most beautiful women in the world.

Now it's Marelisa Gibson's chance to win the coveted crown. But can the Caracas-born beauty do it?

A student of architecture at the Central University of Venezuela, Marelisa speaks French, English and Spanish.

As she makes clear in the video, her best gift has been her large family and 33 cousins.

But it's her animal impressions - especially that weird howling cow - that could prove to be a winning formula.

The beauty queen is certainly upbeat about her prospects. Asked by an Online magazine what she expected from the pageant she said: "To win the Miss Universe crown for Venezuela once again. Why not?"

"Stefania just proved that it was possible to win the crown two times in a row, why not three?"

Let's hope Marelisa makes history on August 23 and brings the Miss Universe crown home to Caracas.

This is a good year for Latinas at the pageant. The British candidate, Tara Hoyos-Martinez, was born to Colombian parents living in England and is the first Latina to win Miss Great Britain. She proudly represented her Latino roots at this year's Carnaval del Pueblo celebrations in Burgess Park.

Angel Falls logo launches Venezuela tourism campaign

2010-07-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

A new campaign to promote tourism in Venezuela has been launched with a logo featuring Angel Falls and the slogan: "Venezuela: Conocerla es Tu Destino", which roughly translates as "Venezuela: It's Your Destiny to Discover It".

The yellow, red and blue of the Venezuelan flag also appear in the design.

Hopefully, the new logo will be part of a wider campaign to promote the country's many tourism hotspots, including the islands of Los Roques, the UNESCO protected colonial city of Coro, the waterfalls of the Gran Sabana, the mountain villages of Merida, the spectacular phenomenon of the Catatumbo Lightning and other cool places like Choroni and the islands of Mochima.

My favourite slogan is from the late 1980s when "Venezuela: The Best kept Secret in the Caribbean" was plastered across the side of double-decker buses in London.

Mutant hermaphrodite mega-piranha movie set in Venezuela

2010-07-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

You couldn't make this stuff up... Venezuelan mutant hermaphrodite mega-piranha trying to take over the world?!!?!

Did they even shoot this in the Orinoco?

BBC documentary explores Catatumbo light show

2010-06-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

All photographs copyright to Alan Highton

According to the British particle physicist and documentary maker Brian Cox, a unique natural phenomenon in Venezuela known as El Relámpago del Catatumbo, or Catatumbo lightning, could contribute to repairing damage to the ozone layer.

A professor at the University of Manchester, Brian Cox is a famous face in UK after presenting a number of science programmes for the BBC, most notably the visually stunning 2010 series 'Wonders of the Solar System'.

Cox and a BBC camera crew are currently in Venezuela filming for the first episode of his new series "Wonders of the Universe", after jetting in from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The popular TV scientist made his comments about the ozone layer after spending a few days on Lake Maracaibo, trying to capture on film the electric light show known as Catatumbo Lightning played out nearly every night in the skies above the stilt-house villages of Congo Mirador and Ologa.

Nowhere in the world can you see lightning like you can in the Sur del Lago, with great arcs of thunderless lightning going off across the sky all night, with just seconds between the flashes.

"This phenomenon is unique and occurs because the swamps in the area generate methane gas that rises into the atmosphere, cools and creates the conditions that produce these lightning flashes permanently," Professor Cox said in an interview with Venezuelan daily El Universal.

He also said that he wants the footage of the Relámpago del Catatumbo to open the episode on light in "Wonders of the Universe" as it brings a human dimension to the phenomenon and what lightning means to us.

"I spoke to the people of Ologa and they shared experiences and knowledge with me about the lightning," he said, "having this lightning here permamently affects the people who live on the lake."

Cox and his BBC film crew visited the Sur del Lago with of Catatumbo tour specialist Alan Highton of Cocolight, who has been bringing vistors to experience the lightning for years and knows the lake and its inhabitants like a native.

The four-part series, which first airs on BBC 2 on 6 March, 2011, not only features Catatumbo Lightning but also Venezuela's greatest natural treasure, Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world.

Dr Cox explains that the same laws of light, gravity, time, matter and energy that govern us here on Earth are applied in the Universe and uses spectacular footage of the 979-metre plume of water cascading down from Angel Falls to demonstrate the way light behaves around a black hole.

The first episode of Professor Brian Cox's documentary series "Wonders of the Universe" airs on BBC Two on Sunday, 6 March, at 2100.

Watch a teaser video for the series in glorious HD.

To buy the book that accompanies the series click here:

Video of Catatumbo Lightning

The Aspern Papers - New movie filmed in Choroni

2010-04-29T01:50:00.000-07:00

Henry James in Choroni? Why not. That's what the makers of a new movie have done, transplanting the US author's literary novella "The Aspern Papers" from 19th century Venice to the tropical forests of a cacao plantation in modern-day Venezuela.

The film stars US actress Brook Smith, of Grey's Anatomy, Belgian-born Felix D'Alviella, an established TV actor in the UK, Joan Juliet Buck, from the award winning "Julie and Julia" and the beautiful Venezuelan dancer and actress Lourdes Brito Laffont.

Also appearing are a number of local characters from the village, including Hueso and Tiburon, who plays the Afro-Venezuelan drums, or tambores, that Choroni is so famous for.

First-time director Mariana Hellmund, a Venezuelan writer who has worked as a script-supervisor on a number of US movies, also co-wrote the screenplay and produced.

From the trailer and stills released so far, the film looks great, with plenty of shots of Playa Grande, the colourful fishing boats in Puerto Colombia and the colonial houses of Choroni. The scenes in the cacao plantation were filmed at Hacienda La Sabaneta.

All we need now is a release date. For more details of the film visit: http://www.theaspernpapers.com

Here's the synopsis:

A young American publisher's quest to find the lost papers of the great romantic poet Jeffery Aspern, leads him on a treasure hunt to the coastal jungles of Venezuela.
The poet’s great muse, Juliana Bordereau is alive and hiding in an 18th century cocoa hacienda. She lives with scant means, in the company of her niece, Tita Bordereau, a quiet spinster held captive to her aunt's life and shaded past.
The American plots to lure the women with money, convinced that once inside the house he’ll get his hands on the papers - even if he has to go so far as to seduce the niece. The muse, the niece, and the gentleman will find themselves in a game of trust and deceit, far away from the comforts of civilization. But Tita’s naiveté becomes her strongest card when she takes destiny into her own hands, and exacts a price too high even for the paper-obsessed American.
Brooke Smith, Felix D’Alviella, Judith Roberts and Joan Juliet Buck star in this contemporary adaptation of Henry James’ beloved novella about literary obsession directed by Mariana Hellmund.

Angel Falls reduced to trickle by major drought

2010-03-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

The serious drought currently affecting Venezuela - sparking an energy emergency as hydrolectric dams run dry - has also hit tourists wanting to visit Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world.

According to a report today in the Spanish news agency Efe, Angel Falls - known as Salto Angel in Spanish or Kerepakupai-Meru to the local Pemon Indians - has lost at least a third of its usual dry season flow, reducing it to a tiny thread of water that evaporates before reaching the base.

"There is no water. It´s like having a thread in the centre of your wall at home, like one you would use for sewing clothes. That thread of water is all that's falling", Canaima-based tourist guide Joel Bernal told Efe.

Blamed on El Niño, this is the worst drought Venezuela has experienced in 45 years, leading to electricity rationing in the main cities and short blackouts in some rural areas.

In Canaima, the jungle base for trips to Angel Falls, the Carrao River is so low that it is not possible to take tourists to the foot of the falls by dugout canoe.

The only option is a fly over in a small plane or an expensive helicopter trip that lands on Auyan-Tepui, the flat-topped mountain from which Angel Falls cascades 979 metres into the Churun River below.

The "dry season" period from December to April is always a difficult time to visit the falls as rainfall is very sparse, but according to local guides not a single drop of rain has fallen on Auyan-Tepui since December, bringing river levels to a historic low.

Everbody in Canaima is now hoping that Easter brings enough rain to allow the commencement of river trips to the falls.

Angel Falls is competing to be one of the 7 Wonders of Nature in a global online competition.

Sculptor of Virgen de La Paz dies

2010-03-05T12:17:00.000-08:00

The artist Manuel de la Fuente, who created a famous monument to the Virgen de La Paz in Trujillo, has died in the city of Merida. He was 78 years old.

Born in Cadiz, Spain, De la Fuente studied sculpture, drawing and the history of art in Seville, where he first found work as an art teacher.

In 1958 he moved to Venezuela and in 1959 he arrived in Merida, where he taught art and architecture for forty years at the University of the Andes (ULA).

La Virgen de la Paz is a truly monumental sculpture. Set atop a hilltop at 1,700 metres above sea level, the painted concrete structure showing the Virgin Mary with a dove of peace in her right hand is nearly 47 metres high and weighs 1,200 tonnes.

Visitors can climb up the centre of the sculpture to reach the topmost of the five viewpoints which give views over Trujillo to parts of Zulia and Merida states.

But De la Fuente's best-loved sculpture must be the large bronze of La Loca Luz Caraballo, located at 3,500 m above sea level in the park of the same name in the mountain village of Apartaderos, just outside Merida.

The woman with the tortured look and her twisted hand pointing off into the distance is Luz Caraballo, a mother who went mad after losing five of her children in different ways.

Legend has it that two of her boys joined the army of Independence hero Simon Bolivar as he passed through the Andes.

Luz Caraballo became an iconic figure after her personal tragedy was immortalized in a poem by Andres Eloy Blanco.

De la Fuente completed the sculpture in 1967.

Trip Tips: Venezuelan Festival Calendar 2010

2010-02-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

If you want to plan a visit to venezuela, the first thing you need to know is when the public holidays fall.

There's no point visiting during the main holidays of Christmas, Easter or Carnival unless you specifically want to see one of the many local festivals that take place during these times or if you're one of those people who feels lonely without a horde of people to keep them company on the beach.

Venezuelans love their holidays and will do anything to extend them, so carnival celebrations won't start this year on Monday, 15 February, but on Friday, 12 February, or the Thursday before that and will most likely extend beyond that in most places to Ash Wednesday on the 17th.

This is something the Venezuelans call a "puente", literally a bridge, a neat way of stretching holidays out between weekends to maximize the party time available.

The same holds true for other moveable feast such as Easter (Semana Santa in Spanish), which officially starts on Good Friday on 2 April and runs through Easter Monday on 5 April. Expect the celebrations to start well before Friday and extend well beyond Monday.

1 January - New Year's Day
6 January -The Three Kings (Reyes Magos)
15-16 February - Carnival
19 March - San Jose
28 March -Palm Sunday - Los Palmeros descend from the Avila mountain with palm fronds for a mass in the local church in the plaza in Chacao, Caracas.
1-4 April - Easter (Semana Santa)
19 April - Declaration of Independence
1 May - International Workers Day
3 June - Corpus Christi - Devil Dancers start the celebrations early on Thursday in San Francisco de Yare, Chuao, Patanemo and 11 other towns.
23-24 June - Feast of Saint John the Baptist has a party atmosphere along the coast, where statues of the saint are taken out of the churches to dance to Afro-Venezuelan drumming.
24 June - Battle of Carabobo. The decisive battle in Venezuela's war of independence against Spanish control is celebrated with military parades.
29 June - San Pedro and San Pablo
5 July - Venezuelan Independence
24 July - Simon Bolivar's Birthday
12 October - Indigenous Resistance Day, a public holiday formerly known as Columbus Day. It is also the biggest day for the Cult of Maria Lionza, with thousands of her devotees travelling to the Mountain of Sorte in Yaracuy State to bathe in the river, take part in cleansing rituals and watch the mass fire walking ceremony that closes the day.
7 December - Immaculate Conception
25 December - Christmas Day

Los Llanos, Roraima and Choroni in The Guardian

2010-01-25T04:32:00.000-08:00

Four of Venezuela's hottest travel destinations - Los Llanos, Roraima, Angel Falls and Choroni/Puerto Colombia - made a welcome appearance in the UK press on Saturday, featuring in a travel piece by Grainne Mooney in the Guardian.

The author was blown away by the sheer abundance of wildlife at Hato Cedral in Los LLanos, although she doesn't mention the excellent evening entertainment, when the ranch hands tie up their horses for the night, pull out the harp and maracas and treat guests to the authentic sounds of Venezuela's cowboy country.

She also experienced the full arctic freeze of the air-conditioning on a Venezuelan coach, during a 24-hour trip from the Llanos to Santa Elena from where she trekked to the top of Roraima and marveled at the hopless frogs, carnivorous plants and weird rock formations on the plateau.

If I have a quibble it's that the article isn't entirely accurate about the name change for the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls or Salto Angel in Spanish, which is currently named after US bush pilot Jimmie Angel.

President Chavez has suggested that the indigenous Pemon name for the falls, Kerepakupai-Meru, should replace Salto Angel, but for now it's still only a suggestion.

Additionally, I would advise anybody spending a few days in Choroni/Puerto Colombia to take a boat ride to the cacao plantation of Chuao and to trek up into the could forest of the Henri Pittier National Park, one of the best birding sites in Venezuela.

To read the Guardian article in full click here: The lost world of Venezuela

Yellow Pants, Grapes and Triqui Traquis - Venezuelan New Year

2009-12-31T07:24:00.000-08:00

Venezuelans have been stocking up on yellow underwear, sparkling wine and grapes in the last few days, in the traditional build up to the celebration of New Year's Eve, or Fin de Año.

The locals love to welcome in the New Year with a massive bang so sales of fireworks or "triqui-traquis" have also been brisk - especially the annoying little firecrackers called "fosforitos", the bigger "empanaditas" and the fearsome rockets with names like "Matasuegra" ("Mother-in-Law Killer") and "Tumba Rancho" ("Shanty Destroyer").

As in many other places in the Spanish-speaking world, New Year traditions in Venezuela involve various ways of saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new one in a way that will bring good luck, good health, love and prosperity.

