All my life the Orinoco River has fascinated me. Growing up in Trinidad the river was always felt, never seen. Mysterious nuts, seeds and plants drift up on Trinidad's beaches. Donkey eyes are the most famous ones. When we ask our parents where they come from we are always told: "Oh, that comes from the Orinoco."
The Orinoco changes the very composition of the sea around T&T. It dilutes the salt water around our islands. The river brings nutrients that feed reefs and rich fishing grounds.Few Trinidadians venture up the Orinoco. There are rumours of smugglers, human trafficking, crime and revolution. I decided to take a look for myself.
I took a pirogue from Cedros to Pedernales. Pedernales is a tiny village less than an hour by pirogue from the Cedros Coast Guard base and customs jetty. It is a sleepy place. There is not much else than a Guardia Nacional post, a guesthouse and some small shops. The village square, Plaza Bolivar, has the obligatory bust of Simon Bolivar and murals of Hugo Chavez. It is the gateway to the Orinoco River from Trinidad.
I cleared customs with the Guardia Nacional in Pedernales. The young Guardia on duty took a look at my cameras and told me it is forbidden to take pictures of military units and installations. He then offered me a cup of espresso coffee. Welcome to the Orinoco!After clearing customs I took a river taxi to Tucupita, 90 miles upriver. You must get your passport stamped there.
I expected the Orinoco to be an empty wilderness but the river is like a highway. The Warao, the indigenous people, paddle their canoes and drive their ballahoos up and down the river. Warao villages–moriche palm leaf huts built on stilts–line the riverbank. A few huts have satellite TV dishes and washing machines. Generators provide electricity.
Tucupita is an unattractive, run-down town. Rusty 1970s, 80s and 90s Detroit built cars dominate the streets. Classic car lovers could have a ball.The rumours of smuggling may be true. One taxi driver asks me how I like Tucupita. He then enquires if I want to buy cocaine.Politics is ever present. Political murals decorate walls. Portraits of Chavez and Ch� are painted all over.
The crisis in Venezuela is real. One traveller came from Trinidad with two boxes of Pampers for his babies. Cars stopped and people called out across the road, asking to buy them. I was told that there was a shortage of basic goods like coffee and cooking oil.
After getting my passport stamped I hired a Warao ballahoo to get to the Orinoco Delta Lodge, deep in the Orinoco Delta. In the West Indies a ballahoo is a fast schooner. Warao ballahoos are wooden speedboats. They look like a combination between a pirogue and a canoe. All seem to be powered by 40hp Yamaha outboard engines.
The Orinoco Delta Lodge is Eden again. I woke up to the grunting of Red Howler monkeys. There were toucans and macaws in the trees. River dolphins swam in the water. I had come without expectation. I found paradise. I swam in the Orinoco. A few seconds after diving in to the murky water I thought of piranhas, anacondas, caiman and electric eels. It was a short swim.
To catch piranhas you have to beat the water with your rod to attract them. This mimics the thrashing of an animal as it hits the water. I didn't catch any. The Warao, on the other hand are expert fishers. I bought fish from them for lunch.Warao means "boat people" in their own tongue. In the Delta you cannot go far without meeting a river, stream or marsh. All transport is by boat.
The Moriche Palm is the Warao "Tree of life." It provides them with building material, fruit, medicinal oil that can be used as a sunscreen, The leaves are used for roofs and baskets.
It is also the home of the Moriche worm. The Warao consider it a protein-packed delicacy and aphrodisiac. I was offered one. I ate it live. It squiggled between my fingers. Apparently the head is not as tasty as the rest of the worm so you bite that off and spit it out. You then eat the still wriggling grub. The taste is not bad. I'd say it was a chicken nugget with the consistency of a smoothie.
Going to Venezuela scared me. The country suffers one of the world's highest homicide rates. Tourists avoid the country. What I found was a peaceful Orinoco Delta. There are risks to traveling anywhere. Be alert. Do not linger in public. Do not flash money or jewelry. Be smart.Honestly, this is not for everybody. Travel by boat to the Orinoco from Trinidad is for adventure travellers, not tourists.
The rewards are great. The Orinoco Delta is one of the world's last remaining wild places. An eco-adventure in Trinidad's backyard.