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August 1999- I had been fighting off some unknown malady all week so I made sure to get plenty of sleep on Friday night before my trip to Los Roques. Saturday I got up at 5:00 AM to drive to the airport with Rob and Tom. I was supposed to Los Roques in July with my parents but they missed their flight to Venezuela so we did not get to go. Instead of going with my parents I used the vouchers with my two best friends. Although Tom had been to Los Roques previously this was Rob's first time to the keys. The day did not get off to a good start when the agent at the terminal charged us a tax of 11400 Bolivars each. The tax for the National Park is listed as 3000 Bolivars for Venezuelan residents (which we all were). The guy punched some numbers into a calculator before turning it towards us to indicate what we each needed to pay. The funny part was that we saw him putting our money directly into his pocket. We were running late so I did not raise hell. You cannot help but be late when the airlines do not have computers to check in passengers. Check-in consists of the clerk filling out a form by hand before handing you a carbon copy. No Y2k issues with carbon copies though. |
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Looking down from the plane you are greeted by a Caribbean paradise. All of the keys dotting the park are made up of white corral, with the exception of the largest island, which is volcanic. The flight to the main island of Gran Roque went smoothly and a smiling tour guide was at the airstrip to greet us upon arrival. From the airstrip we immediately boarded a catamaran and set sail. The wind was perfect for sailing so the crew raised the mast and killed the motor and we drifted towards Francisqui. Rob is really into sailing and enjoyed this part of the day more than anything else. Once to the key we felt an obligation to utilize the entire collection of beach toys (frisbee, beach paddles, hacky sack, kite, etc.). We alternated playing games with swimming around in the cool ocean water. Drinks and food were provided on the tour so the three of us ate lunch on the catamaran and made conversation with our fellow tourists. In the afternoon the itinerary had us snorkeling off of shore of the Madrizqui. There was a wide variety of fish but it was still not quite as impressive as the last time I was in Los Roques. Since we were only going to be in Los Roques for the day we wanted to make the most of our time. After sailing to another key we did more swimming and then wasted entirely too much film taking silly pictures (at Tom's insistence). |
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The flight home was quick but the drive from the airport took forever. There was a serious accident just before the first tunnel that brought all traffic to a halt. In Venezuela it is common to drive on the shoulder to pass but instead of getting ahead the end result was that the entire road was blocked and no tow truck could get through. This produces traffic that does not move for extended periods of time. The locals typically pass this time drinking beer or rum until traffic starts to flow again. After waiting half an hour the accident was cleared and activity resumed but it wasn't long before it came to a halt again. After idling for half an hour many vehicles were overheating and now they were blocking the freeway. After an hour and a half we finally arrived back at to Caracas and cleaned up before going out for the night to dinner and a movie. |
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