Yellow pants are worn to bring luck and money (they are the colour of gold after all), and red pants are believed to improve your chances at finding love and romance.

Make sure to wear the pants under your clothes, as you would normally.

At my first Venezuelan New Year's Eve party, I made the mistake of pulling over my jeans a pair of canary-yellow bikini briefs I'd been given for the occassion by a well-meaning friend.

While it was funny for about two minutes to strut about like a skinny superhero, it did look a bit wrong on the dancefloor, and if it hadn't been for the gallons of Black Label whiskey and Polar Ice beer we'd been drinking all evening I would have felt a bit self conscious when we went house to house to share a drink with the neighbours.

Some kids in the street even thought it was hilarious to shoot little bottle rockets at me while shouting "mira, aqui viene el supermancito" ("look, here comes the little Superman"), lighting the rockets while holding the sticks in their hands and then firing them straight down the street at my distinctive New Year attire.

Luckily, nobody got burnt, but I did feel a bit confused when I woke up the next day on the sofa with a sore head and these strange pants strangling my nether regions. Even if they'd been bright scarlet I cannot see how they could have brought me any luck in the romance department.

Another popular New Year's custom is to wear new clothes for the first time - known as "estrenos" (just as a new film has its "estreno", its premiere) - again to bring good luck and prosperity.

Generally, New Year's Eve parties follow the same pattern as Christmas Eve, with festive music such as gaitas - classics like "Viejo Año" by Maracaibo 15 or Nestor Zavarce's New Year tearjerker "Faltan Cinco Pa' Las Doce" - and the usual salsa vieja and reggaeton party favourites followed by a meal of yuletide foods such as pan de jamon, hallacas, ensalada de gallina, pernil and drinks like ponche crema.

As the countdown begins to the magic midnight hour guests quickly grab their 12 grapes and a glass of sparkling wine or champagne and try to gobble down a grape for each of the 12 chimes, known as the "12 campanas".

As each grape represents a good month in the year to come you can imagine the rush to get them down.

Any remaining grapes are usually washed down with champagne as the last chime of midnight ends, which is the cue for "los cañonazos" - the deafening fireworks displays that mark the start of the New Year.

This is also time for New Year hugs and kisses, generally to the sound of a traditional New Year song like "Año Nuevo, Vida Nueva" ("New Year, New Life") by Billo's Caracas Boys.

Few traditions are as dramatic as the annual burning of the "Old Year" in the Andean states of Merida, and Tachira, where papier mache figures representing the problems of the old year are paraded through the streets before being burnt at midnight to the sound of gaita music and the deafening explosions of thousands of triqui-traquis.

So now you know what to do to have an authentic Venezuelan New Year's Eve party. Grab some grapes, slip into your best yellow pants and have a fantastic New Year.

Paz, amor y prosperidad and a Feliz Año Nuevo pa' to' mi gente!

Angel Falls or Kerepakupai-Meru?

2009-12-22T01:57:00.000-08:00

Since coming to power in Venezuela in 1999, President Hugo Chavez has renamed the country, the currency and the mountain that separates the capital city from the Caribbean sea. Now he's turned his attention to the country's most famous landmark Angel Falls, or Salto Angel in Spanish, which at 979 metres (3,212 feet) is the highest waterfall in the world, Venezuela's greatest natural treasure and a top tourism destination.

The falls are currently named after the US aviator and adventurer Jimmie Angel, who first saw the record-breaking natural wonder from the cockpit of his plane in 1933 while searching for a river of gold.

Speaking on his weekly radio and TV programme "Hello, President", Mr Chavez said: "How can we accept this idea that the falls were discovered by a guy who came from the United States in a plane?"

"If we do that, that would be like accepting that nobody was living here," he added, suggesting that from now on Angel Falls should be renamed to show respect to the Pemon Indians who inhabit the remote Gran Sabana region in the south of Venezuela, and who were there centuries before the US bush pilot saw the falls.

The waterfall gushes forth from an enormous heart-shaped mesa mountain, which already has an indigenous Pemon name: Auyan-tepui, or Aiyan-tepuy, which means "Devil Mountain", according to Father Cesareo Armellada's "Diccionario Pemon".

Following his first flypast of the falls in 1933, Jimmie Angel attempted a landing on Auyan-tepui in 1937 but his Flamingo monoplane "El Rio Caroni" sank into soft ground.

The crash left Jimmie, his wife Marie (shown left with Jimmie) and the Venezuelans Gustavo Heny and Miguel Delgado stranded atop the isolated mountain. They had limited supplies and had to trek to safety through unexplored terrain.

It took Angel and his party 11 exhausting days to make their way down to the Pemon village of Kamarata.

As news of their adventure spread across the globe, Jimmie Angel's name became inextricably linked with the waterfall, which was named Angel Falls in honour of his exploits.

The "Rio Caroni" was eventually taken down from the top of Auyan-tepui by the Venezuelan Air Force in the 1970s and now stands outside Ciudad Bolivar airport, where modern-day tourists start their trips to Canaima Camp, the starting point for river trips to Angel Falls and flyovers in small planes.

Angel died aged 57 of injuries sustained in a plane accident in Panama in 1956.

In July 1960, in line with his wishes, Jimmie Angel's ashes were scattered over the falls by his two sons.

President Chavez acknowledged that Angel "was the first one to see it from a plane", but insisted the falls should have an indigenous name.

"That is ours, and was a long time before Angel ever got there... how many millions of indigenous eyes saw it, and prayed to it?" he added.

Referring at first to Churun-Meru, the Pemon name for a smaller waterfall that cascades from the Auyan-tepui mountain, Mr Chavez was subsequently corrected by his daughter Maria, who passed him a note stating the correct Pemon name for the falls is Kerepakupai-Meru, meaning "waterfall of the deepest place".

"Nobody should speak of Angel Falls any more," said the president.

However, there could be a challenge to the new name. While some Pemon refer to the waterfall as Kerepakupai-Meru, it is referred to in older reports as Parekupa-Meru, from the Pemon words kupa meaning "deep water", pare meaning "more", and meru meaning "waterfall".

The Venezuelan president's call for a name change comes at a moment of increasing interest in the world's highest waterfall. It featured as "Paradise Falls" in the Pixar/Disney movie "Up" and has made it into the final 28 candidates of a global internet campaign to find the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

By Russell Maddicks

Report on Jimmie Angel and the "discovery" of Angel Falls

Auyan-tepui, Angel Falls and Pemon myths

Angel Falls competing to be one of the 7 Wonders of Nature

Video clip of Angel Falls from David Attenborough's BBC series "Planet Earth"

Pixar's movie "Up" explores Venezuela's Lost World of Roraima, Angel Falls

Spectacular video clip of oldest base Jumper to leap from the top of Angel Falls

View of the falls from a pool below the "Mirador", where in the dry season visitors can bathe in the waters of Salto Angel. (All photos are the property of Russell Maddicks)

10th Anniversary of the 1999 Vargas Tragedy

2009-12-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

It is with great sadness that we remember the tragedy that occurred on 15 December 1999, one of the worst human tragedies in recent Venezuelan history, when heavy rains over 14 days brought devastating floods and huge mudslides down from the Avila mountain, wreaking havoc and destruction on the coastal towns and barrios of Vargas State, burying houses, roads and whole families under thousands of tons of mud and killing between 10,000 and 30,000 people.

Many thousands more were made homeless and spent months in temporary shelters, with many families separated for long periods, before they could be rehoused. For some the events of those dark days were so traumatic they have never returned and many hundreds of houses will never be excavated from the concrete-like mud that now covers them.

The shocking images in this short video about the tragedy give a small idea of how terrifying the forces of nature can be when they are unleashed.

Jungle Adventures on the Casiquiare in New Book

2009-12-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

In 2005, the writers Richard Starks and Miriam Murcutt travelled to the remote jungles along Venezuela's border with Brazil and Colombia to explore for themselves the mysterious Casiquiare Canal, a river joining the waters of the Orinoco River with the Amazon River via the Rio Negro. They travelled with Lucho Cherry Navarro, who organizes trips to the Casiquiare on a boat called the Iguana, which once belonged to the French oceanographer Jaques Cousteau.

The reason for their trip was to clear up some of the persisting myths surrounding the Casiquiare and to publish their findings in Geographical, the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society.

In the end they came back with so much material that the only way to do it justice was to write up their travels in a book and so in October 2009 they published: "Along the River that Flows Uphill: From the Orinoco to the Amazon".

Recently, I caught up with Richard and Miriam to hear more about their experiences in Venezuela, especially their visit to the Yanomami village of Viruinave, on the Casiquiare, and their frightening brush with FARC guerrillas in Colombia.

The photos, shot on the Orinoco and in the Yanomami village of Viriunave on the Casiquiare, are all copyright to Richard Starks and Miriam Murcutt.

Question: After publishing your first book together about US pilots in the frozen wastes of Tibet what made you opt for the heat and humidity of the Venezuelan jungle?

Richard: The book really began life as a magazine article. A few years ago - in 2005 - Geographical, the official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society in London, commissioned us to write an article about the Casiquiare, a strange river in Venezuela that is unique among rivers in that it is the only one in the world that manages to flow over a watershed - the watershed that separates the Orinoco and the Amazon river systems.
The magazine wanted an article about the peculiar geography of this river, because by flowing over a watershed, the river appears to flow uphill, and that, of course, is not possible.
Anyway, to write the article, we travelled by boat along the upper Orinoco and then down the full length of the Casiquiare to reach the Rio Negro, which runs into the Amazon near Manaus.
We then wrote the article. But so many things happened to us on our journey that when we came back we realised we had more then enough material for a book. So we wrote "Along the River that Flows Uphill".
It wasn't intended to be an antidote to our trip to Tibet - it just worked out that way.

Question: Was it a good choice for your second collaboration? Did you connect with Venezuela and find the adventure you were looking for?

Miriam: "Yes" is the short answer. We did connect with Venezuela - not so much with Caracas, which is where we flew to in order to begin our journey, but certainly with the rest of the country. I've been studying Spanish for several years now and I have to admit to a bias in favour of Spanish speaking people. We've travelled a lot in both South and Central America, and we've always had positive experiences.

Question: One of the most dramatic episodes in the book is your meeting with the Yanomami Indians both on the Orinoco River and the Casiquiare Canal. The image of the Yanomami fostered by anthropologists in the 1970s and 1980s is of a warrior tribe of "Fierce People". More recently, they have been seen as victims of exploitative missionaries, disease-spreading miners, vote-hungry politicians and those very same anthropologists. Did your understanding of the Yanomami change after spending time with them?

Miriam: We felt privileged to see the Yanomami, as it's highly likely that their way of life will radically change in the very near future. I should say that we visited the Yanomami only in villages along the Orinoco and the Casiquiare, where the river traffic brings them into contact with the modern world - we did not visit any of the nomadic tribes that live in the jungles of Venezuela and Brazil.
It was still possible to see how they used to live - especially along the Casiquiare, which is much more remote than the Orinoco - but at the same time we caught a glimpse of their future, as they adopt many of the goods that are already changing their way of life - things like plastic buckets, steel machetes, T-shirts and shorts. Until recently, everything they made and used was biodegradable, but now they're beginning to have a litter problem.
I can't say that the Yanomami we met lived up to their reputation for violence, although they were not an overtly friendly people. It's true, as we relate in the book, that we did have a run-in with a Yanomami Indian who threatened us with a poison-tipped arrow, but that was more our fault than his.

Question: The Casiquiare Canal was described in detail by the German scientist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt who travelled from the Rio Negro to the Orinoco in 1800. Did you learn anything new on your trip to dispel any of the myths surrounding this "monstrous error of geography", as one geographer described it?

Richard: In the 18th century, no-one believed that a river could flow over a watershed, so the Casiquiare was indeed dismissed as a 'monstrous error of geography', as we say in our book. Humboldt was not the first European to travel along it - that honour belongs to a Jesuit priest called Father Manuel Roman who paddled the river in 1744 - but he was the first to report on his journey and be believed. Humboldt described the bifurcation - the point where the Casiquiare leaves the Orinoco - in quite dramatic terms, but in fact there's nothing really there to mark the spot. The Casiquiare just slides off to one side of the Orinoco and disappears into the jungle. There's no real fanfare.

Question: So how does the Casiquiare join the Orinoco to the Amazon?

Richard: A certain amount of confusion was created by the translated description of Humboldt's journey. He wrote that the Casiquiare "changes direction", which a lot of people assumed meant that it changed the direction of its flow - sometimes flowing out of the Orinoco and into the Negro, then sometimes reversing itself and flowing the other way. This is still a popular misconception, which you will find in many Internet searches for 'Casiquiare'. In fact, the Casiquiare flows in one direction only, and what Humboldt meant is that the river changes direction because it meanders, and that's quite a different thing.
As for a full explanation of its behaviour, we deal with that in our book.

Question: Humboldt describes his passage down the Casiquiare as one of constant torture from moquitos and black fly, the feared "jejenes", that leave a nasty, raised bloodspot under the skin. What was the most uncomfortable part of your trip?

Miriam: It was all uncomfortable!
Basically, we were travelling on a river boat through the jungle. There were always insects, especially when we got off the boat and went on land, and all of them seemed either to bite or sting. It was also the rainy season - we had to go then, because in the dry season, the Casiquiare shrinks in size and can only be effectively travelled in a canoe or some other small boat. That didn't mean it was always raining - although when it did, it rained in sheets - but it did mean the humidity was extremely high. So you always felt wet or clammy. You never quite got entirely dry.

Question: You also mention a brush with guerillas from the FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, in San Felipe, near San Carlos de Rio Negro? In the book you seem to respond quite calmly to the situation but was it scary?

