Macareo River Trip, Venezuela: November 15-December 1, 2008
Click on the above thumbnail for a map of Venezuela
Down the west coast of Trinidad
On November 15, Tusen Takk II and three other vessels (Arctic Tern,
Receta, and Asseance) departed from Chaguaramas and cruised down the
west coast of Trinidad on their way to the Orinoco Delta, Venezuela. We passed some interesting vessels that were anchored just south of Chaguaramas,
and later passed through the Soldado oil field which was jammed with old and new
well heads. We spent the night in Columbus Bay, where Asseance
discovered a diesel leak. The manly men all dinghied over and
ultimately discovered a leak in a rubber fuel line and made temporary repairs
that were good enough to last for the trip. When we left Columbus
Bay the next morning, we attempted to time our departure so that our cruise
against the current through the Serpent's Mouth -- the passage between
southwestern Trinidad and Venezuela -- would see us arriving at the shallow
waters at the mouth of the Macareo River at the tail end of a rising tide. Alas, we overestimated the strength of the opposing currents, arrived too early,
and had to drop anchor and wait for several hours after Arctic Tern,
leading the way, gently hit bottom. No harm done. While we
anchored, a large pirogue passed by our companion sailboats and approached us
directly. There were four passengers, one of whom carried an AK47.
Turned out to be the Venezuelan Guardia de Nacional. A polite
young man asked if we could speak Spanish, and switched to broken English when
we revealed the depths of our ignorance. He requested and received
permission to board us. He did a quick tour of the boat, looked at
our passports, but did not ask for our boat papers. Good thing. Yachties visiting the Orinoco Delta put themselves into somewhat of a dilemma.
One is supposed to check out of a country when one leaves it. One is
supposed to check into a country when one arrives. Among other
things, the new country wants to see (and keep) the exit papers from the former
country. The Orinoco Delta has no check in/out location (except much
further up the river than we wanted to travel). If we checked out of
Trinidad, then when we arrived back, we would have no exit papers from another
country, and would be in trouble. So we didn't check out. We
explained to the Guardia that we were intending on spending two weeks in the
river, and indicated our expected progress, and he was satisfied. He asked
for -- and received -- double-A batteries for his cell phone, and then joined
his heavily armed companions on the pirogue. They didn't bother to
interview any of our companion vessels.
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Gas tanker anchored just south of Chaguaramas
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Drilling ship(?) in same vicinity
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Oil well in the Soldado oil field
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An older well head in the field
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What the radar looked like as we approached the field
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This tern visited us at Columbus Bay
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The boys head over to help Asseance a diesel leak
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Trini settlement on the north shore of the Serpent's Mouth
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Anchored right at the mouth of the Macareo, this rusty ship serves as a depot for ships bringing iron ore down the river
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Pelican Island
We spent our first (and last) night on the Macareo river anchored off of
Pelican Island -- an apt name that could only be made more precise by the
appellation "Pelican and Scarlet Ibis Island". The breeding pelicans
were recognizable by the brown swatches on the back of their necks and their
behavior, which involved flying about with nesting materials in their bills.
In the morning we were treated to the sight of a communal bath by some of the
pelicans. They gathered together in the water and used their wings to
splash themselves and their fellow bathers.
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Flock of scarlet ibis arrive at Pelican Island to roost for the night
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When they have all landed the mangroves will look like decorated Christmas trees
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Circling with proof of his/her sincerity about starting a family
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As is this one
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Communal pelican bath
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RIO MACAREO
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Cruising up the Macareo river
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No watermaking in these muddy waters, so we deployed our water catcher ...
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... and caught about 35 gallons in one shower!
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Our four vessels at anchor
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Lots of hyacinth floating down the river -- sometimes lodging on our boats
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Hunter pulls a log/hyacinth jam away from Tusen Takk II's bow
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Animal skin stretched for drying at one of the dry-season camps
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Departing after a lunch gathering on Tusen Takk II
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Empty dwelling along the river (note walkway between huts)
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Another annex to the (currently) empty complex
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Asseance passing an old "tripod" marker
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Hunter burning trash on a bit of high ground -- dressed in anticipation of an attack by mosquitoes (which didn't happen)
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Through Jesse Jackson's Members Only Taxi and Tour Service we obtained
rough charts and descriptive literature for the Rio Macareo. Here are some
excerpts:
The
Orinoco is the most northly of South America's four great rivers. It
is bounded by the Andes to the north and west, the Guyana Highlands to the east
and the Amazon watershed to the south. It is 1700 miles long and covers
366,000 square miles, or four-fifths of Venezuela and a quarter of Columbia. Orinoco means "a place to paddle"...
