Salto Angel

Anyways. As I was saying, before my body so rudely interrupted. Venezuela means, "little venice" because a spanish guy named Alonso discovered the country, saw a bunch of houses on stilts and thought it reminded him of Venice, Italy. As well as having the least expensive petrol in the world, Venezuela has some of the largest oil and natural gas reserves in the world, and is one of the most diverse countries, in the world. The Andes mountains lie in the west, Amazon rainforest and Gran Sabana in the south, the Caribbean stretching the entire coastline, reached via extensive tropical grasslands in the centre, as well as a massive river delta in the east. Venezuela is so bloody beautiful and diverse in fact, that it is one of only seventeen countries in the world put into the exclusive club of: megadiverse. Canada does not make this list. But wait, there is something I'm forgetting.. She woke up in her hammock to the sound of rain falling on the tin roof above. It was 4:30 in the morning, she was blanketed in darkness. A quick coffee with the rest of the group, and off they went through the forest. She wasn't even a bit tired, not even from the previous day although it had been quite busy. First there was the plane ride over Canaima National Park, one of the more beautiful flights she could ever remember taking. She had looked down and saw beautiful lakes, isolated houses and farmland scattered through the luscious green forest with spectacular table-top mountains rising abruptly from the jungle, majestic waterfalls falling gracefully from these massive sandstone rocks. Once arrived at camp, she had met two japanese girls. Their real names she could not pronounce, but they translated as: Snow Child and Summer Fruit. With these two joyous bubbles of fresh air and a polish guy tagging along, they had gone to the beach, swimming in the clear refreshing water that had fallen from waterfalls and enjoying the roasting sun. They had then joined their tour group, and walked, completely immersed, underneath a giant waterfall from one side to the other. And now, after a 4-hour canoe ride upriver they were finally close, almost at one of the least known and appreciated international wonders of the world. After one more hour of walking they had arrived, a small adrenaline rush had kicked in at the bottom of her stomach. She was the last of all members of the group to stand, eagerly looking out on the big rock which was so perfectly placed to lookout at the best of all angles. She got her balance, took out her camera and let her eyes wander out into the vast misty atmosphere. With Summer Fruit and Snow Child by her side, they stood, staring awestruck, at the highest waterfall in the world. This was gold, the entire experience was even more fantastic and long overdue, after her injuries. It was absolute heaven. Just out of sheer interest, the falls are 973 metres. This beats out Niagara Falls at a disappointing 50 metres, the varying Iguazu Falls between 60-82 metres, and well, pretty much any other falling body of water that can be thought of. Called Salto Angel, or Angel Falls in English, the reason for its name is nothing majestic. There were never any angels coming down from heaven, Moses did not speak the word of God from atop this mountain. No. The story as to how these falls came to be discovered is a bit more interesting than that. American aviator Jimmie Angel, which sounds like he should be a part of Zepplin, landed his plane on the mountain which the falls pour from, in search of gold. He was then forced to descend the mountain on foot, because his plane got stuck in the mud and couldn't take off again. It took him and his three companions including his wife, eleven days to return back to civilization. Quite surprisingly they made it alive and well. So, my friends, that was how the waterfall came to be named Angel Falls, in honor of brave and valiant Jimmie. And so ladies and gentlemen, one more world conquered, one more pursuit completed. You will see me in my glory with the falls as the background, as well as Summer Fruit and Snow Child by my side enjoying a nice relaxing swim at the base. Leg healed, world wonder sighted, what's next? Well.. Can't say, but for now I would like to be married to Jimmie. Miss Angel Falls.