Richard: That's right. FARC tried to kidnap us and hold us for ransom when we were foolish enough to stray over the border into Colombia. It was extremely frightening for both of us, but like a lot of events like this, it seems more frightening when we look back on it than it was at the time it occurred. Everything happened so quickly, and we were so focused on the best way to react that we didn't think through all the consequences. It's only now, when we reflect on what might have happened, that we appreciate how lucky we were to have escaped.
Over the past 20 or 30 years, FARC has kidnapped literally thousands of people. Most of their victims have been Colombians, which is why they don't get much international attention, and they are held in the most appalling conditions - literally chained to trees or to each other for eight, ten, twelve years. Maybe even more.

Question: You mention Lucho, the owner of the boat who took you from Puerto Ayacucho to the Casiquiare and Rio Negro, how did you get in touch with him and is the trip you took something that others could do?

Miriam: Before we went on our journey, we searched for possible guides on the Internet and in some of the more out-of-the-way guide books. Lucho is one, but there are others - people who, for a fee, will take you along the Casiquiare. It's possible for anyone to make the journey we did, but as we indicated, the time of year determines the size of boat you can travel on. In the dry season, you'll likely have to travel in a bongo - a kind of large, dugout canoe - and camp on the river bank. Only in the rainy season will you find a boat large enough for you to sleep on.

Question: One of the main problems of a long boat journey is boredom. How long were you on Lucho's boat? Did you ever fall out? What did you do to while away the hours?

Richard: We never had any problems with the other people on the boat. There were a lot of them, so the boat was crowded, but we all respected other people's space. We read a lot, and we wrote a lot - either the article we were there to complete, or in the journals we kept which later formed the backbone of our book. I suppose it could be considered boring, but the jungle is so strange, at least to us, that it's endlessly fascinating. Also, of course, we were able to get off the boat and visit a lot of communities along the way. This helped break up our journey, and also gave us a lot of good material for our book.

Question: For anybody who reads your book and wants to visit the Casiquiare, what advice would you give them?

Miriam: Plan well, and know what you're getting into. Consider going in a group of four or more, rather than just two. If something goes wrong you have more back-up.

Richard: Don't go into Colombia - at least not in the part near where Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela come together. It's almost entirely lawless, and to a large extent under the control of FARC.

Question: Richard spends much of the book lamenting the lost days of the great adventurers, especially his heroes, the Welsh explorer Henry Morton Stanley and David Livingstone. Now people can Google Earth any spot on the planet, are there still great adventures to be had?

Richard: There are always great adventures to be had. One person's great adventure can be just another day in the office for somebody else.
I think nowadays the thing to consider when planning an adventure is the amount of risk you might possibly face, and whether or not that risk is worth taking, given the reward you hope to get. This is something we had not really considered before, but our brush with FARC made us think seriously about the level of risk we were prepared to accept. That's one of the themes that runs throughout the book - you want to push the envelope as people say, but not push it to the point where it breaks.

To purchase "Along the River That Flows Uphill: Between the Orinoco and the Amazon" click here:

Catatumbo Lightning - a Venezuelan mystery

2009-12-03T08:18:00.000-08:00

Anybody who has travelled to the houses on stilts in the south of Lake Maracaibo to witness firsthand the mysterious natural phenomenon known as Catatumbo Lightning, or El Relampago del Catatumbo in Spanish, will understand the awe that these great arcs of thunderless lightning inspire.

The lightning can be seen on an average of 160 nights a year, with the electrical storms lasting up to 10 hours and with up to 280 lightning flashes an hour.

One of the first to pen an account of the phenomenon, and so bring it to the attention of the wider world, was the German scientist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt, who described the powerful and sustained lightning flashes as "electrical explosions that are like a phosphorescent gleam".

Humboldt referred to the phenomenon as "El Farol de Maracaybo", or "The Lighthouse of Maracaibo", because navigators on the lake are "guided by it as by a lighthouse".

"The distance, greater than 40 leagues, at which the light is observed, has led to the supposition that it might be owing to the effects of a thunderstorm, or of electrical explosions which might daily take place in a pass in the mountains," wrote Humboldt in his famous book "Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America."

While it can be seen from hundreds of miles away, the main area in which Catatumbo Lightning is produced is in the sky over the mouth of the Catatumbo River as it empties into the south of Lake Maracaibo, known in Spanish as Sur del Lago.

Most tourist trips organized from Merida start at the small fishing village of Puerto Concha, on the shores of the Sur del Lago, from where boat trips can be arranged to houses on stilts in the Las Cienagas de Juan Manuel National Park, where the best views are available.

Congo Mirador is a community of some 120 stilt-built shacks reached in two hours by boat from Puerto Concha.

As the documentary suggests, there is still no accepted single cause for the phenomenon, which remains a mystery, although most theories are linked to the atmospheric conditions that result from heavy winds blowing down from the Andes Mountains in Merida, which then collide with ionised gases - specifically the methane created by the decomposition of organic matter in local marshes.

One of the companies offering Catatumbo trips from Merida is
Fanny Tours and Adventures

"Chevere, pana!" - Speak like a Venezuelan

2009-11-12T12:25:00.000-08:00

FitVen2009 showcases Venezuela´s natural treasures

2009-10-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

Caracas: Venezuelan Tourism Minister Pedro Morejon pledged a greater emphasis on promoting national and international tourism at the opening of the annual International Tourism Fair (FitVen 2009) in Caracas on 1 October.

The aim of the event, which was organized by the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR), was to showcase Venezuela's most popular tourist attractions, including Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world, the crystalline waters and unspoilt beaches of Los Roques and the tranquil Andean mountain villages of Merida State.

This year, the tourism fair was held from 1 to 4 October in the spectacular setting of the Hotel Humboldt (2,105 metres above sea level), on the top of the Avila mountain, overlooking the Caracas valley on one side and the Caribbean sea on the other.

Visitors were able to wander among the colourful stands representing the different states of Venezuela at the installations of the Waraira-Repano cable car station, which houses an artificial ice-skating rink and a newly-inaugurated convention centre.

In total some 600 tour operators and airlines took part in the event and countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Japan had stands promoting their own tourist treasures.

The tourism minister made several important announcements at the opening of the fair, saying that the Venezuelan government is "running over 140 projects for the construction of hotels, guesthouses and tourist services."

He also said that the difficult problem of crime and insecurity will be tackled in part by a new tourist police, which is being set up within the framework of the National Police.

The Tourism Ministry also plans to refurbish the iconic Humboldt Hotel (see below), an architectural jewel built in 1955 that looks like the set of a James Bond movie with its sixties furnishings. Sadly, it hasn't operated as a hotel since the 1970s.

The project would see a complete overhaul of the defunct cable-car link to Macuto on the Caribbean side of the Avila, which would allow visitors from Caracas to reach the beaches there via the mountain.

Getting to the fair was an adventure in itself as all the visitors, exhibitors, performers and reporters who attended the four-day event arrived in one of the 70 new cable cars, which take no more than 18 minutes to travel the 3.5 kilometres from the base of the mountain in Mariperez, Caracas, to the Waraira-Repano station on the Avila.

Inaugurated in September 1955 by then Venezuelan president General Marcos Perez Jimenez, the cable car system fell into disuse in the 1970s and had to be completely overhauled in 2000 by a private concession called Avila Magica.

In 2008 the cable car system and the installations on the mountain returned to the state and are now run by the government tour operator Venetur.

La Gran Sabana - Spectacular slideshow of images

2009-09-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

Angel Falls a finalist for New 7 Natural Wonders

2009-07-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

It's official. The highest waterfall in the world and Venezuela's greatest tourist attraction, Angel Falls, has been announced as one of the 28 finalists in a competition to find the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

The final 28 were unveiled on 21 July in Zurich by the Swiss-based non-profit organization the New7Wonders Foundation and voting for the New 7Wonders is underway.

Angel Falls, or Salto Angel as it is known in Venezuela, was chosen from among 77 natural wonders that had been whittled down from 261 suggested global landmarks following an online vote and a final decision by a panel of experts.

Led by the ex-director general of UNESCO, Federico Mayor Zaragoza, the panel made their selection using criteria such as natural beauty, ecological importance, historical importance and geographical location, to have an equal distribution by continent.

Cascading spectacularly from the top of flat-topped mountain Auyan-tepui into the Churun River below, Angel Falls is a worthy candidate for the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

Located in remote jungle more than 100 km from the nearest town, Angel Falls drops 979 metres from the top of the mountain - with an uninterrupted drop of 807 metres - and is 19 times higher than Niagara Falls.

The only way to get to the base of the falls is by navigating the Carrao and Churun rivers in a two day trip by dugout canoe from the jungle camp of Canaima.

Other succesful finalists include The Amazon rainforest, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, The Grand Canyon in the USA, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and the Dead Sea.

In the final phase of the competition, the public will now have the chance to select their top seven from the list of 28 natural wonders.

The succesful seven will be announced in 2011.

The man who came up with the idea, Swiss-Canadian filmmaker and aviator Bernard Weber, says his goal is to raise awareness about the natural treasures of the planet and the need to conserve them.

The foundation's slogan is: "If we want to save anything, we first need to truly appreciate it."

Critics have questioned the fact that some governments have led high-profile media campaigns to get people to vote for their natural wonders, given the clear tourism benefits that this kind of competition can generate.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, which has its own list of Cultural and Natural Heritage Sights, has definitely not welcomed the initiative saying that the list of the New Seven Wonders finalists "will be the result of a private undertaking, reflecting only the opinions of those with access to the Internet and not the entire world."

And skeptics might wonder why well-known landmarks like Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, didn't make the list.

But casting aside the scientific basis of the competition, or whether it's fair or even representative, the only way to get Angel Falls on the list of the New Seven Wonders of Nature is to get voting on the New7Wonders website:

Video clip of Angel Falls from David Attenborough's BBC series "Planet Earth"

Report on Jimmie Angel and the "Discovery" of Angel Falls

Spectacular video clip of oldest base Jumper to leap from the top of Angel Falls

Auyan-tepui, Angel Falls and Pemon myths

Travel article: Cueva del Guacharo - Oilbirds and Elephant Ears

Will Angel Falls become one of the New 7 Natural Wonders?

2009-07-16T06:43:00.001-07:00

Newsflash! The results are in and Angel Falls is one of the 28 finalists vying to become one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. Read about it here:

Will Angel Falls become one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature? It seems like the voting has been going on for ever but there's not long now before we find out if the world's highest waterfall and Venezuela's greatest tourist attraction has made it into the Top 28 finalists.

All voting is currently on hold, as the New7Wonders panel of experts considers the TOP 77 nominees from the second phase of the online voting that ended on 7 July.

The panel's decision on which of the 77 nominees make the list for the 28 Official Finalist Candidates will be announced on 21 July at seven minutes past midday gmt.

Angel Falls is the only Venezuelan natural wonder to make it into the Top 77 in the category for Lakes, Rivers and Waterfalls.

Other succesful South American candidates include the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, Iguazu Falls shared by Brazil and Argentina, Kaietur Falls in Guyana, the Atacama Desert in Chile and Lake Titicaca shared by Bolivia and Peru.

After the 28 finalists have been revealed on 21 July, voting will then resume again to decide the final seven Wonders of Nature.

The organizers estimate that by the time the finalists are revealed in 2011 over 1 billion votes will have been cast.

Back in 2007 more than 100 million people from all over the world cast votes for hundreds of architechural gems in a search for the 7 New Wonders of the World.

The final seven were Machu Picchu in Peru, the Pyramid of Chichen Itza in Mexico, Christ the Redeemer in Rio, Brazil, the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, the Great Wall of China, the ancient city of Petra in Jordan and the Taj Mahal in India.

Fingers crossed for Angel Falls on 21 July and thanks to all who voted.

Report on Jimmie Angel and the "Discovery" of Angel Falls

Video clip of Angel Falls from David Attenborough's BBC series "Planet Earth"

Spectacular video clip of oldest base Jumper to leap from the top of Angel Falls

Auyan-tepui, Angel Falls and Pemon myths

Travel article: Cueva del Guacharo - Oilbirds and Elephant Ears

The Dolphin People - Novel set in Venezuelan jungle

2009-07-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

A small plane crashes deep in the Venezuelan jungle. A family fleeing the post-WWII nightmare of occupied Germany is captured by a warlike tribe living far from civilization. Fortunately for the blonde-haired newcomers the Indians believe they are magical river dolphins who have taken human form. Can the stranded Germans keep up the pretense? Or will they be discovered, cast out or killed?

A full-on survival story set in Venezuela's Amazonas region, Torsten Krol's debut novel "The Dolphin People" reinvents the Boys Own adventure yarn for a 21st century audience with some tongue-in-cheek twists that will have you laughing out loud or squirming in your seat.

The book starts with German teen Erich and his younger brother Zeppi leaving behind the ashes of a defeated Fatherland and setting sail for a new life in South America with their widowed mother Helga.

It's 1946 and Helga has agreed to marry her dead husband's brother Klaus, a doctor who has settled in southern Venezuela.

After a brief marriage in Ciudad Bolivar, Klaus takes his new family to the airport where they board a plane to a remote jungle camp. Flying into a storm over heavy jungle, the plane is buffeted by heavy winds and rain before crashing into a river, leaving Klaus, Erich, Zeppi and Helga cold, wet, lost and stranded, without food, shelter or hope of rescue.

The only thing Erich has managed to cling onto is the Iron Cross his dead father received from Adolf Hitler.

The family's adventure begins in earnest when Erich meets a group of naked men in the jungle, hunters from the Yayomi tribe, who believe these strange white people washed up on the river bank are mythical dolphin spirits in human form.

Before it is over, one unfortunate bather will be stripped to the bone by a frenzied school of razor-toothed piranhas, another will have experienced the excruciating pain of being entered by the insidious "willy fish", or candiru, and Erich will have grown from an innocent boy brought up with the certainties of Nazi Germany to a young man ready to fight for his survival.

In the meantime, Krol paints a caricatured but convincing portrait of his fictional Yayomi tribe, clearly based on the Yanomami given the specifics of their unique funeral ritual of eating the bones of the dead crushed into plantain soup.

