Los Roques – Paradise on Earth

A full day had gone.  Was it really time to fly back to Caracas already?  Fortunately, when we got to to Gran Roque island, and to a hotel where we had to check in for the flight, the Gods of fate had decided to allow us to stay the night.  

It was because too many people were here wanting to fly back (people with jobs or dentist appointments), and there were not enough planes to take everyone. In fact, there was only one plane.  Everyone had a reason for wanting to get back on that one flight. We had a pretty good reason – we had a flight from Caracas in the morning to Canaima – an essential flight or we might miss Canaima, and then miss seeing Angel Falls. To appease everyone, somebody official looking said that the plane would fly to Caracas, then come straight back to pick up more passengers, as though it were a taxi.  Everyone felt better.  But the plane never bothered coming back!  As always in Venezuela, a solution was found – the solution now was a plane at 6:30am the next day.  People would still be missing work, and we would still be missing our flight onwards to Canaima, but never mind.  They had offered us a free night’s accommodation  – and dinner, on this exotic Caribbean island. Things weren’t that bad.

The free dinner was hearty.  Afterwards, we strolled around the quiet streets of the only village in the archipelago, and found a bar with beanbags on the sand where we could gaze up at the stars and look out to the dark sea whilst listening to the strains of Coldplay’s Chris Martin caressing us from the speakers.  We felt at great ease here….and having not slept for over 36 hours, we were exhausted.  What a day! Time for bed, bed on one of the world’s most beautiful islands.  Los Roques is one of those places that you think doesn’t really exist, the colours are too vibrant, it’s too beautiful…. stick this one on your bucket list!