It had cost me nearly $200AUD for a return ticket for me and the bike from Cumana to Isla de Margarita. I got a senior’s discount, but the bike is young and it paid full price. It seemed a lot of money to go to a place which I didn’t really have much desire to go to. But people said it was great and I’ll probably never be around this way again. I rode the short distance to the terminal and despite having my ticket already, I was shunted around a bit to get more little tickets and get them stamped. This was all done to music as there was a truck driving around in the car park with huge speakers and a couple of generators. They don’t advertise anything. I don’t get it. It must be just a competition to see who has the biggest one.

The ferry was very nice. I paid the base rate for the open covered seat area upstairs. I could have paid a bit more for aircon and fancier seat on the lower deck. My row of seats upstairs was perfect for me. The ferry left on time after momentarily putting the ramp down again to throw off two stowaway street dogs that had snuck on. The ride was nice and took about 3 hours. We passed a couple of bits of land which were a mix of mainland and islands. All part of Venezuela. It reminded me of the Greek Islands. But also of my time working in the Caribbean, strangely enough.

When we docked, I had to check into immigration again. I must look dodgy. They were nice and took me inside the office rather than deal with me through the small hole in the window in the front of the building. And aircon. And cold water. After the bureaucracy part which took about 10 minutes, I was free to go. At random I had chosen an area not far from the port which actually turned out to be 25 minutes away. I think I grossly underestimated the size of the island. The place I chose was called El Yaque and I went to a place I thought sounded nice. It wasn’t. Crappy little room with no window and a bunk bed. And they wanted $25USD in cash. That was disappointing. There was another place that was nearby that had looked nice but the reviews said it was hard to pay or to be able to contact the owner.

I went there and it was called Casa Maya. Turned out to be a gem. At first they tried to show me a boring room downstairs but booking dot com was offering me an upgrade for $30USD a night.  So they said that I had to book it through the app. Which I did and they assured me that I could pay with my card. I made the booking and then I couldn’t pay. Seriously. They seemed calm and said to try another thing. Which also didn’t work. And third time lucky I was able to pay with my card through PayPal for some weird reason. All good with me. The place was right on the beach and at the edge of a small town and had parking for my motorbike after I squeezed through the narrow hallway to get into the back yard.

But the highlight was the room. Up high. Large apartment. Beautiful views. Nice bathroom. I ended up booking in for a third night which was easy. They did offer meals but the family that was running the place did that separate from the owner who lived in Belgium or somewhere. I’m sure I was staying in the apartment he built for himself when he visits. The family were lovely and the woman was very patient with my Spanish and liked a chat. The son also spoke some reasonable English. I had a breakfast on two of the mornings. I was able to have fried eggs with real toast and fresh tomato and fresh cheese. And a fresh Papaya Juice. Perfect and worth the $10USD a day.

I had been given the name of a local guy via the WhatsApp group and I was a bit reluctant because it can be hard work being shown around by a person who only speaks Spanish. But I sent him a brief message with a question about any highlights to see and he got back to me and it turned out he was pretty fluent in English. He suggested a castle on the hill to the north of the island which I went to. It was totally crowded with all types of people in different government and military uniforms. It was some sort of event. With loud music. It was interesting but too crowded and noisy so I headed home the long way around the island.

That night I found three little shops that were clumped together that sold beer and other stuff. If you want to get nice service, always go to a bottle shop. Even in Australia. They always seem to have nice people. I picked the one in the middle and the guy spoke some English and had a sister in Australia. After a nice chat I went back to my flash pad and enjoyed the luxury.

Next day I had planned to meet up with the local guy. I met him in the town of Porlamar which was a 20 minute ride from my place. He was great. His bike was at the mechanics and so he borrowed a mates big Harley looking thing. He looked the part. He took me to a nearby fish restaurant. It was once an unknown fish shack right on the ocean, in front of an old abandoned building, but it was becoming more popular, and I’m sure that will change the feel and the prices. We had a nice fish lunch which I happily paid for.

From there we rode up to a lighthouse. It was nice just to follow someone for a change. We ended up doing a reverse loop of the ride I did yesterday but this time we turned off to a few small beaches that he wanted to show me. One was Playa El Agua and the another was Playa Zargosa, which is where he used to work for a decade renting jet skis. It had a nice feel about it and a few restored colonial buildings. From there back to the castle on the hill again. This time it was much quieter and way less crowded. We chatted a bit and watched the sun head down but left before it got too dark to ride. He cut across the island and I went another way back to my place. It was a nice afternoon.

That night I planned to have a Margarita at a beachside bar. I struggled to find one but perseverance paid off in the end. It was nice. Although now I regret not having a margarita pizza with it. I then walked past the three small shops on my way back. The middle one was closed but the guy in the first one was just as nice and he had some relative in Australia as well. I brought a beer and a brownie, which I’d spotted on the counter and wandered home.

The next day it was time to leave. I went for my final wander around ElYaque and even went in for a dip.

I rode to the terminal and was met by a couple of guys who wanted to be my personal assistant and walk me across the street to the ferry office and then walk you back to the immigration office. One of them had seen me arriving and chased my bike to the port. The other was in the carpark when I arrived. They both claimed me as theirs, which was a bit weird. I didn’t need either of them but while they were arguing who got me first, I was in and out of the ticket office and gone. I’m sure they just do it hoping for a tip. The ferry left on time again. Same trip as before but in reverse except that this time I had to strap my bike down so that it wouldn’t fall over. I carry a couple of light straps just for such an occasion. I arrived back in Cumana just before dark and rode straight off the ferry and back to my original hotel. My Caribbean Island holiday was over. Next day I was heading further west to the town of Puerto la Cruz.

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