Orinoco Update
Sarah Grace goes to sea
Chris Yerbury and Sophy White
Fri 19 Jan 2007 12:51
Orinco Delta Trip
11-13th January 2007
We have just arrived back
from another world, where there are no cars or roads, just huge huge
rivers separating thousands of islands of jungle. The geography
makes for another kind of human existence, people joined by the massive
spreading branches of the Orinoco river in the delata, which covers around
TWENTY THOUSAND SQUARE MILES..............(Wales by comparison is around eight
thousand square miles). The Waraho Indians, who have lived here
since prehistory, are singular in thinking that they come from the stars, and
are in heaven in this life. They live on palm roofed platforms close
to or over the river, and seem to relaxedly survive on whatever comes from their
jungle islands, and the river. They are grave, independant, and
friendly. They seemed to have about ten children per family, and the
women were immersed in maternity. Babies seemed to be never put
down, and they all slept in hammocks together.
This house was amazing as
it had a TV in it.
This picture was taken
during a jungle walk.
We spent a lot of time
tearing great distances in very fast pirogues, which were bumpy and wet, and the
wind became a tearing force as you were going so fast. We had to wrap up
in bin bags, which soon became shredded and torn.
Mimi playing cats cradle
with a Waraho girl in a riverside village.
Mimi in her new Waraho hat,
which she has taken to wearing everywhere.
Otti and Mimi with their
friend the toucan, which was free to come and go in the jungle lodge, and had
been adopted as a baby when it's tree fell over when it was still in the
nest. Otti spent hours playing with it and feeding it.