By pitting Nazis against the Yayomi, Krol has created a novel that works on many levels. On the one hand it can be enjoyed as a traditional jungle adventure, but it can also be read as a critique of the "savage", "stone age" label so often applied when describing rainforest peoples.

Who are the savages here? The Yayomi, living in harmony with their environment, or the Nazi doctor Klaus, representing an ideology that engulfed the world in a brutal world war and justified the murder of 6 million men women and children because of their religion.

Klaus's certainty of his own racial superiority over the Yayomi rings especially hollow, knowing what we do of the Holocaust and the death camps.

This fast-paced page turner is a strong debut for Krol, who is better known for his second novel Callisto, a satirical sideswipe at Islamaphobia in the USA.

The author is something of a mystery himself. The publisher refuses to grant interviews with him, saying only that Krol is a reclusive Australian writer living in Queensland.

However, there has been speculation in the Australian press that he - or she - is an established author writing under a pseudonym.

From the Daily Telegraph - "50 of the Best Holiday Reads"
"Could this be the new Life of Pi? The Dolphin People is a madcap South American adventure story in the tradition of Robinson Crusoe, by the cult author Torsten Krol. A German widow and her two sons set sail for a new life in Venezuela, but become stranded with the stone-age Yayomi people, who fête them as reincarnated dolphin-gods. Unputdownable."

To buy "The Dolphin People" click here:

Pixar's "Up" takes video gamers to Venezuela

2009-05-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

As cinemas across the USA prepare to show Pixar-Disney's new 3D adventure movie UP - set in and around Angel Falls and the majestic tepui mountains of Venezuela's Canaima National Park - gamers can look forward to "Up: The Video Game" by THQ, which takes grumpy septuagenarian Carl Fredricksen and his young sidekick Russell on a series of further misadventures through the "undiscovered jungles of South America".

All the characters from the movie appear, including Dug the speaking dog and the villainous Muntz, who has spent years trying to track down a living specimen of the prehistoric bird that Russell finds and nicknames "Kevin".

The aim of the game is for Carl, Russell and Dug to work together to navigate treacherous jungles and rugged tepui mountains, battle exotic beasts like anacondas and crocodiles and stop Muntz from getting his hands on Kevin.

The game is released in a range of formats, including Wii, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Playstation 3 and Windows Vista/XP.

Watching the clip, it looks almost as exciting as climbing tepuis like Roraima and Auyantepui for real, but without the downsides like itchy mosquito bites, drenching tropical downpours, getting lost in dense mist and spending shivering nights in a leaky tent.

To buy "UP: The Video Game" click here:

Venezuela: Paradise of Birds

2009-04-08T14:07:00.001-07:00

With its distinctive geographic areas encompassing Caribbean beaches and Andean mountains, and its location on a major migration route, Venezuela has a growing reputation as one of the most spectacular countries in the world for birdwatching, or birding as it is known to practitioners.

International twitchers flock to the Llanos to see elegant White egrets, prehistoric Hoatzins and giant Jabirus. Others visit the cloud forests of the Henri Pitter National Park, on the roads to Cuyagua or Choroni, to see Rufous-cheeked Tanagers and White-tipped Quetzals, or trek through the jungles of Amazonas State to try and catch a glimpse of a rare Harpy Eagle, a magnificent predator that can snatch a monkey or a sloth from the high canopy without missing a wing beat.

Few visitors can fail to be impressed by the Guacharo Cave in Caripe and the nocturnal Oilbirds that fly out en masse to feed as the sun sets.

So what is about Venezuela's bird life that's so unique? We spoke to British bird expert Chris Sharpe, who has been working in conservation and as a birding guide in Venezuela since 1988.

Venezuela has been described as a "Paradise of Birds". Is this because of the numbers of birds you can see in the country or the unique species you find there?

Both. An average two week guided trip to northern Venezuela will encounter 500 plus bird species - not far off the total number ever recorded in the UK. Unique species might include anything from the skulking Merida Tapaculo to the showy Northern Screamer, or from the diminutive and - until recently - almost unknown Scallop-breasted Antpitta to the stunning White-tipped Quetzal. Showy birds like our two Cocks-of-the-Rock, Scarlet Ibis, the three Hawk-Eagles, Solitary Eagle, Harpy Eagle and Red Siskin are more easily and regularly seen in Venezuela than anywhere else.

In terms of endemic species what are the highlights and where can you see them?

The main areas of endemism are the uplands: the Tepuis, the Andes and the Coastal Cordilleras. Venezuela has dozens of endemic species and, in addition to some of those mentioned above, they include the Pygmy Palm-Swift of the Maracibo Basin, the woodpecker-like Chestnut Piculet of the arid northwest, Merida's Rose-crowned Parakeet, the colourful Venezuelan Troupial, the cryptic Guttulated Foliage-gleaner of the Coastal Cordillera, and the aptly-named Flutist Wren and Red-banded Fruiteater of the Tepui region.

How does Venezuela compare to other countries in the region such as Colombia, Brazil or Peru?

Brazil, Colombia and Peru vie for the status of top country for birds, with over 1,700 species recorded in each. Venezuela boasts 1,340 species, making it number six on a world ranking. However, Venezuela is relatively compact and has a better transport network than any of the others, so it is ideal for the birders who pursue these species.

How long typically do most birders spend in the country and what is a typical itinerary?

The birders we assist spend anything from a day (tacked onto a business visit, for example) to three months, but two weeks is the duration of a typical trip for the nature tour companies we supply. Our most popular itinerary is Henri Pittier National Park, the Merida Andes and one of the Hatos in the llanos with about five days in each region. After that, people usually return for a fortnight to bird the Paria Peninsula, Oilbird Cave and Tepuis.

Where would you take somebody just starting out as a birdwatcher?

The Avila National Park, adjoining Caracas is a wonderful place to start. Over the years, I've taken many beginners there and we have observed anything from White-tailed Nightjars to Lilac-tailed Parrotlets and Foothill Screech-Owls to Ornate Hawk-Eagles!

What should people be aware of before they come birding in Venezuela?

The main thing to remember is that Venezuela is more of a challenge to the independent birder than, say, Costa Rica, Belize or Mexico. Few people speak English, permits to access birding areas are tricky to obtain, car hire is a nightmare and security is a concern. For that reason, most people engage a reputable local guide or form part of an organised tour.

Is there a "bible" to birding in Venezuela or do tourists need to hunt around for information?

Venezuela is one of the best known countries for birding and there is a long and distinguished ornithological tradition with a wealth of published information. The twin Testaments are Mary Lou Goodwin's "Birding in Venezuela" which advises on where to go and Steve Hilty's "Birds of Venezuela" which helps you to identify what you see.

What is your favourite place for birdwatching?

My favourite place is the Tepui region, especially the Canaima National Park, with La Escalera being about as good as it gets for me - anywhere in the world. I first visited the Tepuis in the 1980s and have had the pleasure to return many times since that and even work there. Sierra de Perija and Junglaven are close seconds.

When did you first come to Venezuela and why?

Together with three fellow students, I organised a zoological expedition for the University of Cambridge. Based above the village of Macuro, we studied the threatened endemic birds of the Paria Peninsula for BirdLife International and Flora and Fauna International. I became involved with Provita and the Venezuelan Audubon Society and stayed to work on conservation projects.

Was it a shock coming from your hometown of Yorkshire in the north of England to the tropical wilds of Venezuela?

No. It was a wonderful experience, not in the least shocking. I was so warmly received by the Venezuelans that I decided to stay.

Are there any birds in Venezuela that you still haven't ticked on your list?

Oh yes, there are probably hundreds to go. However, I am not a "lister", so I can't tell you just how many. I like the idea that there is always something new and unknown for me out there!

Can you describe your most magical birding moment in Venezuela?
Probably rediscovering the Recurve-billed Bushbird, a bird that had not been seen since 1964, during an exploration of the Sierra de Perijá. I had heard a song I did not recognise and knew it must be the Bushbird. I whistled an imitation and, after a short interval, a male and female dropped into the mist net. It was such a privilege to be the first ornithologist to set eyes on these birds for half a century.

Is there a single word that sums up the experience of birdwatching in Venezuela?

"Crippling" is a term that British birders often use - perhaps "astonishing" would be a fair translation.

For more information about birding in Venezuela visit Chris Sharpe's comprehensive website: http://www.birdvenezuela.com. Alternatively you can contact him direct by email at sharpebirder@gmail.com. Chris owns and runs Venezuela's premier bird tour operator, Birding Venezuela, which organises Venezuela tours for the major British and American bird tour companies. In addition to his conservation work, he leads bird tours throughout America, from Alaska to Argentina.

Click here for report about the Guacharo Cave in Caripe

Video: The Sights and Sounds of the Guacharo Cave

To see Steven L. Hilty's field guide "Birds of Venezuela" click here:

No carnival for British couple caught with cocaine

2009-02-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

With sentences of 10-12 years for drug-smuggling in Venezuela, filling your suitcase with several kilos of cocaine and trying to board a plane to the UK is not only stupid it's insane.

So it was sad to hear that a young British couple with four children on a First Choice package holiday to Margarita Island were arrested at Santiago Marino airport with 24 kilos of cocaine hidden in their luggage.

According to reports in the Venezuelan media, holidaymakers Paul and Laura Makin from the Liverpool suburb of Birkenhead were boarding a charter flight to Gatwick on the morning of Monday, 16 February 2009, when three of the family's suitcases were checked by officers from the National Guard's Special Anti-Drugs Unit.

The officers broke open the suitcases and found 24 kilos of suspected cocaine hidden in secret compartments.

UK reports have put the street value of the seized cocaine at 1.2 million dollars.

The couple, both 31, were immediately arrested and charged with drug-trafficking. They have been remanded to San Antonio prison on the island - Paul in an open dormitory and Laura in a private cell.

Their two-year-old twins, and a seven-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl from Laura Makin's previous relationship were taken to the Cuidado Ligia de Tovar children's home in Valle del Espiritu Santo.

Now, in a bizarre twist, Paul Makin has told British reporters that he thought he would be smuggling diamonds, not cocaine, and he takes full responsibility for what happened.

"When the officers sliced the cases open and peeled back the grey gaffer tape and I saw a white substance I was devastated," he told a reporter.

"As soon as I saw it I knew it was likely to be cocaine.

"I kept asking, 'what's the problem?' One of them said, 'It's cocaina.' "It was like someone had plunged a knife in my heart."

Makin is a bus driver who served as a soldier with the Chesire Regiment until 2002. He is wanted in the UK by British police after an arrest warrant was issued for him on 9 February for failing to turn up at Liverpool Crown Court to answer charges of affray and possessing a machete.

The couple's lawyer John Wheate has said that family members flew out to Venezuela to see the children and they have been now been flown home.

This is a bad time to be locked up in Venezuela. The annual carnival celebrations are underway all over the country and will drag on for at least a week. Margarita tourist officials have said they expect tens of thousands of local holidaymakers to arrive and the authorities will be tied up with policing the beaches and music events.

The Makins will probably have to wait at least a month for their case to be reviewed as no paperwork will be undertaken until the island returns to normal.

And it's no holiday being locked up in Venezuela. Margarita may be a tropical paradise but the Makins cannot expect resort conditions in San Antonio.

Since I wrote this report, in July 2009 Paul Makin admitted to the smuggling charges and received an eight year sentence.

But Laura Makin, who maintains her innocence will have to wait up to a year before she is tried.

In the meantime, she remains in San Antonio prison and is reportedly terrified of her fellow inmates.

She told a News of the World reporter in July 2009 that "one girl threatened to stab me - over a carton of juice SHE stole from ME."

She also claimed that gangs in the prison had tried to force her to join a hunger strike, threatening to beat her or shave her head if she refused.

"... if you don't do as you're told, if you don't follow the bunch, if you don't do what they expect of you, there's punishment," she said.

If convicted at her trial Laura could face up to 10 years in prison.

It's not a pretty picture living inside a Venezuelan prison. They are dangerous, overcrowded places where drugs and guns are rife. You need money to pay for protection and get a good cell away from the overcrowded pavilions where most of the violence takes place. Everything you need has to be bought or bartered for and decent food is extortionately priced.

In March 2001, a 26-year-old British woman called Sarah Langton from Northampton who was doing a five-year stretch for cocaine smuggling died in a women's prison in Los Teques, near Caracas, after slipping into a diabetic coma.

Irene Campbell, a 53-year-old Scottish social worker with eight grandchildren was sentenced to six years and nine months in 2000 when eight kilos of cocaine were found in her suitcase at Margarita's Santiago Marino airport.

Like the Makin's she was held in San Antonio prison. Her daughter who visited her in jail said she had lost five kilos and had developed a heart condition from the constant stress of being incarcerated there.

The most famous recent case was the two young guys from Leicester, James Miles and Paul Loseby, who served four years in the notorious Yare prison after being caught at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia with waistcoats filled with 10 kilos of cocaine.

The boys insisted they were innocent and had been made to wear the waistcoats at gunpoint. The judge didn't believe them and they were sentenced to four years, later increased to eight.

Miles was 18 at the time of his arrest and was on his first trip abroad. After arriving back in England he told an interviewer of the horrors of prison life: "The conditions were like hell. At first we were scared because everyone had knives. So we had to get knives as well."

Eventually, after being let out on parole, they managed to skip the country and fly home.

Loseby, who contracted Tuberculosis in jail, has suffered the effects since.

In 2007, out of some 1,500 foreigners in Venezuelan prisons 23 were British, the majority of them banged up for drug-smuggling.

According to a report in Britain's Sunday Mirror in 2002, Colombian drug gangs in the UK are increasingly targeting couples to act as couriers. Two reporters, who went undercover, contacted a man who said he was looking for people to courier drugs from South America to the UK.

He said they would be booked into a resort in Margarita for ten days or a fortnight and at the end of their stay the suitcases containing the cocaine would be delivered to them. All they had to do was bring them back.

They were also told that two or three couples would be coming back on the same plane as them, presumably, to increase the chances of getting the drugs through.

