Venezuela - Ride to Choroni

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Dear family and friends

While we were in Venezuela we had the opportunity to ride to one of our favourite places - the small colonial village of Choroni on the Caribbean. Choroni is in a post-card perfect location,  being next to palm-fringed Caribbean beaches and surrounded by rugged green mountains covered in lush tropical vegetation. The surrounding coastal mountain range is part of the Henri Pittier National Park, renowned for the diversity of vegetation and wildlife.

Getting to Choroni is half the fun – there is only one small road to the village, which winds up though the National Park to the misty mountain summit and down the other side to the Caribbean Sea.



Mauricio and Miren on the road to Choroni

It had been 20 years since Carmen and I had been to Choroni, and so when our friend Francisco suggested a 3-day group ride to Choroni, we thought it was a fantastic idea. We knew this trip would be fun, not only because the Choroni area is beautiful, but because we were going with Francisco and his friends, and Venezuelans know how to have a good time!




Leaving Caracas and heading to Choroni. Our group consisted of six bikes and six couples.





The road up the mountain through Henri Pittier National Park to Choroni.













The summit of the mountain range is often misty.





Lunch break at 'Rey de las Cachapas' (King of Cachapas) to eat cachapas - delicious pancakes made from sweet corn.





The group (on the right) riding though a street in Choroni.





Some of the riders.





Francisco and Murray





 Local transport









The girls ready to ride....




...and ready to party on the beach.





 We took one of these boats to a secluded Caribbean beach.




Catching local transport.




The Caribbean - paradise!




The girls partying (with a few other people who spontaneously joined in). Venezuelans are anything but reserved and like to party - the group spent most of the afternoon dancing to Salsa and Merengue music on the beach.




We happened to be in Choroni on the day of the annual folk dance (called La Burriquita), which involves girls (and guys) dressing up as girls on donkeys and parading in the streets.


 





Francisco making us feel at home with his Aussie T-shirt. Francisco has circumnavigated South America on a motorcycle and has been a big help to us with aspects of our trip. He and Luz Maria also have a son living in Australia. 

To Francisco and Luz Maria Sanz, Alfonso and Ana Belen Limes, Mauricio and Miren Gianpaoli, Henrique Behrens and Martha Hernandez, Antonio and Maria Auxiliadora Zerpa, - thanks folks for a wonderful fun trip!