River Flowers
09 June 2008 | Macareo River
The jungle green colors and textures are gorgeous but there is some flowering bushes that create more beauty.
Typical Warao House
09 June 2008 | Macareo River
President Chavez is providing materials for new hut construction for the Waraos with plastic roofs and walls cut out from trees in the jungle. The villages are getting the supplies first and eventually the outlying areas. Life in the river is changing rapidly. We're pleased we had the privilege of visiting the river before technology got too far advanced.
Dinghy Challenges
07 June 2008 | Macareo River
Getting in and out of the dinghy from a steep, slippery, muddy bank in the dark without getting yourself covered in mud, is never easy. Shellee demonstrates her skill as Bob from Good Time Charlie watches.
Nests
07 June 2008 | Macareo River
Shellee found this nest along the river that was well intact.
Pink Dolphins
07 June 2008 | Macareo River
Yes, there are such creatures as pink dolphins. Although they wouldn't win any beauty contests, they are actually quite stunning. We saw them frequently on the Macareo River, particularly where canos met the main river were the fishing was obviously better.
Macaws
07 June 2008 | Macareo River
Nothing like seeing these exotic and beautiful birds in the wild. We went early in the morning when wildlife viewing is as its best.
Left Out
07 June 2008 | Macareo River
Movie night was intended for all the children of the village but I noticed these little ones hanging around outside the hut where the movie was being shown. I asked them if they wanted to come and watch the movie but they just shook their heads. We figured there were class distinctions even in these remote, primitive villages.
Movie Night
07 June 2008 | Macareo River
One night we offered to show a movie for all the kids in the village. Shellee brought along Jungle Book which could be enjoyed without knowing the language. Unfortunately the Chief apparently only invited some of the children and their parents and everyone sat in the dark watching the movie. They turned the volume off but the cartoon told the story satisfactorily. It was a hit.
We watched as the evening wore on as some of the children were getting tired. They left and returned with their favorite blankets and snuggled up with mom, or swung in one of the hammocks. Just like home, I thought.
Who's Having More Fun?
07 June 2008 | Macareo River
Bill offered to take some of the kids for a dinghy ride at one of the villages. Before he knew it all the kids were lining up for a ride. Quite a treat for these kids. About an hour later he returned to the boat, smiling from ear to ear. Not sure who had more fun, Bill or the kids!
Class Photo
05 June 2008 | Boca La Pela - Macareo River
The Boca La Pela School consists of about 30 students and 2-3 teachers. One day Bill noticed a number of adults sitting in school as well. They were happy to pose for photos and receive the gifts of school supplies we had brought them. The school supplies consisted mostly of notebooks, paper, pencils and erasers.
Warao Beauties
05 June 2008 | Macareo River
Shellee and I spent a lot of time making copies of the photos to hand out. We found that the adults, who initially refused to have their photos taken, were suddenly interested in family photos.
Warao Beauties
05 June 2008 | Macareo River
More photos on the boat. They don't see photos of themselves often to having a copy for a keepsake was pretty special for them.
Warao Beauties
05 June 2008 | Macareo River
We returned to a village we had previously visited and were greeted like long lost relatives. It was encouraging because they weren't out to trade with us this time, just to hang out. Although we wondered about the wisdom of this, we decided to invite the children on the boat. Bill sent them down in twos from the cockpit where they looked around inside and posed for photos. The girls spent time looking in the large mirror and fixing their hair which meant at least two, maybe three photos, for the right look. We made copies of the photos and gave them to them afterwards. That was a big hit.
Iguana
05 June 2008 | Macareo River
This is the iguana that was sunning itself in our dinghy, checking us out from the water.
Iguana in Dinghy
05 June 2008 | Macareo River
Bill spotted this iguana sunning itself in our dinghy. I managed to grab the camera and take a fast photo before it sensed our presence and scurried over the edge into the water. It actually tried to get inside the dinghy later but eventually changed its mind.
Cherished Necklace
05 June 2008 | Macareo River
Our friend spotted a beautiful necklace worn by this elderly lady and asked to trade for it. Reluctantly she agreed and for the next 10-15 minutes she had to be helped to get it untangled from her hair. We understand they have attachments to some of their beautiful creations and do not part with them easily.