The couple were told they would earn 7,000 pounds each.

It must seem like easy money when you're in an English pub being told by some blinged up gangster how easy it is to get through customs, how many people get away it and how much money you're going to make. And there's also the appeal of an all expenses paid two-week holiday of sun and fun in a foreign resort.

But for those who get caught the results are life changing.

It might sound trite, but if there's a moral to this story it's: "Just say no."

A gripping new book by two British lads who spent four years in Venezuela's violent Yare prison has just been published: "Banged Up Abroad: Hellhole"

Click here to read Donald Macneil's gripping account of his time in San Antonio jail in Margarita: "Journey to Hell: Inside the World's Most Violent Prison System

Pixar movie "Up" explores Venezuela's Lost World

2009-01-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

"There's adventure out there!"

Venezuela makes it onto the big screen this May as Pixar's latest animated characters explore the mysterious tepui mountains of the Gran Sabana in the comedy movie "Up".

The movie is billed as "a 3-D tale about a grumpy old man who ties balloons to his house and floats away with it to the South American jungle."

Some insider sources have suggested that "Up" is a loose adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes classic novel "Don Quixote", but it's more like the Wizard of Oz.

The story revolves around a curmudgeonly old balloon salesman called Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner), a 78-year-old widower who promised his late wife Ellie that he would take her away to "Paradise Falls", the most beautiful and awe-inspiring waterfall in South America (based on Venezuela's Angel Falls).

When developers threaten to move him into an old people's home, he decides to fulfill his promise to Ellie and embarks on a barmy plan to explore the globe in his own house.

However, after tying 10,000 ballons to his home and sailing up into the sky he gets a nasty shock when he finds an 8-year-old Wilderness Ranger called Russell stowed away on his front porch.

A report in Entertainment Weekly quotes co-director Pete Docter - who directed Monster Inc. - saying the Pixar team initially considered a desert island for Carl and Russell's destination but finally settled on Venezuela's majestic tabletop mountains after visiting the highest waterfall in the world Angel Falls and climbing a tepui called Mount Roraima.

This area in the far south of Venezuela near the borders with Brazil and Guyana is known as "The Lost World" after a 1912 adventure novel of the same name by Arthur Conan Doyle - the creator of Sherlock Holmes - which tells the tale of a group of British explorers who climb a tepui only to find deadly dinosaurs and terrifying pterodactyls inhabiting its summit.

Conan Doyle based his imaginary Lost World on descriptions of Mount Roraima by the first people to climb it, Everard Im Thurn and Harry I. Perkins, who were on an 1884 expedition to conquer the mountain sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society.

Im Thurn described the summit of the flat-topped mountain as having "wildly extraordinary scenery" and "rocks and pinnacles of extraordinary shapes; seeming to defy every law of gravity!"

Anybody who's ever been to the summit of Roraima will instantly understand Im Thurn's wonder at the ancient black rocks of the summit and the strange shapes they have been worn into by eons of erosion by the rain.

The explorer marveled at "rocks ridiculous at every point with countless apparent caricatures of the faces and forms of men and animals, apparent caricatures of umbrellas, tortoises, churches, cannons and of innumerable other incongruous and unexpected objects."

The Pixar team have done an incredible job of recreating the strange summit of Roraima in Up.

To make sure they got the feel of such an otherwordly place, the director Pete Docter and 11 Pixar artists climbed Roraima in 2004.

"We hiked up to the top of the mountain and stayed there for three nights, painting and sketching," Docter says, adding "it was great" and "everybody made it out alive."

In another interview he described Venezuela's Lost World of tepui mountains as "a fantastic, weird place" with the "oldest rock on earth".

Ronnie Del Carmen, a story artist who worked on the film, writes on his blog that visiting Roraima was "the grand daddy of all research trips. Easily the most adventurous, rigorous trip I've ever been involved in (and I've been in a few. They are a walk in the park by comparison)."

According to del Carmen there was "danger at every turn: snakes, falling off cliffs, lethal bugs, spelunking under a crumbling cave ceiling... you know, fun."

"Up!" will be the first Pixar film to be presented in Disney Digital 3-D.

It is also the first animated feature to ever kick off the prestigious Cannes film festival - after it shared the limelight on 13 May with Quentin Tarantino's movie "Inglourious Basterds" and Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus" - Heath Ledger's last movie.

Pixar's Up will go on US release on 29 May and a video game based on the movie came out on 26 May.

By Russell Maddicks

To buy the DVD of "Up!" in the UK click here:

To buy the DVD of "Up!" in the USA click here:

To buy "UP: The Video Game" click here:

Arthur Conan Doyle's epic adventure yarn "The Lost World" is set in Venezuela's Gran Sabana region

Related posts:

Report on Jimmie Angel and the "Discovery" of Angel Falls

Auyan-tepui, Angel Falls and Pemon myths

Video clip of Angel Falls from David Attenborough's BBC series "Planet Earth"

Spectacular video clip of oldest base Jumper to leap from the top of Angel Falls

Indigenous Pemon myth: "The Great Flood and the Creation of Roraima"

From Disney*Pixar comes "Up", a comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredericksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America.

But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell.

'Up' takes audiences on a thrilling journey where the unlikely pair encounter wild terrain, unexpected villains and jungle creatures.

From the Academy Award-nominated director Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.), Disney*Pixar's "Up" invites you on a hilarious journey into a lost world, with the least likely duo on Earth.

Up will be presented in Disney Digital 3-D in select theatres.

Paragliding in Merida - On a wing and a prayer

2008-10-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

Following his inner adrenaline junkie, Russell Maddicks overcame his fear of heights to fly high in the Venezuelan Andes with paragliding pioneer Jose Albarran of Fanny Tours.

After all the macho chat on the drive up the mountain, it was a sobering moment when I finally stepped into the harness and peered over the edge to the broiling waters of the Chama River in the valley far below.

The jump off point at Tierra Negra is at 1,500 metres above sea level, and I was now faced with the prospect of a 900-metre descent to the village of Las Gonzalez.

In a few minutes, I thought with a sinking feeling, I shall have to step off this mountain with only a flimsy length of brightly-coloured fabric tied to my waist to stop me plunging onto the jagged rocks of the Chama Valley.

Somehow, risking my life for a "cool experience" didn't seem like such a good idea. But I wouldn't be alone, thank god, I would be flying tandem, meaning a qualified paraglider would be taking me up and, hopefully, down in one piece.

It was a good idea to go tandem. Given the force of the wind up at Tierra Negra, If I jumped off this mountain on my own I'd probably be blown all the way to Brazil.

It had all started down in Merida, Venezuela's most popular tourist destination and a rapidly growing centre for adventure sports.

Passing by Fanny Tours I bumped into Jose Albarran, something of a local legend for his exploits as a mountaineer and a pioneer of paragliding, which is known here as "parapente".

Jose's wife Patrizia, a lovely Swiss lady from Lugano, was quick to assure me that Fanny Tours had nothing to do with naughty nights on the town but was in fact the name of the previous owner, a name they were now stuck with.

"At least it gets us noticed," she said.

Patrizia met Jose years ago, when he took her on a tandem flight that led to love. They now run one of the best adventure businesses in Merida, offering climbing tours to the highest local peaks, mountain biking through lovely mountain villages, canyoning, white-water rafting and, of course, paragliding.

Locally, Jose is better known as "Piojo" ("Flea") for his exploits on some of the hardest rock climbs in South America, the USA and Canada and I had heard great things about him from some extreme-sports fanatics I knew in Caracas.

A tall, thin guy with a ponytail and a winning smile, Jose was keen to show me the local paragliding scene, especially Las Gonzalez, which he called "el pueblo de los voladores" ("the town of the flyers").

I had flown tandem before with another pioneer of the sport called David Castillejo, better known as "Cafe" - they all have nicknames in Venezuela. The first time I had flown tandem was on a ridge above El Hatillo, near Caracas, and the second was close to La Victoria, on the road down from Colonia Tovar.

But I had only flown from relatively low hills and for short distances, just 15 minutes or so in the air.

Merida is a completely different prospect. Surrounded by jagged Andean peaks and wide glacial valleys, Merida offers paragliders strong winds and high-altitude launch sites.

And that means much longer flights, more pirouettes in the air and plenty of spectacular scenery seen from above - if you can bear to look down.

It also meant I would have to overcome my irrational fear of heights and the jelly-legs response that usually accompanies it.

"It's the closest you'll ever get to flying like a condor," Jose said, sensing my trepidation. "I've never lost a tourist yet," he added with a big smile.

And that was that. I mean, who doesn't want to soar like a condor over the Andes?

Up at Tierra Negra, the gusts of wind were strong enough to blow my hat off when we first arrived and it was about 20 nail-biting minutes before Jose felt the wind had calmed down enough for us to take off.

Then suddenly, it was all go.

Jose called me over and strapped my harness to his, the parachute opened above us as if by magic and before I could say "No Way, Jose!" we were up, up and away, my feet gliding over hundreds of metres of nothing but air.

Flying tandem is an incredibly exhilarating experience. Once I had settled back into the seat tied to my harness all I had to do was settle back and enjoy the ride.

Using the air currents gushing up the valley, Jose flew us parrallel to the ridge, back and forth in slow swoops that gave us plenty of time to take in the scenery.

The views of the mountains were spectacular and we could see the city of Merida spread over its flat plateau like an elaborate arrangement on a rectangular wedding cake.

But the best bit was seeing other paragliders gracefully soaring above and below us, although it was hard to imagine that we were doing the same thing.

The only sound was the wind in my ears as we did the turns.

I have to admit, I had a few white knuckle moments as we shifted our weight to turn and the parachute seemed to give a little, but Jose was great and made it all seem easy.

That said, after 45 minutes in the air all I wanted was to get my feet back on solid ground. I also wanted a drink of something strong that would warm me up, get the circulation going and put some strength back into my wobbly legs.

Luckily, Jose's friend in Las Gonzalez makes his own chuchuguaza - the strongest cane-alcohol homebrew I've ever tried.

To be honest, I could have done with some chuchuguaza before I put on the harness and jumped off the side of the mountain but a few shots of jungle juice certainly hit the spot when I did get down.

The landing was as unexpected as the takeoff. As we circled down towards the valley floor Jose told me to slip out of my seat and get ready to run, but in the end he simply pulled the chords tight, the parachute opened and closed and we landed softly in a heap on the ground.

All in all, it had been an unforgettable experience and I had overcome my fear of heights, albeit temporarily, thanks to Jose.

Adenaline junkie? Eat your heart out Jack Osbourne.

To contact Fanny Tours, visit their webpage:
Fanny Tours and Adventures

Venezuelan poetry: Rafael Cadenas - Las Paces

2008-10-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

The results of the 2008 Stephen Spender Prize for Poetry Translation were published today in The Times newspaper and, unfortunately, I didn't win.

I wanted to raise the profile of Venezuelan poetry and in particular the work of Rafael Cadenas, a poet from Barquisimeto who has produced a really outstanding body of work.

I'll have to try again next year with some more Venezuelan poetry.

In the meantime I thought I might as well post my entry to the Stephen Spender Prize for anybody interested in learning a bit more about Cadenas.

Commentary

With so much great poetry coming out of Venezuela and so many poets from the past and present to choose from it was hard to narrow my selection to just one text, but I was determined to translate a poem from Venezuela because so few works are accessible to non-Spanish speakers.

In the end, this piece by Rafael Cadenas (born 1930, Barquisimeto) stood out from the rest because it illustrates quite beautifully the sometimes fraught relationship between the poet and his creation.

Cadenas often uses internal dialogues like this in his work, sometimes as observations on his surroundings or imaginary conversations.

In some cases these are reduced to enigmatic or disjointed phrases but this poem is more immediately accessible and illustrates the poet's playful side.

The title "Las Paces" is shorthand for the Spanish phrase "hacer las paces", which means making peace or making up after an argument or a tiff between lovers.

Cadenas uses the "tu" form throughout, which is typical in informal conversation in Venezuelan Spanish and illustrates the closeness of the relationship Cadenas has with his poem, which he talks to as if it were an old friend.

It is also clear that the poet is at the end of his tether when he says: "We have wrestled so much", and then "free yourself from me now".

The creative process is a difficult one, as anybody who has stared at a blank white page will know. Frustrated by his attempts to create something inspired, Cadenas urges the poem to take over and "force your course on the writer".

The final line is almost pleading. It can be read in a number of ways: quietly, like a lover so tired by squabbles and fights that he wants the whole thing over; or loudly, like a woman in labour screaming for the baby to emerge.

On a universal level, the poem expresses the eternal battle between the creator and his or her creation, which if successful, takes on a life of its own.

Las Paces - Making Peace

Let's make a deal, poem.
I won't force you to say what you don't want to
and you won't be so resistant to my wishes.
We have wrestled so much.
Why this insistence on making you in my own image
when you know things I don't suspect?
Free yourself from me now.
Flee without a backward glance.
Save yourself before it's too late.
Because you always outdo me,
you know how to say what drives you
and I do not,
because you are more than yourself
and I am only someone who tries to recognize himself in you.
I have limits to my desire
and you have none,
you just go where you wish
without seeing the hand you move
and which you think is yours when you feel yourself emerge from it
like something that springs forth.
Force your course on the writer, he
only knows how to hide you,
to bury the novelty,
to impoverish you.
What it shows is tired
repetition.
Poem,
leave me.

("Poemas selectos" 2004)

Las paces

Lleguemos a un acuerdo, poema.
Ya no te forzaré a decir lo que no quieres
ni tú te resistirás tanto a lo que deseo.
Hemos forcejeado mucho.
¿Para qué este empeño en hacerte a mi imagen
cuando sabes cosas que no sospecho?
Líbrate ya de mí.
Huye sin mirar atrás.
Sálvate antes de que sea tarde.
Pues siempre me rebasas,
sabes decir lo que te impulsa
y yo no,
porque eres más que tú mismo
y yo sólo soy el que trata de reconocerse en ti.
Tengo la extensión de mi deseo
y tú no tienes ninguno,
sólo avanzas hacia donde te diriges
sin mirar la mano que mueves
y te cree suyo cuando te siente brotar de ella
como una sustancia
que se erige.
Imponle tu curso al que escribe, él
sólo sabe ocultarse,
cubrir la novedad,
empobrecerse.
Lo que muestra es una reiteración
cansada.
Poema,
apártate de mí.

