Maracai to Choroni

We quickly switch bus terminals and jump straight into a colourful mini American school bus which was leaving for Choroni ahora (now). Loving some well deserved travel Karma we all squeezed into the supposed space for 3.

The sun was having almost as much trouble getting through the leaves and onto the page as I was trying to think and read through the excessive noise being generated by no less than 6 pioneer speakers and a massive sub woofer. This system had sufficient power for a large outdoor party so why they feel the need to pack every local bus with this expensive and unnecessary set up is beyond my comprehension.

There was a brief respite from the deafening salsa to stop the bus and deal with a landslide that had caused a tree to fall and block the road. The blockage had to be removed by hand with a machete. The trunk was easily 30cm think and to see the power and skill required to chop this tree down was spectacular to behold. When the tree finally fell they had to swing it like a pendulum off the edge.

It is a perilous and visually impressive narrow mountain road which runs through a selva nublanda (cloud forest). Buena vista hardly comes close to describing the stunning vast expanse of forests, clouds and mountains. The drop is sheer and certain death. The horn blared on every corner. When another bus passed the paint work embraced like long lost amigos. The braking was always harsh and the corners required at least a 3 point turn. Just in case we needed a reminder about how dangerous it was there was a truck that had fallen off the road and was resting way below just visible deep down in the foliage.

Although a seat belt would have been great for obvious safety reasons, I doubt very much it would have saved us from a fall that would almost certainly be fatal. I still would have liked one to prevent the incessant shin and knee banging and the roller coaster white knuckles. We literally did not have enough limbs to keep ourselves and our belongings from slipping and sliding all of the place.

The locals nonchalance definitely helped to ease the mind the rest of the way to Choroni.

Joseph Davies 27/10/10