Dr. Romero in the World Dr. Romero in the World
We travel to Venezuela in January of the 96. Benjamin and me we went to visit my friend Juan Cotura that lives there from he/she makes several seasons.
An affordable way to arrive to this country, is to buy an airplane note to Island Margarita. A regular note it can cost you to Caracas up to 120.000, - Ptas, with a flight charter until Margarita it can leave you for some 75.000, - Ptas.
The flight of Hawk trips made scale in Tenerife for what the itinerary almost lasted 15 hours, we arrive to Porlamar enough crushed. Juan waited for us in the airport to accompany us to Beach the Water, a population located to the North of the island.
We rent a house for the price of some 9.000,--Ptas / day, to so single 5 minutes of the beach. Juan had reserved it to us in advance.
After a night of rest we come closer until the bank of this Caribbean that surprisingly didn't have anything of calm, a constant hangover whipped the bank with an insistent wind that it softened the sun that like it is habitual here he/she falls to lead. Seen that it was impossible to dive or to fish from Beach the one It dilutes, we opt to go to the Tyrant's population, to some three miles to the south. There we interview with Miguel, the boss of fishermen, he indicated us a boat that they would take us toward the Friars", a small one archipelago of islands to an hour and a half of navigation.
We ascend in a typical craft of of the area, two motors were overboard with a built deposit of gasoline simply with a drum of plastic. The boat has the sharp prow to be able to cut the waves that shake the coast. To the five minutes of voyage we are soaked until the underpants. For us it is stimulating, however the one I subtract of travelers it doesn't accept this setback so sportly. They are French and they don't put very good face before the constant soaking to the one that subjects us the cheerful company that of foot in the stern, laughs and he/she jokes spending it in big.
Los Frailes © by Toni Romero 1996One hour later we come closer to the coast of loa Frailes, the water changes the blue cobalt to the turquoise one classic Caribbean. We all are when stopping the craft frozen of cold, I rush to the water that is as hot as my blood. We disembark in a smooth, very inclined beach of songs, in the one that the constructions of a plant dominate the whole landscape. They have a shed (less bad) to protect the poor European of the sun. The tripulantes mounts a barbecue, the temperature it is of 45 degrees and we equip ourselves to begin a session of fishing. We have brought some simple bodys to protect us of the cold, in my previous trip to Cuba took a suit complete of 5 mm. and it was excessive, with them I only need about 2 Kg. of lead to be balanced.
I will fish while Benja attended me from the water crawling it floats her with 25 m of line (we maintain the fish at a distance of security for if we find sharks). They bring near us toward the side opposed of the current so that this approaches us again toward the beach. I don't find water as hot as in Cuba, neither it is so clear and mainly anything soothing. We approach to the reef, flocks of omnipresent barracudas watch us to about seven meters, outside of the reach of my rifle. For the bottom a cloud of blue surgeons parades in orderly and synchronized movements drawing the brain corals (Diplodia Laberintiformis ) and those of deer horn that raise their fingers toward the surface. Among them I distinguish some gender conches Murex that I appropriate quickly, they are as beautiful as delicious. You the step to Benja that places them in a metallic basket that it takes in it floats her.
I hope to be able to capture a tarpón (Atlantic Megalops) I take a rifle standar with a bar of 6 mm. A team to all you shine insufficient for captures of this span, to have more power has almost reduced the measure of the rubbers 4 cm. The tahitiana is sharpened in form of triangular bevel to increase their penetration. If I nail a tarpón, sew quite unlikely, I begin to think that the boatmen us they have taken to an area of tourists, I hope to fulminate it of a shot (requesting that it is not very big).
However only reef fish like the inefables loras, fish crossbow, trumpets of good size, fish clown amid their gigantic anemones and a couple of fish angel that swim peacefully, they are the actors of today in this scenario that doesn't offer us any capture, except for a lobster of good size that is already kicking in the basket.
We leave with quite cold (it seems curious to be icy in these waters) and we go toward the shed, while the onlookers tourists examine our captures. In the barbecue a gigantic one barracuda is roasted for the food. Chicken, salad and the unavoidable ones " Polarcitas " (Venezuelan beers), they are our menu. We eat as lions while a cloud of flies that shares our shed, is fed in us. A cigarette and coffee, the dessert of this stupendous cuchipanda.
We return more to the water in another point toward the east, cold again. In this area it seems to have more fishing, snorers, big - eyes, more barracudas, a moraine of good dimensions to the one that I don't shoot and a gigantic tetrodón with the one that I play during a while. Suddenly we are wrapped in a jello urticante made up of minuscule medusillas, itches of the Host. To these heights I curse my not very common sense for not to have brought me a complete suit. Finally we leave the area. A bank of mussels gets my attention now, they have about 15 cm of long. When catching some for the dinner, a coral of fire (Eusmilia fastigiata) he/she gives me a lash that makes me see the stars. We leave the water burned by the medusillas, the corals and the sun that it has burned us the calves, those arms and the nape, another reason to bring complete suits.
We return to the tired flies and thinking that still a hour of navigation we have left it until Margarita. We dry off the suits in the sun and we pick up the material. We embark again, but we put on the neopreno bodys again. We arrive soaked, crushed and with a cold as I don't remember to have happened never in the tropic. Tonight we have dinner fish and we sleep as trunks.
The following day Juan wakes up us early to visit a called swamp The Restinga", located in the center of the island. Let us think that island Margarita is divided in two big surfaces, the peninsula of Macanao and the island properly this, united in the center by an earth ismo where The Restinga runs off with. To arrive to our destination point we will skirt the island going by Juan's Greek population. Margarita it possesses several ecosystems, he/she has mountains of considerable height with their corresponding tropical forest, deserts with cactus, snakes in the area of the center and beaches with typical palmerales of the Caribbean.
