Along the coast of Venezuela, off Choroni
Lobster Red on the Beach in Paradise
Maracay is not a huge town, and it was not too difficult to find the right transportation from there to Choroni; a private taxi that would take us the next 50 kms for the grand sum of about 10 dollars. Before we got in the taxi though, we were advised to buy a bus ticket for the day I was planning to return to San Antonio and the border with Colombia, as there was a direct bus service from Maracay to the border. We spent the next 15 minutes trying to find the right bus service and bought a ticket, paid in cash, got a receipt, and happily got on our way to Choroni.
Narrow streets in Choroni
The road to this coastal town is narrow and crosses mountains, and the views are quite nice. Less nice is the speed with which drivers seem to think that it is safe to travel along these barely converted cattle tracks. There were a few occasions when a bus would have been a welcome alternative, but eventually we crossed the mountains and made our way down into the town of Choroni. From the chaos and structures of Barquisimeto, San Felipe, and Maracay, Choroni is a small haven of peace. The mountains seem to have cut off progress and enforced a certain level of peace and calm. Perhaps it was because we were not visiting on a weekend, nor was it peak season, and of course, this was Venezuela, so any tourist in their right mind was steering clear of the place, except of course me. The narrow roads in the town work on a one-way system, as no street is wide enough to allow 2 cars to pass each other, let alone the bigger, lumbering buses or converted trucks with rows of benches in the back. The tallest structure was a 3-storey house near the harbour. The main street tried to present a Mediterranean appearance, with white-washed walls and blue trim. Several of the buildings had been converted into hotels or ‘posadas’ and we wandered into several of them just to take a look around – many were beautifully appointed, with private inner courtyards and just the right kind of atmosphere for someone looking for a relaxing beach-side holiday. The posada, Santa Marta, we had arranged was a short distance from the centre of the town, and we soon found it. The grounds were well-kept, and the small swimming pool immediately attracted my attention – I was going to loll around in there with my after-dinner drink for sure.
Local transport in Choroni
A Touch of the Mediterranean
My prescience (or rather that of my host in Cucuta) came in handy here, as it took only a swipe of the debit card to take care of our accommodation payment. Keys in hands, we sauntered off to inspect our rooms. Sheer bliss. Having settled in we moved into the town to explore the beach area and the rest of the town. Within walking distance was one of the town’s main beaches, but we were advised that to get to the really good beaches we should take a boat the next day and go exploring. We moved back to the main market area near the small town harbour in search of a boat and captain who would be willing to take us on a tour. For nearly 2 hours we haggled with a collection of operators, were taken from one place to another to talk with yet another person, and each time we moved to a different captain, the price seemed to just go higher and higher. The starting price had been somewhere around 60 US dollars per person to take us on a 6-hour tour in a single boat – this in a country where gasoline cost 2 cents per litre. Eventually we decided that for a total of 120 dollars we would rather just spend the day on the local beach; turned around and made our way back toward our posada. There are several very nice restaurants in Choroni, serving anything from local fare for a few dollars, to more upscale restaurants where dinner can cost you a good chunk of your monthly salary. We settled for something in between, and I must say the atmosphere as well as the food was good, with excellent service – I wont point out any one particular restaurant, as we tried several during our stay, and all were equally as good – somehow they were still able to get most ingredients, but then again, most of the menus consisted of seafood…
Off the beach of Choroni
From US$120 down to US$12 … the forces of a market economy
The following morning we made our way back to the small pier where suddenly we were surrounded by all manner of skippers offering their services for about one-tenth of the price we had been presented the previous night. We chose one gentleman to take us on a tour to a beach not too distant, where we planned to spend a few hours enjoying the sea and sand. The beach chairs were too comfortable, and we soon fell asleep, only to be woken up with a jolt about an hour or so later by the sound of thunder. As I turned to sit on the edge of the chair I heard a groan from my friend. I look around, and there he stood, beet red on one side, white on the other – half rare. I looked down, and could see the exact dividing line between my own red and white sides and knew I was going to pay painfully for my oversight and for falling asleep – I glowed in the dark like a boiled lobster that evening as I floated quietly in the small pool at the posada. The boat ride from the beach back to the town of Choroni was a race against the elements, as thunder rumbled, and dark clouds rolled in from the west. We made it back just in time to miss the downpour.
Beach at Choroni
Down the street from the beach…local transport
Peaceful haven off the beaten track in Choroni