("Poemas selectos" 2004)

Make Angel Falls one of the 7 Wonders of Nature

2008-10-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

Newsflash! The results are in and Angel Falls is one of the 28 finalists vying to become one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. Read about it here:

After the success of the 7 New Wonders of the World campaign in 2007, the organizers have now launched a similar internet search for the Seven Wonders of Nature and Venezuela's Angel Falls could be one of them - if enough people vote for it.

Back in 2007 more than 100 million people from all over the world cast votes for hundreds of architechural gems.

The final seven Wonders of the World were Machu Picchu in Peru, the Pyramid of Chichen Itza in Mexico, Christ the Redeemer in Rio, Brazil, the Colosseum, in Rome, Italy, the Great Wall of China, the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, and the Taj Mahal in India.

This time it's all about natural treasures and, apart from Angel Falls, Venezuela has seven other candidates, including the Los Roques Archipelago, Auyantepui Mountain, Mount Roraima, Pico Bolivar, Sarisarinama Mountain, the Guacharo Cave, the Gran Sabana and Canaima National Park.

The voting system is simple, you just have to visit this page and introduce your email and a few details that they promise will not be used for any purposes apart from the voting.

Basically, every vote counts, so please get in there and give the Venezuelan candidates some votes.

Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world, has a good chance of making it into the final 21 if we all mobilize our friends and families to make their votes count.

On 29 September, Angel Falls was 29th on the the live ranking list of the 77 top candidates, with Asia dominating all the spots in the top 10. That's a pretty cool result, considering that Mount Everest is at number 12.

And there's a long way still to go.

Voting for the nominees will continue through to 31 December 2008, when the candidates will be whittled down to one per country, with only the top candidate from each country being allowed to proceed.

Then on 7 July, 2009 the New7Wonders of Nature panel led by Professor Federico Mayor, former Director-General of UNESCO, will review the top 77 nominees and choose 28 finalists, to be announced on 21 July 2009.

Those 28 finalists will then be put to the popular vote.

But before that it's important that the Venezuelan entries get official support. Angel Falls has support from a sponsoring body in Venezuela but it has not been officially recognized yet.

Meanwhile, Iguazu Falls has the full backing of Brazil and Argentina.

Rather ominously, a note on the new7Wonders website for Angel Falls says that unless the issue of sponsorship is resolved Angel Falls "will be eliminated from the finalist section".

But don't despair. Get voting. And lets get all the Venezuelan entries high on that top 77 list, where they deserve to be.

By Russell Maddicks

Report on Jimmie Angel and the "Discovery" of Angel Falls

Video clip of Angel Falls from David Attenborough's BBC series "Planet Earth"

Spectacular video clip of oldest base Jumper to leap from the top of Angel Falls

Travel article: Cueva del Guacharo - Oilbirds and Elephant Ears

Snake handler killed by python in Parque del Este

2008-08-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

A Venezuelan snake handler was killed by a Burmese python after he broke security rules to visit the 3-metre snake alone at night.
Shocked workers who found the python trying to swallow him headfirst the next day had to fight the snake to make it surrender its gory meal.

It sounds like something out of Weird Tales. An assistant animal handler at the Terrarium in Parque del Este was found by horrified co-workers on the morning of Saturday, August 23, in the cage of a Burmese python that had killed him and was trying to swallow his head.

According to initial reports the workers had to beat the 3-metre (10 ft) snake to get it to release the body of the young man, Erick Daniel Arrieta Marquez, who had entered the snake's cage at night when he suffered the fatal attack.

Two wounds on his left arm suggested the snake had bitten him first and then wrapped around him, slowly crushing the air out of his body before starting to swallow him.

The fire service were called at 7:10 in the morning but when they arrived, the man was dead.

Arrieta Marquez, 29, was a biology student from Santa Barbara in Zulia State, who was working at the Terrarium while he studied at the University of the Andes.

His job entailed giving guided tours of the snakes, spiders and scorpions in the Terrarium, which is run by a concession in the park called Zoocriadero Ecopets.

Based on a petting zoo, visitors who take the guided tours are allowed to handle some of the non-dangerous snakes.

Arrieta Marquez had recently returned from holiday and was doing night shifts.

However, mystery surrounds his death, as he was not supposed to enter the cage of the python while alone at night.

The director of Parque del Este, Javier Hernandez, told Venezuelan daily El Universal that "the young man underestimated the animal's instincts" and had broken the security rules.

Burmese pythons are not native to South America. The snake had been found by hikers a few months earlier on the Avila mountain, near some electricity pylons.

Knowing it was not native to the park they had brought it to Parque del Este and donated it to the Terrarium. It is believed to be a pet that got too large and was released in the dense forests of the Avila to fend for itself.

It was being kept in a restricted part of the Terrarium for observation and study.

Co-workers said Arrieta Marquez had developed a fascination for the animal and liked to feed it with rodents.

Another strange element to the story is that the police believe the young biology student stripped naked before entering the snake's cage.

Dayana Mendoza - Queen of the Universe

2008-07-14T11:10:00.001-07:00

Venezuela has done it again. In front of a TV audience estimated at over one billion people in 180 countries, 22-year-old Dayana Mendoza took the coveted Miss Universe crown in Vietnam on Monday, becoming the fifth Venezuelan to win the prestigious beauty prize.

Maritza Sayalero first won the competition for Venezuela in 1979. She was followed by Irene Saez Conde in 1981, Barbara Palacios in 1986 and Alicia Machado in 1996.

Famously, Machado was almost stripped of the title after she binged on junk food after the contest and ballooned dramatically in weight.

Venezuelan beauties have also won the Miss World crown five times, a record unmatched by any other country.

Monday's final at the Crown Convention Center in Vietnam's beautiful beach resort of Nha Trang turned out to be a close thing although Mendoza was the bookies favourite from the start.

The biggest upset of the evening was when Miss USA, Crystle Stewart, took a tumble after tripping on her long evening gown. The ungainly fall definitely cost her a place in the runners up.

In the end, four Latinas joined Miss Russia in the final five - Miss Venezuela, Miss Mexico, Miss Colombia and Miss Dominican Republic.

But Mendoza had looked like a winner from the start, and after nervously holding hands with Miss Colombia for a few tense minutes, she was declared the most beautiful woman in the universe by hosts Jerry Springer and Melanie B, aka Scary Spice.

Mendoza was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2007, where she represented Amazonas State. Her other, less glamorous claim to fame is being the victim of an "express kidnapping" in Venezuela 18 months ago.

“It’s something that happens in my country. You don’t even have to have money to be kidnapped," she told reporters after her victory, "that’s why I wanted to raise my voice and tell the world that violence is not the answer."

Avoiding the usual cliches of world peace and making children happy, Miss Venezuela said she would use her year in the spotlight to focus on humanitarian issues.

Now she's won the title, Miss Mendoza might also want to brush up on her interview skills. Asked by one of the judges if she thought men or women had it easier in life she said in English:

"Well actually God made us to share and to have difference, but big difference between women and men, doesn't matter whether kind of life they live, is that men think, that they think that the faster way to go to a point is go straight. Women know that the faster way to go to a point is go to the curve and fix in every curves."

But why go for a straight answer when you've got curves?

Cerro Autana - sacred mountain of the Piaroa

2008-03-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

In the next few weeks I'll be travelling down to Puerto Ayacucho, the capital of Venezuela's Amazonas State.

The plan is to jump in a canoe and travel up the Orinoco and Autana rivers to the base of Cerro Autana, the sacred mountain of the Piaroa, a native tribe.

I hope to take photographs of the people and wildlife I meet along the way to post here.

So wish me luck, or buena suerte, and I'll try and bring you the highlights of my travels.

In the meantime, anybody planning a trip to Cerro Autana should contact Vicente Barletta, one of the most experienced and trusted guides in the Amazonas region.

I have travelled with Vicente and was really impressed with his knowledge of the region, the people, the river and his organization.

Vicente's company is called Terekay Adventure and operates out of Puerto Ayacucho.

Terekay Adventure
Web page: http://www.terekay.com.ve/web/
E-mail: terekayadventure@hotmail.com
Phone: 0414-4872123 or 0416-8385637

On the Rio Caura to Para Falls - Trip Photos

2008-03-14T12:46:00.001-07:00

The Yekuana village of Nichare seen from the river

Blessed with acidic, tannin-rich water that keeps mosquitoes to a minimum the Caura River is an eco-tourist's dream, with enough wildlife on display to keep budding David Attenboroughs glued to their handycams - and birders in raptures.

Throw in the indigenous villages of Yekuana and Sanema Indians and the largest untouched rainforest in Venezuela and you soon realize you're navigating through National Geographic country.

The tarantula that came to visit in the night

Judging from the numbers of visitors, very few people know about it. So it was a real revelation when I travelled from Las Trincheras to Para Falls, stopping at the indigenous village of Nichare to meet the Yekuana.

The sandy beach of El Playon at the base of Para Falls

Most tours start from Ciudad Bolivar and head by road to Las Trincheras where you transfer to a dugout canoe with an outboard motor for the two day trip upriver to El Playon, the base for a trek to the top of the Para Falls.

Yekuana kids selling baskets and beads at El Playon

The first night is usually in a jungle camp in hammocks, although some operators have more luxurious accomodation. On my trip we spent the second night in hammocks in the Yekuana indian village of Nichare and the third night in El Playon.

Trip Report: A fiesta on the Caura River: Yekuana, Yarake and Yellow Clay

The Rio Caura: Yekuana, Yarake and Yellow Clay

2008-03-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

A trip up the Caura River in Venezuela's Bolivar State to the thundering majesty of Para Falls is everything you could want from a jungle adventure and more.

So what could be better than stumbling across a Yekuana Indian fiesta in full swing and being invited to try the local homebrew? That's what happened to Russell Maddicks, who enjoyed an unforgettable night with his new-found chug-buddies in the Yekuana village of Nichare.

Yekuana, Yarake and Yellow Clay

By Russell Maddicks

After an eventful first night on the Caura River that included an encounter with a massive tarantula, some noisy howler monkeys and a delicious feast of roast chicken, our second day brought us to the small Yekuana village of Nichare, home to some 90 people from seven families.

There were ten of us on the trip, seven foreign tourists, myself, the boatman and our guide, Juan Carlos Ramirez of Akanan Tours.

My first impression of Nichare was of a neat collection of picture-postcard huts with mud walls and palm-thatched roofs. The village was reached by a steep slope of yellow clay that led from the river bank.

As we got closer, a group of kids appeared and showed off by diving into the river and clowning about, sliding down the slippery river bank into the water and then swimming up to our bongo - a traditional dugout canoe carved from a single tree trunk.

These kids didn't beg for sweets or biros they just smiled and ran about excitedly as we gingerly made our way up the bank.

As we entered the village it was good to see there was no litter. Everybody was barefoot, the men wearing a pair of shorts, women in a skirt and T-shirt.

Unlike indigenous communities in other parts of Venezuela, there was no sense of poverty here, just a seemingly comfortable co-existence with the jungle and the river.

But Nichare is a place of contradictions. Only four hours boat ride from the road at Las Trincheras it is the closest Yekuana village to "civilization," and hence straddles the border between two worlds: the more traditional Yekuana villages above the Para Falls, and the criollo world to the North.

The villagers have been sending their children to study High School in Maripa or Ciudad Bolivar for years, and it has brought major changes, some good and some bad.

Purists lament the fact that traditional dress is now only worn on special occasions - the few times of the year when the bamboo flutes and monkey-skin drums are dusted off and the sounds of old chants and songs once more fill the forest.

They might also complain about the loss of traditional healing practices to modern medicine, epitomized by the rather ugly breeze block dispensary.

Even the baskets and wood carvings for which the Yekuana of Nichare are famous have changed over the years, affected by the tastes of big-city buyers who order in bulk, favouring the number of animals on a basket, over tradition and authenticity.

But the villagers seem unfazed by all the fuss about their vanishing traditions and seem to have adapted to the encroachment of the world outside without losing their sense of cultural identity or pride.

They still speak Yekuana among themselves. They give their children Yekuana names, although they are rarely divulged to outsiders. They hunt with blowpipes and fish with barbasco, a plant toxin that suffocates the fish and brings them to the surface. They also make the best curiaras in the country, justifying the name "Yekuana", which roughly translates as "canoe people."

More importantly, and perhaps the key to their survival, they show no signs of the inferiority complex that afflicts many other tribal groups, and seem to have been able to take from Western Society only what they need, like medicines and power generators, and leave what they don't.

Party People Love the New Yuca

At first it looked as if we wouldn't be able to stay because the village was celebrating a three-day festival, "not for New year," as the village headman German Rodriguez explained, "but for the new yuca," the root vegetable that provides the Yekuana with most of their sustenance.

But eventually room was found for us to hang our hammocks in the huts Rodriguez uses as a kitchen and workshop.

As night fell the celebration kicked off in the palm-thatched roundhouse at the centre of the village and the sounds of merriment drifted over to where my fellow travellers were bedding down for the night.

Curious, I strolled over to investigate and found young couples shuffling back and forth to a merengue beat that crackled unevenly from two speakers. The sound system was hooked up by a few bare wires to a car battery that also powered the single bulb that lit the scene.

Most of the young men were standing around drinking out of round gourds. The girls, adorned with strings of blue and white beads tied tightly above the ankle and below the knee, walked through the crowd refilling the men's gourds with something that looked suspiciously like watery porridge.