To consent to the Restinga we will rent a craft and we will navigate among the mangral. However, before we will take some " round maize loaves " to fill the stomach.
We finally embark and we go to the external part of the one swamp. This species is crucial in the coastal ecosystem, it impedes that the sea advances toward mainland by means of its lattice of roots and foliage. It is refuge place for birds and fish, rabiorcados, gulls, pelicans and eagles pescadoras that accompany us in this calm walk for the dimness of the tunnels of vegetation that you/they conform channels, for those that the water of the sea circulates.
The mangrove is a wooden tree hard that he/she reproduces by means of seeds in lance form. When they mature they come off of the tree, falling to the lagoon and being nailed in the substratum where they take root. Of course not all reach the maturity, their tender smoothness and their nutritious wealth constitutes a succulent dish for many animals.
In their roots they accumulate the oysters, Island Margarita it owes their name to the immense colonies of oysters perlíferas that they filled their costs in the past. The great quantity that you he/she observes at first sight he/she insinuates us their fame. The species Pictada radiata that reaches the 8 cm. it is the biggest producer of pearls. Among this family of mollusks a small coral grows of pale pink color that by the way have not been able to identify.
The waters of the Restinga are quite cloudy for the great quantity of nutrients that possess, it will be I impossible to take submarine pictures of the swamp. I limit myself to take pictures from outside of the water.
The walk toward the pier lasts as three hour rooms. We disembark and from there we go to the external part of the beach. Lunchrooms with lobster, oysters and botutos wait for us, we don't have a lot of appetite. Juan and Benja stay in the bar in company of the " Polarcitas " while I will give a turn to investigate the surroundings. We are in a language of similar sand to that of the Trabucador of the Delta of the one Ebro. In the interior part the end of the swamp is appreciated, there encounter a tree with multitude of vultures (vultures). To their feet they lie infinity of remains of their banquets, skeletons of fish, bones and other, absolutely mondos and lirondos. They are the service of cleaning.
For the part that gives to the sea small sheds they are observed with the boats of the fishermen. In the floor thousands of spoils waste of their captures, chassis of fish globe, belonas, jaws of fish, shells of all the types. For me it is a source inexhaustible of treasures that indicates me the abundant life in the vicinities. And like sample a mountain of botutos of about 10 cm. to the one side of a blaze, leftovers of a banquet of the fishmongers, I imagine that they have eaten them roasted.
Later on almost trip with a heap of vultures that they are giving a gluttonous one. When coming closer I see that you they are eating a dog, in a couple of hours it won't be anything of him. The presence of the carroñeros ago that the beach is always clean of animals in decomposition.
The walk has given me hunger, I return to the bar to eat. A cube of oysters hill some 300 Ptas. and clear, we gorge without thinking in the possibility of becoming sick. They are delicious.
Of having returned by the swamp I photograph the pelicans with their big bags. They allow to fall carrying out dives of vertigo, to go out of the water with fish that move inside their throat. While, the sun puts on behind the mountains of the peninsula of Macanao. A show that only it is darkened by the wading ones, the mosquitos of the area that they seem to want to become a cheese gruyère.
Moxima © by Toni Romero 1996MOXIMA
This located 75 Km. of Margarita, already in the continent. Here
the avifauna is of a quantity and a variety that astonished you.
Rabiorcados, cormoranes, frigates, all type of gulls and a numberless
of species that will make the delights of those ornithologists.
Under the water it is an authentic catalog of fauna and marine
flora. Lobsters of 3 Kg. squids of 60 cm., fish parrot, escorpénidos,
tunas, Serbian (jack fish), giant barracudas and a senseless fan
of colors and species. Brains of Neptune, acróporas of
all type, and big gorgonias delighted you your senses to the price
of 10 $for day and person, with included food.
DELTA OF THE ORINOCO
If you want to know the jungla for about 365,--$you arrive to
the delta, and of there you will be able to contact with the towns
of the INDIANS PIAROAS, monkeys, papagallos and all type of snakes.
You should prove the roasted of Capibara, as well as the roasted
yucca and the round maize loaves . If you fish pirañas
and caymen at night you will remember it for a lot of time. The
masks of the Indian Piaroas with a beauty and a nonpareil simplicity
of lines. Built with the help of natural wax of bees and coconut
fiber you will be able to to be bought them directly to them.
© by Toni Romero 1995 Forbidden the total or partial reproduction of this it paginates, registered in the intellectual property. ( Text of the book The Trips of the Dr. )
Fotosub. org in their I encourage of providing activities
to their assiduous friends and collaborators, it begins a new
activity, the organization of trips for lovers of the sea in all
their facets. It is for it that to begin
our new collaborating Juan Carlos Cotura, it has elaborated us
a week of very interesting activities, related with the one sea,
in our country brother, Venezuela. I think that the opportunity
of knowing a place
so I magnify as Moxima where we will make snorquelling, we will
dive, we will photograph fish, spineless or the birds but you
magnify and where we will be able to know ourselves but thoroughly,
it will be an experience very gratificante
for all.
I wait that it is of your interest, and remember that the price
that he/she offers it is extremely cheap because of that have
eliminated the habitual commissions in the recruiting of groups.
Fotosub. org in their desire of giving to
to know the sea, believe a system this way in that people of all
the levels can consent to know new countries, to a moderate price.
