This is something I always wanted to do for my whole life.

I didn't found any friends or family to come with me, so I choosed to do it alone either way.

I started emailing 3 months ago all the web pages that did tours here in Venezuela, and stuck to the cheapest one and the ones that kept giving me feedback. They were Adan Adventures. I can recomend them with my eyes closed, did have a VERY good experience with them. Two days before going, they gave me the bus ticket for getting there, and they told me a guy would be there waiting on me. We were supposed to be 5 persons going up on this expedition.

Then I did all the research on the internet I could find on equipment and clothes to get there. Also the weekend before that, a co-worker told me his sister had gone there, and I talked to her and she invited me to her home and showed me pictures, and gave me tips on the trip.

Thank you Mariana! that gave me strengh :).

December 16

I were on a meeting and I had to flew home to the bathroom!! (I was direct! and for the whole trip, wich was good :))

At my home, did a checkup of the backpack, and after finishing it, I stood there, looking at it for about 5 minutes terrified of going. My family thought I was crazy on going alone, and some friends also, at the time I thought that! LOL. But I was like we said here... I was already on top of the monkey, I just had to ride it!.

Before going to bed, I received 2 phone calls, I remembered one from a friend, and I told her my bathroom experience and she told me that is just that you are nervous, is not that you I had something. The other one I was really sleepy, and trying to figure out until today who was it hehe.

December 17

I took my car and went to my parents, there I talked a lot mostly with my dad, and I'm glad he didn't showed if he was afraid of me going or not, he related me some times when he was on trips nearby, and I had a great time. After that he gave me a ride to the "Terminal de Oriente" wich is the bus terminal were a lot of buses depart to some parts of the country. I was always a car, plane or ship girl, and I think this was the third time I was ever on a bus, so that was also "new" to me.

The company they selected was "Expresos Caribe" and the bus was a Super Bed Bus, very confortable, it even had a bathroom on it. A long trip was waiting for me, 21 hours there!.

We did this route

Map

We departed from (1) Caracas at 10:45 am and did stops at: (2) El Guapo 12:30 pm, (3) Pto. La Cruz 3:30 pm, (4) Anaco 6:30 pm, (5) El Tigre 7:05 pm, (6) Ciudad Bolivar 10pm, (7) Santa Elena de Uairen 7:30 am.

At the bus I met some friendly italian guys that were offering fruits to the whole bus, and an american guy from NY called Ernie, he showed me a lot of pictures from his trips, they were really good from many places, he was some graphic reporter. At each stop, he like me went down to have a smoke, and I became his interpreter when he wanted to buy something.

December 18

I arrived at Santa Elena, and there was no one waiting on me, all kind of thoughs passed my mind, but I did had bringed my cell phone there and the number of the tour organizers. I called them, and they told me a guy named Eric was going to pick me up in 10 minutes.

I was already making plans with Ernie in were to stay and wondering if I had to go home again, but yes, about 20 minutes later, a guy was looking for me Eric!. He told me the bus arrived really early, and it was supposed to be there at 9:30 am not at 7:30 that was why he was late.

Then we took a taxi and looked for a place to stay, we call those places "posadas" wich are cheap, and just got the basic features like bathroom, bed and tv. Eric worked mostly with 4 of them and at the first one there was no vacancy so we picked another one. Posada "Los Castaños".

Posada	My Room	My Room

There was no luxury, but it was clean. Eric left me there and told me he was going to the Hospital to meet with a lady who had broke her elbow in another expedition and was at the hospital, that he would return back at about 12:00 pm for me to get a vaccine against yellow fever.

Then I went to my room ans went straight to bed, I slept and woke up at 10:30 am, then took a shower, and decided to explore the town and get breakfast. On my way, I called home and talked to mom to tell her I was ok and safe.

Santa Elena de Uairén

Santa Elena de Uairén, is city to the south of the State Bolivar, in Venezuela, before crossing to Brazil capital of the municipality of Great Savannah. She is located to 907mts of altitude, in a savannah surrounded by several Tepuis. To 15 km one is the border limit with Brazil, and the Brazilian town denominated "the Line" (Pacaraima).

It was founded the 16 of September of 1923 by Lucas Fernandez Peña, attracted by the diamonds of the zone. Population (according to estimations for 1997), 16,000 inhabitants. The temperature average is located between the 25 and 28°C. It is acceded to the city by main Pan-American highway "10" via Brazil.

It has airport. Its economy is based on the commerce and the operation of the mining centers. Although for some years the tourist sector it has been coming being increased from important way, reason why the city counts on sufficient services for the visitors.

The name of the city originates of the first daughter of Lucas Fernandez Peña "Elena", altogether had 23 children. In Santa Elena we can acquire of everything, it has pharmacies, Restaurants, Telephony fixes and cellular (Telcel), supermarkets, pizza places, ecological Hotels, gasoline Pumps, Churches, etc.

View of the Street	View of the Street

At the time, I was really watching what I ate, because of the bathroom problem, and because I didn’t wanted to get sick because of the food. I asked around about the best bread store there and I was given directions. We call those places here “panaderías”, and they serve there coffee, and all kinds of things made from flour. I had a pound cake slice and a Gatorade (yeah some mix), but it seemed they didn’t had milk at the time.

Then returned to my “posada” and Eric was already waiting on me. We took a taxi, and went to Brazil.

Brazil - The Border	A guy I bough a necklace

Apparently there is a lot of trade between both cities and sometimes to even buy food you go there looking for the best prices on the merchandise. Just at the borderline there was this ambulatory hospital were I was supposed to get the vaccine, but they were on lunch time so we went to pick the groceries for the trip, and on the way back I would get it.

Eric bought the stuff and in the meantime I bough a necklace with a cross on it, very pretty and cheap.

On the way back, the guys were still at lunch, and there was a line of about 10 people already waiting to get there so we decided I shouldn’t take it LOL.

Then we went to Eric’s home, which was very pretty, and he introduced me to his wife, and girl. They were friendly and welcoming people. They were cooking and I offered to help, but they didn’t wanted me to so I just stayed quiet, and talking with a friend of them who was also there.

When I organized my trip I did emailed with Arnaldo (The head of Adan Adventures), and his sister Milagros, it turned out they were like partners with Eric with this kind of expeditions. He told me a guy was going to pick me up at 8:30 am to start the expedition.

After that, we returned to the hotel and I just watched tv, got out, and asked the friendly guy of the "posada" for a place to get something to eat. it was about 4:30 pm already. He told me to go just at the left side of the "posada" the food was good there, so I went and ate chicken and rice, it was a good home made food. I returned, and spent like one hour talking with the guy again. From were he was, and it turned out he was from Merida, a place were I got a friend on, and we talked mostly about that and some parties they dio there in a special time of the year that I been on also.

Then I asked if there was some place with internet connection in town (heheh not even there I couldn't get without it!) and there was a place!!. I chatted with some friends, and left some messages.Then I went to my room and spent the rest of the afternoon watching tv. I called an early night and slept like a baby.