River Trading
05 June 2008 | Maraceo River
Trading on the river is not an option. The villagers spend their spare time creating beautiful necklaces to trade with the odd boat that travels down the river. We understand the people on the Macareo River only sees 10-15 boats a year so when the boats are sighted word travels and the Warao come out in droves for this rare trading opportunity. They make their requests known immediately so they get what they want.
Howler Monkeys
05 June 2008 | Macareo River
We hear them roaring like lions regularly but to see them this close up in the wild is a rare experience. Aren't they beautiful!
Village Further Down the River
10 May 2008
We anchored near this home and a couple of kids came out to trade. It is interesting that some groups of people prefer solitary living with immediate family where others like the community style.
Puerto Blanco
10 May 2008 | Venezuela
The smiles on these kids faces, who weren't out competitively trading, was quite refreshing.
Health care and dental care seems to be lacking with many Warao as many of the adults were missing lots of teeth and the children often revealed cavities. This boy shows a very healthy set of teeth.
Puerto Blanco
10 May 2008 | Venezuela
This boat is an indication of the sophistication of the village. The boats, the clothes, the lack of interest in trading and the construction materials (adobe blocks) shows this village has more money available to them than anywhere else we'd been on the river.
Visitors
10 May 2008 | Puerto Blanco, Venezuela
The kids that came out at this particular village were such fun. When we asked for "cambio" (what they had for trade) some of them offered their brothers or friends. They weren't too interested in trading goods but were more interested in getting treats (like candies) they called "carmelo". We somehow neglected to bring candy on the trip but I knew Preferred Stock had a huge supply. I called Shellee on the VHF radio and asked if I could send the troups to her boat for a candy. I indicated to the kids that the blue boat had carmelo and they let out a hoop and holler and paddled like crazy over to Preferred Stock. This is the crowd heading to their boat.
Village
10 May 2008 | Puerto Blanco, Venezuela
This village of over 200 people was quite a distance down the river and a surprise to us because of its size. As previously mentioned, most boaters don't venture this far on the river. The village has a large collection of adobe blocks for construction (something not seen by us anywhere else on the river). We understand they are building a clinic and a school. This village is a little more advanced than others and we were told this is where the people along the river go to vote.
We didn't go ashore but had lots of boats come out to us.
Rare Butterfly Photo
10 May 2008 | Macareo River
I don't know how often I have tried to capture a photo of these beautiful blue butterflies. They fly so eratically that I find I'm whipping my camera every which way and they manage to evade my lens. We often see them in the small side canos but this one must be lost.
Trees in Bloom
10 May 2008 | Macareo River
Pretty with the dramatic background.
Lau Lau Lagoon Departure
10 May 2008 | Venezuela
As we were leaving the Lau Lau Lagoon we found we were in very shallow water. Bob went ahead and found the channel very close to the shore. Had it not been near high tide it wouldn't have been passable.
Pretty White ?
10 May 2008 | Lau Lau Lagoon
More help needed in identifying these lovely white birds... or should we say LWJ (little white jobbie).
Long Necked ???
10 May 2008 | Lau Lau Lagoon
Lookin' for help identifying these interesting birds...
Birds of the Lau Lau Lagoon
10 May 2008 | Venezuela
Where's the bird book?
Up, Up and Away
10 May 2008 | Lau Lau Lagoon
Ready to take flight!
Dramatic Background
10 May 2008 | Lau Lau Lagoon
Birds usually take flight when they sense humans around. We tried to be quiet and just drift in the dinghy but still had difficulty capturing closeup shots.
Lau Lau Lagoon
10 May 2008 | Venezuela
This is the side cano where we went exploring with our dinghy. We ploughed through the water plants that clogged the waterway but it was worth it. Unfortunately we really needed the book "Birds of Venezuela" which we have been unable to locate to identify the many different species of birds. We ended up using our own technical lingo, such as LBJ (little black job), BYJ (big yellow job)... you'd almost think we knew what we were looking at.
If anybody can identify some of the birds please send us an e-mail or add a comment to the blog.
Jackaroos Everywhere
09 May 2008 | Lau Lau Lagoon
We found these birds in abundance in the lagoon. They are very unique looking and make a loud screeching call.
