Mighty Orinoco/ NMC Post #6

All photos on or around the Orinoco River in the following post are my own taken from a trip my family experienced four years ago when living in Venezuela.

People assume the concept of powerful, resourceful rivers in South America is limited to the Amazon. People are wrong. The Orinoco River, in all of its beauty, tranquility and power, is no doubt a force to be reckoned with.

In a recent article published by The Sydney Morning Herald, Venezuela claimed to have the largest crude oil reserves in the world, surpassing even Saudi Arabia. It has been Latin America's leading exporter for the last decade, due mainly to the oil-rich Orinoco Belt.

The story informed that "last year some 30 companies from more than 20 different countries were operating in the Orinoco Belt, an oil reserve of some 55,314 square kilometers in the Orinoco River area." The river has been a target for domestic and foreign investment for years, as it is categorized as heavy to extra-heavy in its amount of oil reserves.

I was surprised after reading this article, even after spending three full years in Venezuela embarrassingly enough, that the Orinoco is such a plentiful natural resource. I was surprised because when my family and I went there for our vacation, there seemed to be absolutely nothing industrious about it. Other than the locals, who were extremely up-to-date on the elements of modern technology, it seemed like a setting defined by its behind-the-times

qualities.

We traveled with a group of foreigners, meaning of every nationality but Venezuelan- though there were Venezuelans with us as well. The trip from our home in Puerto la Cruz to our river-side bungalows took half a day, or at least it did in my memory. Upon arrival to the river itself, we had to mount boats that took us to our hotel, where every room was its own hut, or "bungalow." The hotel had a cafe that provided us with breakfast, lunch and dinner, since getting meals anywhere near was out of the question.

For the three days we were on the Orinoco, we went on multiple treks, mostly by boat to explore the different banks and sites. The second day there, we were taught the logistics of piranha fishing and were later handed sticks with fishing lines tied to the ends. Somehow, the natives have lived a perfectly functioning civilization thus far by catching fish with sticks and fish lining, so I remember being determined to prove myself. The group also walked through the jungle for a mile or two before becoming overcome by the mud.

Among all the sites and surprises, what I really remember is the width and current on the river. It was enough to carry a boat with little human effort to any desired destination, and is also apparently enough to supply much of the world with crude oil. It was intimidating, but comforting, knowing the power of the river was far greater than any man-made machine or contraption within hundreds of miles.