No sooner had I entered the hut when a smiling face pushed a brimming gourd into my hand and told me in Spanish to drink:

"Cerveza indigena. Muy buena!" my new friend said, nudging his mates to make sure they caught my reaction to the local brew.

This was the "new yuca," which had been grated, mashed and left to ferment to make the Yekuana drink called "yarake".

It was a strange taste for somebody used to Stella, Fosters and Polar Ice and it didn't help that my new Yekuana chug-buddies were miming a chewing and spitting action to explain how it was made.

But when in Nichare do as the Yekuana do is my motto, so down the hatch went the yarake, much to the amusement of my new friends.

Copious amounts were being consumed and it wasn't long before a sweet smell of spoilt fruit started to pervade the hot, crowded room.

As the night wore on the party got surreal. The merengue music was playing at a third normal speed because the car battery wasn't powerful enough and the shuffling rhythm of the dancers feet was so loud it became hypnotic.

Except for the girls who silently refilled every gourd as it was emptied, everybody was either shuffling or drinking, or shaking my hand, or slapping my back, or stepping outside to make room for more yarake.

It was at this point that the festivity took on an indigenous life of its own, (and maintained it for three days).

The trappings, like the clothes and the music, were no different from any other bash held down river in the criollo villages of Trincheras, or Maripa, but the monotonous shuffling of those feet, the feeling of community that filled the high-ceilinged roundhouse, the slow-building effect of the yarake was definitely Yekuana.

Stepping out of the sweatbox of the hut and into a cold jungle mist it became immediately clear that the yarake was not as weak as I had thought. My head was spinning and for some reason I thought a refreshing dip in the river would put me right.

Wrong.

Vaguely remembering Juan Carlos' advice that we should shuffle into the dark waters of the river to warn the electric eels and stingrays we were coming, I decided it would be best to take a running dive straight in.

In normal circumstances that would have been no problem, but I was barefoot on wet clay, a little unsteady on my feet and my judgement of distance was less than perfect.

Somehow, before I even got to the edge of the bank I was on my back, moving at speed towards the water in an exhilarating yet somewhat scary bobsled position that propelled me into the river with a mighty splash.

On the positive side, I was immediately refreshed. The water was warmer than I expected and because of all the tannins had a silky feel on the skin that was not unpleasant.

However, I had not reckoned on the difficulties of getting out of the river and it was only after what seemed like an hour of failed attempts to get my wet self up that slippery slope that I finally managed to stagger back to the village, past the party hut, still throbbing with life, and collapse into my hammock.

The next day I woke up in classic big-night-out style. Dry mouth, temporary amnesia over the events of the night before and complete confusion as to why my fellow travellers, who had chosen to pass on the Yekuana fiesta, burst into giggles every time they asked how I was.

But worst of all I could not understand why I was completely covered from head to foot in a dry yellow crust, or why the cacique kept giving me the thumbs up and with a toothy grin offering me "mas cerveza indigena."

Trip photos: On the Caura River to El Playon

Veniños: Round-USA cycling challenge for Venezuelan street children

2008-03-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

On 1 March 2008, Lisa Tylee set off on the challenge of a lifetime when she left Houston, Texas, to embark on a 9,000-mile cycling tour round the USA to raise money for Venezuelan street and shantytown children.

If all goes to plan she should be arriving back in Houston in October.

"Cycle Challenge USA 2008 / Bici Sin Rodilla" is a huge physical ordeal for anybody to attempt, but for Lisa it will be especially gruelling as she will be doing it with just one foot pushing the pedals of her specially-adapted bike, because she was born without a knee in her left leg.

It's already been challenging. Lisa celebrated her 40th birthday on 4 March after cycling in driving rain and a night in a grotty motel. But as Jane Blake, a trustee of the charity says, it can only get better.

Her circular route will pass through 24 US states and Washington D.C. and will take Lisa through freezing mountain ranges and hot deserts as she pedals "from sea to shining sea."

It will be a far cry from the conditions in her native Caversham, a small, sleepy town on the banks of the Thames River in Berkshire.

But it won't be the first time Lisa has endured a gruelling physical adventure to raise money for charity.

In 2005, she walked the length of the United Kingdom, from Lands End in England to John O'Groats in Scotland. The 1,300 mile walk took her 4 months to complete and raised over 10,000 pounds.

Lisa, a co-founder of the charity Veninos (Venezuelan Children In Need), is undertaking her latest challenge to raise money for community education projects in Venezuela and as a way to increase awareness of Veninos' work to improve the life of urban street and shantytown children.

In 2000 she was honoured for her charity work in Venezuela by Queen Elizabeth II, who awarded her with an MBE (Member of the British Empire).

Lisa will be cycling an average of 50 miles a day during "Cycle Challenge USA 2008 / Bici Sin Rodilla" and will spend at least 171 days on her bike.

The journey will take her to: Houston - Miami - Washington DC - Baltimore - Philadelphia - New York City - Pittsburgh - Cleveland - (Cincinnati) - Chicago - Denver - Salt Lake City - San Francisco - Los Angeles - San Diego - Las Vegas - Oklahoma City - (Tulsa) - Dallas - Austin - Houston.

Events will take place en route and Lisa is hoping to be able to speak to the local press, schools, corporate and community groups in all of the places she stops.

Veninos is a non-political, non-religious UK-based charity that is also registered as a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organisation in the USA.

Lisa can be sponsored by visiting: http://www.firstgiving.com/cycleusa2008 in the USA or www.justgiving.com/veninos in the UK.

For more details of how to support Lisa or to learn more about Veninos visit: http://www.veninos.org

Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory brings Venezuelan cacao to UK

2008-03-01T21:05:00.000-08:00

New Channel 4 Series: "Raising the Bar: Willie's Chocolate Revolution"

A new four-part Channel 4 series called "Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory" aims to introduce the UK to premium Venezuelan cacao. The programme follows William "Willie" Harcourt-Cooze, who bought an old hacienda near Choroni about 12 years ago, as he takes viewers on a trip from the lush forests of his cacao plantation in the Henri Pittier National Park to Devon, where he is trying to market his Venezuelan Black cacao bars.

There's something a bit Monty Python about Willie Harcourt-Cooze. Perhaps its his upper class accent, or the fact he's tall and a bit gangly. Maybe it's the unquenchable enthusiasm with which he leaps into his latest obsessions, or the hit and miss results of his endeavours.

But if Willie looks a bit like a Michael Palin character from Ripping Yarns, there's no denying that his larger-than-life character is TV gold.

It was an inspired decision by Channel 4 to give him, his wife and their three kids their own reality series. The result is like something between "the Filthy Fulfords" and orchid hunter Tom Hart-Dyke's attempts to save Lullingford castle.

The premise is fairly similar too. About 12 years ago Willie and his wife Tania bought a run-down hacienda on the edge of the Henri Pitter National Park in Venezuela's Aragua State. A glorious place between the cloud forest peaks of the park and the popular beach-resort-cum-fishing-village of Choroni, it is reached by fording a river close to the windy road that wends its way down to the sea.

After several false starts and stalled projects to reactivate the hacienda they finally hit on the idea of planting cacao trees, which produce the cocoa beans that chocolate is made from.

Living just a valley away from the isolated plantation of Chuao, they very cleverly chose to plant the same strain of criollo cacao that grows in Chuao, which is considered among the finest cacao in the world.

Now, despite setbacks in Venezuela, including an eco-posada project that never really got off the ground, Willie's Venezuelan Black chocolate venture in the UK is going quite well. The 100 per cent cacao bars went on sale in Selfridges in London on 18 February and Willie says he took £700 on the first day. He's been supplying chocolate to his mate Marco Pierre-White, one of London's top chefs, who has been experimenting with it in a number of recipes.

The three bars in the “Venezuelan Black” range are: Carenero Superior, Rio Caribe Superior and El Tesoro.

Carenero and Rio Caribe are named after the cacao beans used to make them, while El Tesoro (Treasure) is the name of Willie's hacienda and contains 100 per cent Chuao cacao.

Thinking big, Willie is hoping to become one of the first Britons since Cadbury to grow and produce his own chocolate from bean to bar.

The four-part documentary on Channel 4 certainly won't hurt sales.

It's been quite a journey. I first met Willie and his wife Tania when they were living on the beach in Choroni. Back then they were trying to buy El Tesoro and some of the locals thought they were just another pair of posh hippies passing through, trying to live the South American dream.

Later, I visited the hacienda and was blown away by the sheer size of the place, a thousand acres that stretched from a river near the road all the way to the high valley wall that leads over the hills to Chuao.

Willie had gained a reputation as a bit of a gentleman farmer with his shotgun and his hunting dogs and his more eccentric ideas of how to make the hacienda pay. Tania, or the Honourable Tania harcourt-Cooze, to give her full title, seemed to be the sensible one, but then she was pregnant in Choroni, so sensible was probably good.

Tania's background is almost as fascinating as Willie's. Her father is the fifth Baron Coleridge and she is a direct relative of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Lake Poet who penned Xanadu. She tried her hand at modelling and acting in Los Angeles in her twenties before marrying Willie and travelling to Venezuela.

At the height of her modelling career she appeared as the eye candy alongside George Michael in the 1988 video for his song "Father Figure" (just Youtube George Michael father Figure to see it).

Back in the mid-90s the plan was to set up an eco-posada and bring over high-end travellers who wanted to experience some the amazing plant and bird life of the National Park as well as the beautiful local beaches.

But incorporating the local tradition of cacao production and the internationally-recognized excellence of Chuao's criollo cacao beans into that mix is Willie's master stroke.

A few years ago, the economic downturn in Venezuela made things a bit tough for them on the hacienda. Tania's Coleridge connection brought the couple and their three children back to Devon, to The Chanters House, the Coleridge family's twenty bedroom estate in Ottery St Mary.

From there Willie was able to start buying the equipment he needed to process the beans into high quality chocolat, the basic ingredient in chocolate bars, cakes and hot chocolate, after sugar and milk are added.

So things are looking look good for Willie and Tania. From the amount of publicity the Channel 4 documentary is generating the business should do well and hopefully spark more interest in Venezuela and its natural treasures.

Meanwhile, I just can't wait to get my hands on some real Venezuelan chocolate in London.

Click here to see Willie's new Chocolate Factory Cookbook

Chuao: In Search of World's Finest Cocoa Beans

Choroni: Tambores, guarapita and midnight dips

Video: Drum dancing in Chuao

My Blog about Venezuelan Food and Drinks

How the Yare Devils Got Their Red Threads

2008-01-30T13:53:00.000-08:00

1948 – The Year of the Dancing Devil

In December 1947, in a landslide victory, novelist Romulo Gallegos became Venezuela’s first democratically-elected president. To celebrate his inauguration in February 1948, poet Juan Liscano came up with the idea of a mounting an ambitious spectacle in Caracas that would bring together the most important folk traditions in the country.

The two-hour show, held in the Nuevo Circo bullring in the centre of Caracas, was called "A Festival of Tradition: Songs and Dances of Venezuela."

More than 500 dancers, singers and musicians were brought to the capital by plane, bus, boat and mule.

For the first time, Guajiro Indians from the deserts of Zulia State were to perform their sacred dances alongside Afro-Venezuelan drummers from the Caribbean coast.

And there was more: foot-stomping Joropos from the Llanos, Chimbangueles in honour of the black saint San Benito, and the Dancing Devils of San Francisco de Yare.

The Red Devils

At first Liscano couldn’t get the Devils of Yare to attend: "I convinced them with the argument that we were doing this festival to show the foreigners that were coming that the Devils of San Francisco de Yare knew how to dance, something which they doubted."

More significantly, Education Minister Luis Beltran Pietro Figueroa, sent yards of red material so that the Devils could make new costumes for the event.

So this was the first time in their history that the Yare Devils were all dressed in red. Before that, the arreadores (in charge of keeping order) and the cajeros (drummers) would have worn white suits and the other devils would have made do with bright outfits made from colourful patches taken from old clothes.

But it wasn’t going to be easy for Liscano to get the Devils to perform.

Two days by mule

Nowadays it takes just over an hour to drive the 78 km from Caracas to Yare but for the 35 members of Yare's Devil Dancing Society who made the trip in 1948 it took two days by mule. This was the first time any of them had been away from home and when they arrived some of them had second thoughts.

The Devils had only ever danced on the Feast of Corpus Christi and were wary of performing without the usual preparations: attending mass and having their masks blessed by the local priest.

To convince them Liscano had to arrange for them to attend a morning mass every day they were expected to rehearse and performing. But he forgot to get permission from the mayor’s office.

The members of the cofradia went to their first mass in Caracas in a church in El Valle, and they came dressed for Corpus Christi in their full devil-dancing regalia. As the priest held aloft the Holy Sacrament they took their cue and began a frenetic dance in the entrance of the church.

The noise of the drums and maracas was so loud that it brought the local police, who promptly arrested the Devils for disturbing the peace and wearing masks outside of Carnival. Fortunately, they were soon released.

They do like to be beside the seaside

The Devils had another request for Liscano: "…one day they came to tell me of their greatest desire: to see the sea before returning to their home town."

It’s hard to understand the isolation of small towns like Yare back in 1948, but none of the Devils' had ever seen the sea before, and their bus trip to Macuto, on the central coast, was a revelation.

Liscano writes in his book Sacred Fires: "… when they discovered that great blue stain, under a wide, cloudless sky, they were seized with a kind of ecstasy, a profound feeling of respect for majestic Mother Nature who had made such beautiful things."

"… they entered the water in silence, in a state of reverie, and some of them plunged their hands into the water in a sort of ritual gesture."

The end of the festival, the start of their fame

The Festival of Tradition was a huge success. So many people turned up on the opening night that it had to be extended for four more nights. In total 25,000 people watched the show.

It was an event the like of which Venezuela had never seen and was never to see again.

The party was soon over for Romulo Gallegos too, on 24 November 1948 he was ousted in a military coup and forced into exile for the next ten years.