Jackaroo
09 May 2008 | Lau Lau Lagoon
After we visited the Flotel Warao we plowed our way into a side cano that was completely blocked by water hyacinth. This proved to be our best wildlife viewing opportunity of the entire Macareo trip. There were many varieties of birds that had our cameras clicking like crazy. Often the birds are camouflaged by their surroundings and capturing a good photo takes numerous tries. Hurray for digitals!!!
Flotel Warao
09 May 2008 | Lau Lau Lagoon
This is the brochure advertising the numerous eco tourist places in the area.
It is certainly a unique experience and the Lau Lau Lagoon offers incredible wildlife viewing opportunities.
Flotel Common Area
09 May 2008 | Lau Lau Lagoon
There were three men at the flotel who run the place. The accommodations seemed very comfortable and definitely unique.
They take their guests on cano explorations to view the wildlife and to see how the Warao live.
Flotel Wareo
09 May 2008 | Lau Lau Lagoon
This is a floating hotel with about 10 rooms for guests. Each room has one or two beds and a bathroom (simple but clean). We were invited to view the facilities and have a coffee as there were no guests at the time.
We struggled to communicate with our limited Spanish but were told they have guests for all but two or three months of the year.
Dangerous Crossing
09 May 2008 | Macareo Side Cano
We saw the cattle on the shore but when they started to make a move to cross the cano in front of us we became alarmed. Their timing couldn't have been worse because we had no place to go and too much weight to stop in the short distance between us and them.
The interesting thing to note about these cattle is they can cross without the piranha attacking them. It is an oddity to their breed as ordinary cattle would be devoured by the piranha.
Yikes, Look Out
09 May 2008 | Macareo River
We had no chance to stop or change course with 16 tons of momentum to stop. We were thankful they didn't try to cross a second sooner than they did or we would have surely moved some of them down.
Turn, Turn
09 May 2008 | Macareo River
The cattle had to change course suddenly when they encountered our boat. They are going in every direction here trying to get out of the way.
Cattle Crossing
09 May 2008 | Macareo River
The cattle were finally able to swim between our boat and Preferred Stock.
Basic Living
09 May 2008 | Macareo River
This is a typical hut the Warao live in. This one is a little cluttered compared to many we've seen.
Cano Beauty
09 May 2008 | Macarao
Traveling along the side canos was so picturesque and easy. The only thing we had to be cautious about was depth. We had the deepest draft so usually pulled up the rear. We did manage to briefly ground on the river in soft mud so were able to wiggle off. No big deal and all part of the experience...
I remember when we first started sailing we were told it was a matter of "when you ground" not "if you ground". So true.
Cattle Ranching
09 May 2008 | Macareo River
Further up the river we were surprised to see large cattle ranches. We were told they are owned by a few wealthy Venezuelans.
Off We Go
09 May 2008 | Leaving Boca La Pela
It was time to leave Boca La Pela and head further up river. The canos provide such interesting opportunities for wildlife viewing.
Village View
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
Where is everybody?
Siesta
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
Contrary to many Warao homes, the huts in Boca La Pela have partial walls. Chavez is providing materials and limited labour for new homes to be built.
Siestas are a fact of tropical life as there is no other way to escape the intense heat. Bill has learned it is healthy to rest after a meal so he is adjusting to the ways of the locals.
Striking Pose
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
In the dry season the villagers can easily travel from hut to hut so there is considerable communal living. In the wet season we understand you can access the huts from the water so they wouldn't socialize nearly as much as they do now.
Although the Warao are not considered sociable people, we saw much evidence of community in this village and we felt a special connection after just a few days.
Communal Kitchen
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
Despite the fact that every hut has a place to cook there was also an outdoor communal kitchen. The menu today was boiled chicken and dumplings, made from flour and water.
School Girl
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela, Venezuela
Here is a lovely young Warao girl who caught my attention. I singled her out as she appeared a little shy. I believe it made her feel special.
Pencil, Paper, Photo
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
Some of the gifts from the foreigners on the big boats are proudly displayed in this photo of these handsome young boys.