The
climate in the Orinoco Delta is tropical with the seasons marked by variations
in rainfall rather than temperature. The mean is about 29 degrees C with a
range of about 2 degrees. ... The wet season is from April to September and the
"high water" period is from April to October. ... During WWII the mouth (and
possibly elsewhere) of the Macareo was dredged and marked to allow ships to be
routed to the sea via the Rio Macareo ... as this brought them directly into the
Gulf of Paria where the danger from enemy submarines was much reduced. Some time after 1945 the channel was dredged to a depth of 8 meters to allow ore
carriers to take their cargo the USA. ... Dredging ceased in 1955
when it would appear the maintenance of all navigation aids also stopped. Occasionally, large, rusty tubular tripods will be seen on the banks. These carried lights marking the channel.
WILDLIFE
There are over 1000 species of bird in the Orinoco River Basin ...
THE
WAREO
In
Venezuela there are five Indian tribes -- each with their own language -- but
the Wareo of the Orinoco Delta consider themselves Venezuela's original
inhabitants... The name Wareo ... means "canoe people".
In
the first 75 to 80 miles of the river these gentle, short, fine featured,
reddish skinned people live along the river bank pretty much as they have always
done in small open-plan huts built of mangrove wood on piles by the river bank. Four or five of these huts, called "palofitos", linked by walkways make a
village. Palofitos have thatched roofs and open sides with the families'
possessions hanging from the eaves. Space is divided by social
distinctions... Furniture is rudimentary [or non-existent (cts)].
Theirs is a typical forest culture combining hunting, fishing, gathering, and
upstream from the estuary, a little agriculture. ... Until the
arrival of Europeans they had no domestic animals except dogs. They
did not form states or central political organizations and did not have castes
of warriors or priests but lived as one large extended family in their communal
houses. ...
They have their own language, Wareo, which is taught in the school at Macareo
Village and most appear to have some knowledge of Spanish. It is
only recently that they have started to give their children names. Previously, they were "named" by describing their family relationships. For example: aunt, wife of her mother's oldest brother.
When a girl first menstruates her hair is cut short to indicate that she is
ready to marry. When she does marry then her husband comes and lives
in her village and works for her father. If her father dies then the
son-in-law works for the widow. ...
They bury their dead in the jungle under a small hut in a wooden coffin covered
with mud. After a year the wisiatu, or shaman, goes back to
the grave, uncovers the bones and studies them to decide who is guilty of the
death and how much they have to pay. Each village may have several wisiatus
They are semi-nomadic people who rely upon the river for their water supply.
In the dry season when salt water comes upriver the Wareo migrate south
following the fresh water and them come downstream again in the wet season. ...
When surveying this area for oil (they found none) Amaco agreed to fund, for
three years, an aid project to work with the Wareo. [One of
the bases was established at Macareo Village. Chavez has continued to
support the original foundation. (cts) ]
...
This has changed the semi-nomadic lifestyle of the Wareo in Macareo Village and
nearby settlements. Instead of following the fresh water upstream during
the dry season they are staying at the river mouth taking advantage of the
school and the hospital and fishing for salt water instead of fresh water
fish.... [But when the waters have receded enough to expose occasional
high spots along the river sides, the men still create camps upstream for
extended hunting trips. (cts) ] ...
TRADING WITH THE WAREO
Every time you pass a village canoes will come out to trade... The Wareo are not
looking for luxuries or little extras but essentials which they would have to
buy from the traders coming down form Tucupita or make (and pay for) the six
hour journey there themselves. There is no point in coming without
trade goods and bring at least twice what you think necessary for every village
you trade with on the way upstream you will meet them again as old friends on
the way back. ... [The occupants of the canoes come out shouting "cambio",
which is Spanish for "exchange". They also shout out the desired
item they would like to trade for, which is most often "tela" (cloth). The
children shout "bomba" (balloon) or caramelo (candy). The
occupants with goods hold
up what they are willing to trade: baskets they have woven themselves, or
necklaces made of beads and/or seeds and/or teeth are the most common options.
(cts)].
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When we arrive ...
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... at a settlement ...
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... the canoes come swarming out to trade
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Receta trading
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Trading w/ Tusen Takk II -- some of the canoes are pretty full
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This family came from a small settlement
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Can you guess what Barb traded?
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They return to their hut happy -- note Barb's frying pan in the canoe
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We had commissioned items here. When we returned their canoes were away, so the girls dinghied in to trade
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Many of the canoes had only woman and/or children
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Village at Boca la Pela
The village at Boca la Pela was our turn-around point. We did some
trading from the boats when we arrived, and then retired off a bit to anchor for
the night. Next morning, we returned to the village by dinghy and
went ashore -- the first really substantial amount of solid ground we had seen
for the entire trip. We found a row of government-sponsored houses on
stilts. Unusual, because the homes had walls -- but little or no furniture
-- and tin roofs made of metal instead of thatching, and floors made of planks
instead of poles. Some of the siding of the homes had "disappeared".
No surprise -- see the photo below of a man making a new paddle (in hopes of a
trade with us.)
