In the land of "Wayùus"
The strength of this community is undoubtedly explained by the fact that it is the only people who have not been conquered by the Spaniards because they are the only ones who have rejected them!!
They therefore maintained a certain independence in the two countries in which they live (Colombia and Venezuela), claiming their own territory.
The Wayuus speak their own language of the same name: the wayuu, which has an official status in both Venezuela and Colombia. They also speak Spanish as in the rest of the country.
They depend mainly on weaving, fishing and farming, especially goat farming.
Craftsmanship is very present in the culture, the manufacture of the famous «Mochilas» is the emblem.
These bags are crocheted by Wayuu women. They are woven in tight knits and require between 15 and 30 days of work.
We chose a 3-day/2-night tour at "Macuira Tour" and our driver is called "Arturo"
Day 1:
* Cultural immersion: visit of a village where we are welcomed by "Esperanza" and which begins with a make-up symbol of festive events ... Then narration of the history and lifestyle of the community.
* visit of the "Manaure" saltworks: in a decoration of cactus and white mountains part of the farm is artisanal and another semi-industrial and the harvest is done after the water has evaporated completely.
* "Playa Arcoiris": when the waves smash on the rocks, a rainbow appears.
* "Pilon de Azucar" is an orange sand beach bordered by a "sacred" rocky promontory, from which the cliffs are admired.
* "Playa el Oro de Agua": named as crescent-shaped.
Day 2:
* visit of the various bays and beaches
* visit of the Taroa dunes
* Punta Gallinas Lighthouse: Most northerly point in South America
Day 3:
* tour in lancha: visit of the bay, but aborted because of strong wind and big waves.
Throughout these three days we crossed different landscapes but all desert.
In this semi-desert peninsula at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, a few oases emerge in the middle of a cactus forest. Endless coastal beaches, cliffs and coves of water make this desert magical.
We take very difficult tracks to locate and mostly impassable without a 4X4 and an experienced driver.
We are shaken from left to right in the ascents or descents, during the passage of dry streams or crossing forests of thorny or cactus ... No trail is in a straight line
The only possible respite are passages of the desert plains.
Arturo fills up with dry cakes before leaving and we wonder why ... On some paths children block the passage with a rope and demand biscuits... This, at the beginning can be similar to a game, but there are so many that we quickly understand that it is not a game ... They are poor and instead of going to school; they are on the trails.
Arturo does not give cake to all ... How des he selects them ? Great mystery.
We have experienced this situation in the Chiapas region of Mexico but on a small scale.
We also noticed the tonnes of plastic waste littered along the roads ... A tide of plastic bags clings to the spiny or cactus and deteriorates the landscape and ecosystem of the region.
We however have a great memory of this peninsula.
The Guajira Peninsula
We travel the 150 km that separate us from our next stage "Riohacha" through lush vegetation.
Riohacha is the capital of the department of Guajira and the starting point for the organized visit to the Indian country of Wayùus.
The first mission of the day is to find a place to store our motorhome ... The only possibility is the washing station " La Guaca " ... Not very glamorous but especially practical.
Do not imagine it’s like a European station ... We are in South America ... Everything is done by hand by a team of very noisy but nice young employees in a lunar setting with barnyard and dogs!!!
The second mission is to visit the two selected agencies ... One of the two is not found ... We still have the second most cultural oriented in the region.
We schedule a departure for the next day ... at 8 am
Back to the camper to prepare our luggage
The night is noisy ... Music until midnight and cars keep coming in and getting out.
Santa Marta
We go up quietly to the north and make a 2-day stop in Santa Marta.
The scenery is beautiful but it is difficult to stop to take pictures or videos. The traffic is very dense and not pleasant.
We settle in a campsite not far from the city center. It is surrounded by residential buildings but is located in a not very reassuring area.
In fact, Carlos, the campsite manager, advises us not to leave the chairs and table outside at night. We have a feeling of insecurity.
The campsite has only the name of a campsite ... The facilities are primary and dilapidated ... And at the entrance there is a sign " for sale "!!!
We spend the afternoon washing the camping car outside; spray and sand are not recommended.
The next day we go to the city center to look for the two travel agencies spotted by Christophe.
The first one has moved to another city since the pandemic and the second one offers us to leave at 4:30 in the morning here ... Bad picks.
We visit the Museo Del Oro.
Small museum located in the Casa de la Aduana. It presents rooms dedicated to ceramics and gold objects. In addition, two rooms are dedicated to Simon Bolivar ... Too bad the texts only in Spanish are too long.
Lunch in town, small tour of the city (nothing to see) and back to the campsite.
Afternoon rest to the music of the neighbor who spends his time with two other people getting drunk ... But the manager does nothing!!
Santa Veronica
We do not intend to stay in the finca where the soil is muddy.
We head for the Caribbean Sea.
We choose a seaside hotel that accepts travelers in "caravan" like us.
To get there , we take the motorway which is completely blocked quickly... The Colombian method is to go on the road opposite and drive on!!!
Not for us for us ... We try the route of the GPS and quickly we find ourselves in the middle of a not very pleasant neighborhood with narrow streets.
We leave quite quickly and take the direction of Cartagena which lengthens the journey in time and kilometers but allows us to be tranquilized.
Motorways are quite expensive, from time to time two-lane if not one-lane.
We spend two days by the sea where the temperature rises to 32° with a breeze that refreshes our nights.
We are organizing our programme for the next few days and would like to go to the Guajira Peninsula for a 3 to 4 day excursion to this desert region.
As usual Christophe makes the comparisons of the various proposals and the agencies offering the circuit corresponding to our wishes
Back to our camper
Wake up at 5:30 to catch our 9:00 AM flight.
Registration on Avianca is done quickly, we ourselves edit our luggage tags as well as our boarding-pass.
This allows us to have a quiet breakfast and to be on time in the departure room ... flight without worry and without any service ... The on-board personnel work at the minimum ... Closing of the doors, presentation of the safety instructions and opening of the doors on arrival ... We feel like we’re back on Air Inter flights!!!
On our arrival we were expected by Leo who led us to the finca.
How are we going to find our camper that we abandoned in the rain for a month and a half ?... Everything is fine ... A little dirty outside and a little damp inside.
We spend the afternoon cleaning it and settling in.
We order a "Tuc-Tuc" to go and stock up on food and return to finish preparing the camper.
The fridge does not work and Christophe changes the burner again!!!
ROAD BOOK 115
MAVROS ODYSSEE