Teacher's Family
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
Even the teacher got in on the family photo opportunity. I took numerous photos of her and gave her a copy of each. What we found curious is the people never smiled when they had their photo taken, even when they were encouraged to.
The teacher told me she had been at the school for 4 years. Her family was unique because her baby actually wore diapers.
Gifts for School
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
The school at Boca La Pela desperately needed supplies so we were happy to donate a few.
We would have loved to adopt this school into Schools Beyond Borders but they have no way of sending/receiving mail (including regular mail); consequently, they could not communicate with a sister school.
Students
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
The students posed for a photo which we brought back to the school later. Several of the students wanted individual photos taken and the teacher cornered me for a photo of her and her children. It was a unique experience for them.
School in Session
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
After handing out some photos we headed to the school with our gifts. The students and teachers lined up as we approached.
Shellee Sharing Photos
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
Shellee is busy trying to figure out whose photo belonged to whom. The once camera shy adults were suddenly interested in having their photos taken when we handed out copies of the photos we had taken of the children. We had such fun doing that but every time we went to shore they were lining up again and again. Our printers (on Prefered Stock and El Shaddai) were working overtime producing copies to give to everyone.
Basic Living
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
We found many of the people in the village wore clean clothes as laundry was simply washing their clothes in the river and spreading them on the bushes to dry. However, the muddy environment around the huts makes it very difficult to stay clean, as evidenced by this little one. I continue to compare their expectations with ours in Canada. They are not remotely similar.
Competition
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
What a cutie but maybe a little camera shy. Dinner is ready but the competition could be a little fierce.
Many people have dogs but from what we gathered they don't get fed like our dogs. They simply scrounge our their existence.
Bombas (Balloons)
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
To our surprise the request for balloons was overwhelming. We had taken several packages and saw the delight when the children got hold of them. At first we didn't know what the word "bomba" meant but when the charades started it was quickly discerned what they were asking for.
Bath
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
This woman didn't have much privacy for her bath but I saw her coming out with a bar of soap in her hand.
More Gifts
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
Bob brought a bag of goodies ashore for the children. The children were quick to get their hands on the treats.
Typical Kids
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
Initially the villagers were reluctant to have their photos taken. However, the children were happy to oblige. When the adults saw the photos we brought the next day, produced on our printer, they lined up for photos.
Stove
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
The Indians cook on open fires inside their huts on bricks or pieces of steel, usually salvaged from an oil drum.
School Hut
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
The only evidence that this was a school hut was a multiplication table on the wall. There were no desks or school supplies visible for this school that accommodates 30 students.
We later donated some school supplies we had saved for them. Paper and pencils were especially treasured.
Fishing Haul
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
A group of people from the village were weighing the fish and then stored them in an abandoned freezer. We assume the fish were going to be transported to Tucapita the following day where they would be sold.
Young Traders
09 May 2008 | Boca La Pela
The boats came out to trade in huge numbers. I asked these two boys their age and they held up 4 fingers. Can you imagine any of us letting our 4 year olds on the river on their own (let alone with no lifejackets)?
Privileged
09 May 2008 | Boca la Pela
These boys were so thrilled to be aboard Bob's boat and readily posed for a photo. I'm not sure who had more fun, Bob or the kids. Bob has a decorative parrot on board that records voices and repeats words. The kids were so enthralled with this talking parrot.
Traders Galore
09 May 2008 | Boca la Pela
The traders come out and compete for the best deals. They are hard bargainers and know what they want. "Cambio" is the word for trading and we were encouraged not to give them things but insist on something in trade.
Some of the handmade necklaces are quite beautiful, like the one worn by the woman in the front of the photo. The river people used to be happy to trade for goods but some of them are now asking for money for the more elaborate necklaces. Many have Yamaha outboards (compliments of Chavez) so cash is now a necessity to purchase gasoline.
An intricate necklace they once traded for 4-6 yards of fabric is now being sold for $20-$40.
Help!
09 May 2008 | Boca la Pela
At first I was a little worried about our single-handler friend, Bob, dealing with all these people surrounding his boat. Surprisingly, he was the first one to invite them aboard. We resisted initially but eventually invited them aboard. Bill kept them in the cockpit and allowed them down below two at a time, so I could keep an eye on them. We didn't know whether they might be light fingered or not and as it turned out Bob ended up short a pair of sunglasses. For the most part they were fine and just happy to visit and see inside the boat.