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Not all of the dug-outs were in good repair
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Hunter (and Steve) brought along balloons and entertained the kids by making balloon animals and hats
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The proud owner of a new balloon hat
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Steve makes a balloon with a face ...
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Happy girl w/ her balloon
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The villagers milled about as we walked along in front of their homes
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Someone had mentioned "baskets" the afternoon before -- here the man is the next morning attempting to finish a basket for trade
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Paddles were also mentioned, so here we have a frantic attempt to finish a paddle (using a board from the side of a house)
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Family of the paddle maker -- note lack of furniture ...
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... and places to keep "kitchen" utinsels
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Until they reach a certain age, all the little boys go totally naked
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Barb gifted this girl with the bubble blower and solution
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Barb had a successful trade with this lady
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The woman's basket-making materials
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A young family from another small village asked for us to photo them and to stop by when we passed -- which we did
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Macareo Village
Macareo village is near the mouth of the river. We paused there to
trade from our boats on the way in, and anchored there to spend a night on the
way out. On the way out, we were entertained by Antonio Collins, who
speaks decent English and has served for a number of years as the unofficial
"host" to cruisers who enter the river. He has recently been
appointed by the government as "chief of the river", as he describes it, which
means he has replaced the former chief of the village as the person who
dispenses government aid to the people. (The former chief has fled in
disgrace -- abandoning his wife and children). In particular, Collins --
as he is known -- had just recently delivered a diesel engine to the
village (for use as a electrical generator), and his family has been providing
meals to the community. He told us his next project was to try to get the
government to underwrite the cost of constructing a boardwalk that would stretch
along the village behind the homes. (They now mostly move form
dwelling to dwelling by canoe or power boat.)
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Collins asked us to see if we could get the generator started -- we couldn't, but we are convinced we "fixed" several things that needed fixing
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School building in Macareo Village
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Collins show off his refrigerator -- used for storage since there is no electrical power
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We were invited over for dinner and these fish and dasheen were served -- along with sweet Argentine wine
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Collin's wife Elinor cooking fish heads for her family
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The fish heads
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Collins kids and grandkids
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Grandma shows how palm frond fiber is turned into "thread" for use in basket making
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Young wife in an adjoining hut -- which means she is part of the extended family
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Smoke from morning fires in Macareo Village
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Used by the kids for "local" traffic
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Chuck traded an old sheet for this child's paddle
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Nature trips in our dinghies
We usually indulged in an exploration of side rivers (called a caņos)
in the morning, and then again in the afternoon, timing the latter so that we
got back to the boats before the mosquitoes descended down upon us. Devi (Arctic
Tern) is an ornithologist, and the area abounds with avians, so
bird-watching was especially rewarding and interesting. Our trips up the
side caņos were often terminated by hyacinths, but on
at least one occasion we were able to push up a branching caņo until the water
just got too shallow and the passage too narrow. We were in the watershed
at the end of the rainy season, so we saw little solid ground on the trip.
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This flower ...
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... turns into this "nut", which looks like (and must be related to) cocoa beans, but is not
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Carving in one of the dry-season camps
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Huge (toxic) caterpillar suddenly appeared on Hunter's shoulder. It was flicked away with a knife.
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Dragonfly
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Wasp nest
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Hunter's dinghy ingested a piece of hiacynth and chewed up the impellor...
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... so we towed him home and subsequently put the crew from four boats into three dinghies
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Anhinga
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Yellow-rumped Cacique
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Cacique nests
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Hoatzins engaged in some quick intercourse
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"Gosh, darling, do you think they saw what we were doing?"
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Crested Caracara
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Black-collared hawk
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Ringed Kingfisher
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Snail Kite
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Yellow-crowned Parrots
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Horned Screamer (note head feather and hook at wing "elbow")
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Blue and Yellow Macaw
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White-throated Toucan
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Clear tea-colored water from a side caņo meets the muddy Macareo
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Lounging around at a hiacynth blockage
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Steve and Ann (Receta) with passenger Hunter (Arctic Tern)
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Steve fly fishing on a still morning
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Imprompto raftup during a dinghy expedition
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Lightning did a number on this tree
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Monkeys!
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Silent and brown Capuchin monkey
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Reddish and sometimes deafening ...
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... Howler ...
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... monkeys ...
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... were often visible in the afternoons
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Fresh Water Dolphins!
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Often displaying an amazing amount of pink ...
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... the fresh water dolphins differ from ...
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... bottlenose not only in saltiness of habituated waters ...
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... but also in having a much attenuated dorsal fin ...
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... and bulbous head with long cylindrical snout
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Socializing on Tusen Takk II
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Steve & Hunter playing Bananagrams
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Playing Mexican Train dominoes
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Collins attended Barb's birthday party
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Hunter's sister Brooke was aboard Arctic Tern for the trip
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Hunter wearing his Thanksgiving hat (supplied by Brooke)
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Don and Steve wearing their hats
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The girls wearing their masks
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