When I met the Chinak-Meru Falls.

Have you ever in your life been provoked to get out of your routine, but not with a simple activity, but with your own adventure, to go to a place where the memory of that moment will last a lifetime. Well, I did it.

It was the month of August, but not in 2021. It has been 8 years ago, but it is one of those memories that you never forget. I was going through a very difficult time in my life. Of tribulation and sadness. But one morning, one of those mornings when you tell yourself that you don't want any more sadness, and you wash your face in front of the mirror, seeing your image, you ask yourself, what are you going to do now? Well, there is no better remedy to shake off the sadness than to travel. I had never been to the Gran Sabana. So I set out to visit Aponwao Falls.

I was alone in Barinas, I packed my luggage and traveled 17 hours by road, in a transport unit, from Barinas to Puerto la Cruz in Anzoátegui state. There I was waiting for a tourist tour transport, one of those companies that offer tour packages to get to know Venezuela. I had contacted them a few days before. There, 28 other people were waiting for me, whom I did not know, who were also willing to visit the Gran Sabana. The tour lasted 7 days, leaving from Puerto la Cruz, Anzoátegui State, Venezuela, to the Brazilian border. 7 days of unforgettable adventures!

Today I will tell you how I got to know the second largest waterfall in my country. A masterpiece of God in the middle of the jungle. The Aponwao Falls or also known as the Chinak-Meru Falls.

All the way to the Gran Sabana we did it in the tour's transport, by paved road, specifically by the Troncal 10, which passes through Ciudad Guayana and reaches the border with Brazil. That's as far as I got, but I'll tell you about that adventure in Brazil another day. When we arrived at the first point and got off the transport we were attacked by mosquitoes, they eat you, what do I say they eat you, they devour you, literally. One of the things we were told to bring on the tour is a good mosquito repellent, and I understood why, it was impossible to survive there without repellent.

 We took the road to Kavanayén, next to the airstrip, where tourists arrive to continue the trip by plane to Angel Falls. We were not going to this wonderful place. We had to continue about 40 kilometers more of dirt road and steep ruts, we needed to make the transfer to rustic 4x4 vehicles. We all got into a Jeep. Never in my life had I stuck my head to the roof so many times in a vehicle, we seemed to be stuck inside a blender, which almost took you out of the rustic, going up and down deep ruts, driving horizontally jumping. But it was also exciting. We all looked like children at that moment, laughing and shouting, hugging each other so as not to get thrown out of the car.

After an hour and a half, we arrived at the community of Liwo_Riwo, almost worn out by so many jumps, but full of energy to continue the trip, but now in curiaras. The indigenous people of the community were dressed in their own clothes. The mosquitoes do not attack them, they do not use repellents. We are new blood to them.

The curiaras are indigenous boats with outboard motors, guided by an indigenous person from the community. It is mandatory to wear a life jacket. Once we are in the curiara, we start the 25-minute trip on the Aponwao River. Wonderful the sound of the jungle, the air you breathe is a blessing, the tepuis that your eyes see is a pleasure. At the end of the trip we arrive at a dock where there is an indigenous camp. But there are still about 200 meters to reach the jump, you can not go without a Pemón guide.

With the Pemón guide, we have to walk for about 45 minutes more, on a rocky path and downhill. At this point, I had my tongue out, like a tie, really. One of the tour companions helped me down. After about 10 minutes of walking we arrived at a viewpoint, from the top you can already see the greatness of God. A majestic waterfall. The incredible sound of its waters. The view was wonderful.

We left the viewpoint and continued down, and in the end, it was all worth it. When you go down and you find it in front of you. You have in front of your eyes a madness of water overflowing, 110meters of foamy water in free fall, white, noisy, falling wildly in front of you. Its fall produces a resounding roar, you stand with your mouth open, silently observing the grandeur. A spectacle that I cannot describe in words. It is a unique experience.

In the Salto Chinak-Merú or Salto Apowao you can not bathe, it is forbidden by the Park, because its waters have a lot of force and whirlpools that drag you. But you still get wet from head to toe, it's like a giant sprinkler. The waterfall is like a big sprinkler, and even to take pictures without getting wet you have to do it from far away.

We all came back wet, again with the guide, to climb the mountain again. We had to go back to the hotel before, but with the energy and the force of nature in our minds. We had to get back to the hotel before nightfall. The next day we will travel to the border with Brazil. But that is another story.

It was a great tour, it was worth the effort, all to see the most wonderful waterfall that my eyes had ever seen. Everything fills you with vitality, there are no words to describe the greatness and energy that you breathe here. it fills your soul and spirit. i feel proud to be Venezuelan. My beautiful Venezuela, my beloved homeland!