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August 2000- At the beginning of August I went to Morrocoy with Jo and Tom's friend Jerome. To be honest I was really not very enthusiastic about the trip. I had been out of town every weekend for the past six weeks (with one exception when I had to work) and I was ready for a rest. Jerome only had a short amount of time in Venezuela though and Jo was flying out just for the weekend so I felt obligated to entertain. The three of us left my apartment at 9:00 AM on Saturday morning shortly after Jerome returned from Puerto La Cruz. Traffic was sporadic and we arrived in Tucacas around noontime. During the drive the three of us discussed our options for where to stay and what to do while in Morrocoy National Park. Although I had brought along everything that we needed to camp and I had done so previously, there were a couple of factors that concerned me on this particular occasion. The first was that August is the middle of the rainy season in Venezuela and once you are out on one of the keys your transportation does not return until the time that you specify. This means that a long, wet night is a distinct possibility. In addition, we did not have permits do camp overnight in the park and getting the permit would eat up time on our already short weekend, plus Jo is not very fond of camping anyway. Once in Tucacas we went to the posada where Jo and I had stayed previously during our first trip to Morrocoy. We dropped off our bags in the rooms and then headed directly to the bay where we would get a boat to one of the islands. The three of us ended up sharing a boat with a couple from Caracas and paid the reasonable price of 20,000 Bolivars (US $30) to go to Playazul. The island was packed with boats and sun worshippers so we went to the far end of the beach to try and distance ourselves from the commotion. The three of us spent the afternoon playing beach games and swimming and just relaxing on the beach. We met a couple from California who was vacationing in Venezuela and spoke with them for a while before returning to the mainland. |
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Once back to Tucacas we showered at the posada and just hung out there with Andre (our host) and a group of Germans who were staying in Tucacas for the week. Although I had not previously considered it, we discussed the possibility of going diving on Sunday with Andre. This really interested me since I hadn't been diving at all since getting my PADI certification, but ultimately the idea was rejected because Jo had to fly back to Maracaibo on Sunday and it is not recommended to dive and fly on the same day. The three of us went to the local grocery store (an experience in itself) for some dinner supplies and drinks for the following day. After gathering everything needed we went back to the posada and I prepared our dinner. It ended up being a quiet night and we headed to bed shortly after dinner. Sunday morning we got up a little later than I would have liked but we skipped breakfast to make up for the time. Jerome was planning on continuing west to Coro but Jo had a flight at 7:50 PM so we would need to leave Tucacas around 3:00. At Andre's recommendation we rented some snorkel gear and took a boat to Cayo Sur. This is in the same area as where I went to for my PADI open water dive so I knew what to expect. When we arrived at the key there was only one other group of people there, which was a nice change from the previous day. After we put our things in the shade and liberally applied sunblock it was not long before Jerome and I were in the water. The snorkeling at this location is excellent due to the reef between Cayo Sur and the neighboring island. The water was crystal clear and we saw several different types of exotic fish. |
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After returning back to shore we were greeted by more people and more boats. Jo took the opportunity to explain to Jerome the Venezuelan social system, which involves everyone crowding as close together despite adequate space for everyone to comfortably spread out. While watching our cultural study unfold we ate an early lunch to help compensate for our lack of breakfast. By the early afternoon the beach was swarming with people and boats, many of whom were sporting diver flags and air tanks (although we never actually saw any of them dive). All three of us decided to flee the crowd and do some snorkeling. Jo was feeling particularly energetic and suggested that we snorkel all the way around the neighboring island. This was a great idea and exposed us to the entire reef as well as the open ocean. Following this I went back to the beach while Jo and Jerome attempted to circle Cayo Sur. Although they were gone for a long time they were unsuccessful in their quest due to a strong current and large waves on the north side of Cayo Sur. Once they were back we just relaxed on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. There really wasn't enough room to play any beach games and the midday sun and white sand made any activities quite hot anyway. The boat came to take us back to Tucacas at 2:30. This was earlier than we were expecting but we were happy to go because of the crowd of people and Jo's flight later in the evening. Once back to the mainland Jerome left Jo and I to continue on to Coro by bus. Traffic was about average for a Sunday afternoon and thanks to our early departure Jo had time to take a shower and change clothes before flying to Maracaibo. I spent the rest of the evening cleaning up Jo's sandy mess and putting away the camping gear that we did not end up needing anyway. |
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