For the Dancing Devils of Yare, however, it was just the beginning. Soon, the annual Corpus Christi celebrations in Yare would become one more attraction for tourists to visit, like the mountains of Merida, the spectacular Angel Falls and the blue Caribbean waters that had so captivated the Devils.

By Russell Maddicks

Click here for an article on the Dancing Devils of Yare in literature

Click here for a video of the Dancing Devils in the cacao plantation of Chuao

The Dancing Devils of Yare in literature

2008-01-23T01:19:00.000-08:00

In 2008 the moveable feast of Corpus Christi falls on 22 May. On that day Devil Dancers in San Francisco de Yare in the Tuy Valley will don their horned masks and red outfits and dance outside the church to pay a promise. The tradition harks back to the conquest and Spanish traditions transplanted to the New World. African slaves found in this day of the devil an opportunity to transcend their status at the bottom rung of society, to take control of the streets, and to challenge the church. Not surprisingly, several authors have found inspiration in this unique expression of Venezuelan folk culture. The photos are by Edmundo "El Gordo" Perez, who visited Yare in 1948.

By Russell Maddicks

The first person to bring the Diablos Danzantes de Yare to a national and international audience was Venezuela’s most celebrated novelist, Romulo Gallegos (1884-1969), the author of “Doña Barbara”, “Canaima” and “Cantaclaro”.

Gallegos describes the Corpus Christi celebrations of Yare in a chapter entitled: “Diablos y Angelitos” from his 1937 novel “Pobre Negro” (“Poor Negro”). The book is set during the bloody Federal Wars that ravaged the country between 1859 and 1863 and is an excellent example of Gallegos’ ability to weave regional traditions and customs into his narrative:

“But at that moment two rockets went off announcing the arrival of the devils and the crowds rushed like a whirlwind on to the streets to wait for them, while the drummers standing in the porch of the church began the tam-tam that would accompany the dancing.”

“Devils from all over the region had come to pay promises, the majority of them made so that the Corpus Christi fiesta would lack neither the pagan nor the sacred.”

“The devils, red from their horns to their cloth tails, wore colourful adornments and rattles of every kind, as well as some who were draped in silk and bells, which represented a great investment of money..."

"They invaded the entrance to the church... where the Holy Sacrament was on show, just as the sacristan was closing the doors. Then they stretched out, face down, on the brick floor in two parrallel rows, separated by the same width as the big doors, while the drums stopped beating.

"The curveta and mina drums began again. One of the devils got up - the first in the lefthand row - turning a somersault on his hands that left him kneeling with his back to the church door, and then he got up, simulating the convulsive shudder of someone possessed, in order to shake the rattles he was wearing, and began a dance of jumps and swoops of extraordinary agility, pushing back his cloth tail in order to touch it on the wood of the door..."

"One by one... the devils took their turn, trying to repeat what the first had done, but each one making an effort to outdo the others in agility and skill.

"Now all the devils began their dance. The general dance, without rhythm or beat, just a chance to make a noise with the drums, a whirlwind of somersaults, swerves and squats that filled the space outside the church. It was primitive Africa, even though it was reproducing in America a scene from medieval Europe, and possessed by the farce, they now became frenetic...."

The other writer to draw inspiration from the Diablos Danzantes de Yare was the influential Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980), who came to Venezuela in 1945 and stayed untilFidel Castro and his band of bearded revolutionaries ousted the dictator Batista in 1959.

His groundbreaking 1953 novel, “Los Paso Perdidos” (“The Lost Steps”), follows a musicologist on a journey to the source of the Orinoco River, which also takes him back to man’s lost cultural origins. Carpentier cleverly juxtaposes the Corpus Christi celebrations in Yare into his narrative in Chapter 3:

“... several devils appeared around a corner of the plaza, headed towards a miserable church of brick and plaster...”

“...they advanced slowly, in little skips, behind a kind of leader or master of ceremonies who could have played the role of Beelzebub in a Passion Play, of the Dragon, or the King of Madmen, with his devil’s mask of three horns and a pig’s snout."

"A kind of fear came over me at the sight of those faceless men... at those masks, out of the mystery of time, perpetuating man’s love of the False Face, the disguise, the pretense of being an animal, a monster or a malign spirit.”

“The strange dancers reached the door of the church and pounded the knocker a number of times. They stood for a long time before the closed door...”

“Then suddenly the double doors were noisily flung open and... the devils fell back in panic, as though seized by a fit, stumbling against one another, falling, rolling to the ground.”

When the solemn Church procession is over, Carpentier writes: “... the devils who were left outside began to run, lauging and leaping, turned from devils into clowns... shouting lewdly through the windows...”

Click here to see Alejo Carpentier's classic novel "The Lost Steps"

Click here for an article on how the Dancing Devils of Yare came to wear their distinctive red outfits

Click here for a video of the Dancing Devils from the famous cacao plantation of Chuao

Los Llanos: Hato El Cedral - Wildlife Paradise

2008-01-19T09:06:00.000-08:00

Video: Cueva del Guacharo

2007-12-27T07:36:00.001-08:00

There are no words that can accurately describe the experience of entering the dark cavern of the Cueva del Guacharo in Caripe, Monagas State, and hearing for the first time the riotous noise of the oilbirds squawking away like a flock of demented Daffy Ducks.

One of the guides told me that Alfred Hitchcock sent a sound crew to the cave in the early 60s to record the wailing laments, shrill cries and eerie clicks of the guacharos to add a sinsister edge to his 1964 movie "The Birds".

Instead of sticking with the sound of the Guacharos all the way through, this video has a really cheesy soundtrack but the stills give a good idea of what you will see on a trip to this fascinating cave.

Travel article: Cueva del Guacharo - Oilbirds and Elephant Ears

Click here for interview with birdwatching guide Chris Sharpe on Venezuela's top birding spots

To see Steven L. Hilty's field guide "Birds of Venezuela" click here:

Angel Falls - Base jumper proves age is no obstacle

2007-11-13T17:26:00.001-08:00

Angel Falls

Jimmie Angel famously crashed his plane on top of Auyan-tepui not far from the waterfall which today bears his name. But what about jumping off the top with just a parachute to stop you smashing into the ground 979 metres below?

Welshman Eric Jones proved age is no obstacle to adventure in 1998 when he became the oldest person to base jump from the top of Auyan-tepui, launching himself off a cliff edge above the highest waterfall in the world. He was 61 years old.

Asked how he felt before he jumped, he said: "Quite cool, really. I was very focused on what I had to do: I had to start tracking - flying away from the rock face as soon as I'd fallen for three seconds. This is so that when the parachute opens, you're as far away from the rocks as possible."

Sounds sensible.

When he's not scaling the North Face of the Eiger, base jumping in Mexican caves or leaping from balloons, the 70 year-old adrenaline junkie relaxes at his regular job: running a small climbers' cafe in Tremadog, North Wales, near the coastal town of Porth Madog.

He must have been some kind of nutter to jump from the top of Angel Falls, but I'm glad he did because the crew captured some awesome images of the falls and the Devil's Canyon on the way down.

Click here to make Angel Falls one of the 7 Wonders of Nature

Video clip of Angel Falls from David Attenborough's BBC series "Planet Earth"

The True Story of Jimmie Angel and the Discovery of Angel Falls

Jimmie Angel and Angel Falls - The truth behind the legend

2007-11-12T05:11:00.000-08:00

Seventy years ago, on 9 October, 1937, US bush pilot James Crawford Angel, better known as Jimmie, carefully positioned his Flamingo monoplane "El Rio Caroni" for a landing on top of the vast heart-shaped mesa mountain Auyan-tepui in Venezuela's isolated Gran Sabana region.

According to Jimmie's later accounts, the plan was to stay a few days and search for gold, But in such a wild and distant region of Venezuela plans seldom run smoothly. When the plane hit a soft spot on the tepuy during the landing it nosed-up, damaging the fuel line.

The accident left Jimmie, his wife Marie, fellow explorer Gustavo Heny and Miguel Delgado, Heny's gardener, unharmed but they were now stranded atop Auyan-tepui.

The only way down was on foot, across unmapped terrain and with limited supplies. Eleven days later, exhausted but alive, the party reached Kamarata on the other side of the tepuy. As news of their adventure spread Jimmie Angel's name became inextricably linked with the waterfall that he had first seen in 1933: Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world and Venezuela's greatest natural treasure.

Jimmie Angel and his exploits have since become the stuff of legend for anybody visiting Venezuela. His plane may have been taken down from the top of Auyan-tepui but it still stands outside Ciudad Bolivar airport, where modern-day tourists start their trips to Angel Falls.

So who was Jimmie Angel?

To try and get at the truth behind the legend, I spoke to Karen Angel, Jimmie's niece, who has been tracking down the truth about his exploits for the Jimmie Angel Historical Project, a not-for-profit organization she runs from the United States.

Q: Jimmie and his passengers had been planning the landing near the falls for a long time and had brought a lot of supplies. Heny and Catalan explorer Felix Cardona Puig had even scouted routes up Auyan-tepui from Guayaraca, near Kamarata, the route the party used to get down. Was the crash-landing a publicity stunt to get Jimmie's name on the map as some have suggested?

Jimmie Angel loved his airplane "El Rio Caroni". He would never have intentionally harmed it. He also had an important job coming up with the American Museum of Natural History and was to be the pilot-guide for the 1938-1939 Phelps’ Venezuelan Expedition to Auyan-tepui. Losing his plane on the mountain meant he could not do the AMNH job. So it was a big hardship. Jimmie didn't have extra money tucked away for a rainy day. He and Marie had to leave Venezuela in 1937 to obtain a new plane and did not return until 1938.

Q: But why would he take his wife with him? Surely it was dangerous?

Marie loved being with Jimmie on his adventures. She acted as his navigator. They were very much in love and she was very devoted to him. She only went back to the USA later because the two children became ill with malaria. Both his wives, Virginia his first wife and Marie, were good-looking redheads who loved adventure.

Q: And all those preparations beforehand?

Jimmie definitely thought the river of gold was up there. He also knew that bush pilots who didn't prepare didn't make it back home. And Jimmie was a very good bush pilot.

Q: How famous was he in his lifetime?

He wasn't that well known in the United States but he was very famous in South America. Ornithologist Thomas E. Gilliard's articles about him in the Saturday Evening Post and the Natural History magazine in the United States spread his story. And Ruth Robertson's 1949 article for National Geographic was important, because it proved Angel Falls was the highest waterfall in the world.

Q: What's your interest in Jimmie Angel?

This is my family story, if you like. My father Clyde Marshall was Jimmie's youngest brother and I just felt people should know more about him. Not just the legends that he helped to create but the facts. I'm more interested in Jimmie's work with the scientific teams that explored the Gran sabana region, such as paleontologist G. Gaylord Simpson and Gilliard, than the "the river of gold" stories that everybody always asks about.

Q: How did the Jimmie Angel Historical Project Come
about?

In 1994 I decided it was time I went to Venezuela and saw Auyan-tepui and the falls for myself so I signed up for a tour. I met so many people who had heard of Jimmie Angel but there was so little accurate information that I felt I should do something to set the story straight, to fill in the gaps and give a more rounded picture of the man. In 1996 I started the Jimmie Angel Historical Project and commenced doing research by interviewing people who knew him and explored the archives that contained information about him.

Q: Have you climbed Auyan-tepui?

Yes, in 1994. I have also been to the base of the waterfall by canoe twice, in 1994 and 2002. But it wasn't just the falls I wanted to see.
Jimmie was really close to the Pemon people of the area and he and Marie adopted a young child called Jose Manuel Ugarte.
I didn't expect to find him but he was in Kamarata when I arrived in 1994. He was 78 years old and was building a house for one of his sons. He had six children.
I also met my two "cousins" Santo and Nered Ugarte in 2002 which was really special.

Q: But did Jimmie really meet an old gold prospector called McCracken in a Panama City bar in 1924 and fly with him to flat-topped mountain in Venezuela where they extracted 60 pounds of gold from a riverbed in a few days?

Did you say 1924? I heard the year was 1921. Anyway, I can't substantiate that he did meet this prospector, but I can't say that he didn't. Jimmie did embellish his stories throughout his life as he looked for investors willing to finance his expeditions, because that left him free to seek out his El Dorado. So part of it was marketing. But even if you strip away the legendary stories of fighting with Lawrence of Arabia or meeting McCracken, you still have a man who lived an extraordinarily adventurous life, who fully enjoyed what he did and was a devoted father loved by his family.

Q: He seems like a larger than life character. There's something very Humphrey Bogart about him in the photos. Why has there never been a Jimmie Angel movie?

He was very charismatic and women loved him. Most people know him from the photos taken at the end of his life but he was very handsome when he was young. There are many movie scripts out there but they've never been made. Even when he was alive there were movie projects about his life. I think there will be one someday. It's just such a great story and Auyantepuy, the Gran Sabana and Angel Falls are such a great backdrop for a movie.

Q: And the end of the story is very romantic too...

Yes. Jimmie Angel died in Panama in 1956, aged 57, but in July 1960 his widow, Marie and his two sons Jimmy and Rolan, with Gustavo Heny and his friend Patricia Grant, flew over Angel Falls and scattered his ashes.

Grant wrote afterwards: "As we skimmed by the Falls the ashes floated downward whipped by the wind and mixed in the spray, and thus our beloved Jimmie returned to his waterfall."

I think his name will live forever. If he'd been named Jimmie Smith it would be a different story but Angel just seems right for such a special place.

By Russell Maddicks

The photos for this article, apart from the photo of the Rio Caroni outside Ciudad Bolivar Airport which is mine, come courtesy of the Jimmie Angel Historical Project. The top photo was taken by Gustavo Heny and is part of the ©2006 Jimmie Angel Historical Project in association with the Enrique Lucca Collection. Click on the photos to make them larger.

Let's Make Angel Falls one of the 7 Wonders of Nature

Video clip of Angel Falls from David Attenborough's BBC series "Planet Earth"

Spectacular video clip of oldest base Jumper to leap from the top of Angel Falls