Groovy people down on the delta

Whenever I am lucky enough to find myself travelling to a new place I always enjoy the people I am with as much as the actual place. Same happened on our last trip to the Orinoco river Delta. My mom had planned on joining Lisa, Luca,Wilder and I since October and we were pleasantly surprised to be joined by 6 fellow teachers from ECA. Add to the mix Marco and Clemente from the lodge who showed us around, kids in canoes, and many local Warao villagers and we had a whole slew of people to laugh with, eat with, fish with, and learn from.

this is the lodge that we stayed in- what a magical place. and it took us all of about 7 minutes upon arriving to find ourselves here:

one of the many charming features of the lodge

we were the red dot

 When you travel by boat- you spend a lot of time observing the world go by. Sort of like a highway... sort of not. In any case the wind in your hair can give you awesome hairstyles.

This is Marco, a wonderful man, always quick to smile and laugh.

Riding in a boat doesn't just tire out the little ones, here Jess follows Cormac's lead. Chris can't be too far behind either.

hair by speedboat

Sometimes my mother takes me boating. But only if I wear my life protector and sun hat.

the sunset cruise

 I am fascinated with how other cultures live. Usually when visiting an area the local "indigenous people" are accustomed to gringos and have no problem hitting them up for cash. To be certain there were bracelets and handicrafts to be bought but largely people could care less that we were there. They just seemed to be going about their business- and in the jungle I can imagine the business of getting food ain't always that easy. Here are some of the villages we visited- built on stilts right on the water (or close to it). 

always cool to see kids playing

lots of kids get boats when they are like 2 years old- they are so at ease paddling about

ever wonder how they get wicker?

tools of the trade: scraper, screwdriver, and lathe. Yes the boat engine has been retrofitted into a lathe!

I could do so much with these wood chips... so much

water collection

I love this shot- can you imagine trading places? I admire the simplicity but am not sure I would be tough enough to last a year in the jungle.

What a treat to get to know some of our co-workers a bit better. Thanks Michael, Tamara, Stacia, Brandon, Chris, and Jess.

Stacia, Luca, Wilder, and Tamara. How do we know its pre-hike? They are still clean.

And then it was time to head out. We got back to terra firma on the day before Carnival. The people were getting ready! Big speakers, generators, and rum being loaded into boats.  

thanks orinoco