Family Affair
09 May 2008 | Boca la Pela, Venezuela
We stopped at a village called Boca la Pela, consisting of 80 people. This is where we had our first glimpse of pink dolphins... pink, with big snouts and quite unique.
This mother is out with her family taking advantage of an opportunity to trade. She certainly has her hands full.
Home Sweet Home
09 May 2008 | Macareo River
As we travelled along the river there were some villages from a dozen people to over 200. Others did not live in villages and were either in small groups or alone.
Many of the Warao are nomadic and have other huts further up river where they live with their families in the dry season, where fresh water is more easily accessible.
Simple Living
09 May 2008 | Macareo River
We had a couple with a baby paddle to our boat in a dugout. They had just come from Preferred Stock and Shellee had given the baby a little T-shirt. The woman didn't speak but only grunted. It is not uncommon to see children with no clothes up to school age and beyond. We learned that many babies on the river die of hypothermia in this tropical climate. The humidity is high and when it cools down at night the babies have nothing to wear to keep warm. Quite a sad and surprising fact.
The women all wear dresses with necklines that accommodate nursing. It was very common to have people arrive at the boat with at least one baby in the middle of nursing, like this mother was. Just a normal body function that nobody takes notice of.
It didn't take much to get a big smile from this sweet little baby.
Just think of the money they save on diapers.
Parrot
09 May 2008 | Macareo River
This boat had a parrot tethered to the side and was out with the family. I'm not sure if this is a common occurrence or was for our benefit, but the parrot seemed quite content going along for the ride.
Early River Traders
09 May 2008 | Macareo River
We weren't on the river long before we had visitors coming to trade. We went equipped with flour, cooking oil, sugar, laundry soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, clothing, coloring books, crayons, etc. to trade for necklaces and baskets.
There was considerably more trading on the Macareo River than the Manamo and it really is not an option. They don't see many yachts a year (maybe 10, and the number is decreasing we were told) but they sure move quickly when they spot us heading down the river, paddling their dugout canoes like mad to reach us before we pass by. They have very specific things they want and communicate in Spanish. Tela is fabric, flanella is T-shirt and bomba is balloon. Those words we figured out quickly and we heard them frequently.
Flora and Fauna
09 May 2008 | Macareo River
As we travelled along the river I wondered how similar the vegetation was to Africa which is what this view reminded me of.
Wareo Homes
09 May 2008 | Macareo River
As we found on the Manamo River, the people living on the river are still in the stone age. They live in huts on stilts above the river with thatched roofs and no walls. They sleep in hammocks and cook on open fires in their homes. What an eye opener this river travel is for people like us. We see how simply people can live without the trappings of materialism our North American culture gets caught up in.
Pelicans
09 May 2008 | Pelican Island, Venezuela
This is home to thousands and thousands of pelicans. You seldom get up close and personal with so many pelicans in one place at one time. Look closely as they blend in with the bushes.
Sunset Beauty
09 May 2008 | Pelican Island, Venezuela
Another advantage to this unique lifestyle.. We are blessed by countless glorious sunsets.
These photos have been taken by my new Canon G9 camera I purchased in Canada. So far I'm very pleased with the results.
Friends
09 May 2008 | Pigeon Island, Venezuela
Dinghies serve as our cars and that's how we get to shore and visit each other's boats. Shellee, Richard and Bob came for dinner at Pigeon Island in the dinghy.
Depending on the state of the seas it can be an easy, calm, smooth ride or a rough, boucy, wet one.
Boaters get known by "dinghy butt" which is a white salt stain on the seat of your pants when your dinghy ride was rough, you got saturated with salt water and then it dries.
Pelican Island
09 May 2008 | Venezuela
As it was a little trying navigating our way into the river we were happy to finally stop for the night at Pigeon Island (well named for the thousands of pelicans that call this home). The other bonus was the scarlet ibis and frigate birds that use it as well. We invited our friends for mackeral dinner and we enjoyed happy hour in the cockpit as the ibis returned to roost for the night. It wasn't as spectacular as the Manamo River but still a treat we weren't expecting.