The bus takes us to the terminal in Merida where we arrive with an hour and a half late. Sylvain come seek us is surprised. It leads us to his old Jeep when we entassons After dropping the luggage on the roof. We look a little surprised to see such a small vehicle for us four. Sylvain reassures us, tomorrow we start with a Toyota Land Cruser. We discover the Almenia Posada Suiza held by a Swiss German. We have the afternoon to relax and discover the city of Merida. A brief rest, a good shower, we are requinqués. We climb to the city in search of a restaurant. A detour of the bridge spanning the river takes us to the municipal market, the same as those of Brazil. It is a collection of small shops of things, T-shirts, spices and fruits and also vegetables. It's pretty nice. The world flows between shops stuck together. Traders nonchalants barely stand up on our way.

     
Charging the Jeep. The team around Sylvain, Josiane, Sylvie, Claude

Return across the bridge to climb to the city center, a walk of about thirty minutes. The city center around the famous square Bolivar dear to all cities and even the smallest village. It must be said that the famous Bolivar, it is everywhere. This is the liberator of Venezuela from the Spanish game. For those interested in a few clicks you can find full information. You will know everything about Simon Bolivar.
After lunch, we stroll takes us to the cable, a real historical monument in Venezuela, rising to 4800 meters, but out of service. A fatal accident, incidents, ended last August, this tour suspended in the air for 12 km in the Andes. It may be better for us, given its age.
For dinner Sylvain leads to "Abadia del Angel restaurant, housed in a former dormitory for monks. Strange place to build a restaurant. But good food combined with an exotic place, remains unforgettable. Proof.
A sumptuous, dear it's true, breakfast is served at La Posada before leaving for this adventure 4x4 in contact with people in isolated villages. Sylvain, accompanied by her mother and Marcos, a young Brazilian working with him, us. Toyota is too. Program, 3 great days on the 4x4 trails through the Andes du parc de Los Pueblos del Sur. "
     
Full before attacking the problems. We enter the park los Puebloso del Sur.

The clouds are very low, the rain falls. We therefore niquons picnic in the rain, on top of a hill. We cross several small villages at the end of a runway. Few local menue go about their occupation. The tracks are broken. The rain deep ravine, creating serious difficulties. Toyota slips, is cabre, plunged into the ford of a river. A dizzying slope we have to walk down this section of track.

 
The cable car in Mérida. First small village in the Andes.

 
The famous Simon Bolivar. A village, a "cowboy" goes with his horses.
 
A small pause before attacking the first difficulties.

 
Apocalyptic track. Passage of a ford after a vertiginous descent in feet.
 
   
Picnic in a small shed to the passage of a pass. Torrent in vegetation.

At 18:00 we arrive at the village of el Elies Campo, home of the signora Sergia. Our hostel offers high road for the night, the possibility of living as living in the same precarious. We are in contact with the local population. A particularly interesting experience.
Rain tambourine on sheets of the roof of the house for an hour in the morning. I do not sleep. I can not help but think of the soaked track, the scree and other difficulties that we face in this new day of adventure. Sylvain warned us: The problems are growing day by day. If more rain starts the game, hello anxiety.

   
Sergia the cooking. Single dish, eggs, rice, chorizo, corn pancakes, hearty.
     
Game of dominoes with Lydia, Marcos and the children of our host family
 
Night on the floor in the common room. Session Josiane light makeup in the early morning.
 



A good breakfast makes us temporarily forget what lies ahead. On the menu, a full plate with tuna, beef, eggs, tomatoes and always well Bourrat patties that keep the stomach full until noon.
The landslides are there. The assistance is being established to create passages and guide the wheels of Toyota. Sylvain me confidence. Flirting with the vacuum, I am not too confident. We take two girls, accompanied by a young girl, and stop. We entassons 10 in the Land Cruiser. We are introducing the next village where we enjoy a good cold beer.
  
Jumper radiant future happiness. Former rider, happy to have come to climb the mule.
  



Auto stoppeuse surrounded by luggage. Church on Bolivar place (of course) of the village.

We pick niquons once more in the nature, crossing a pass at 3500 meters. We are in the clouds. A small cold wind we clamp the fingers. The polar output. A cowboy drives his 4 cows to the village of El Morro, our destination tomorrow. We offer a big sandwich that he accepted with pleasure. He leads his cows to market to sell. It remains to be done 35 km on foot. We leave. Difficulties continue to increase over many kilometers. Rising torrent, crossing scree, everything is in place to create the true atmosphere 4x4 adventure. We have just returned from the rainforest to suddenly switch to a more arid landscape, grass and open all agaves in bloom. Really, it's keyboard! The trail narrows. It winds along the steep slopes of this mountain became inhospitable. On top of a ridge, lost in a bodega, a small saving beer relaxes the atmosphere. We're ready for the remaining difficulties of the day on the trail to San Pedro village Acequias. We get tired nervously to the pretty village of the posada. Claude, Sylvain Marcos and focuses on lighting the water heater to gas. Finally, a good hot shower. We meet for a ti'punch before dinner in the restaurant of the village. A single dish of spaghetti with tomato sauce and chicken fried banana. Back to the posada where everybody falls asleep quickly. It is not even 20 hours.
Sunday 16 November, the posada slowly awakening to the sound of roosters cursed ubiquitous in nature to t'obliger to open the eyelids and you return to your bed much earlier than you wish. So I wake up, take my camera and walk down the deserted streets of Acequias. Only a heavily loaded old man passes in front of the church not a quiet and safe, by signing it. Christianity is rooted in serious campaigns Venezuelan distant.
   
New crossing a ford. Sylvie prefers not safely go dry.
    


Josiane preferred car. Delicate in the rocky vault.
   
A peasant burden. A proud rider we gave a demonstration of horse power.
   

  
The old man. La posada, our hostel for a night.
     
The patio of La Posada ideal for an aperitif together. Claude admiring the patio.

A new breakfast taken in our favorite restaurant, although we hold the stomach to attack a two-hour walk to the ruins of an ancient Indian village whose name I forget. The weather is beautiful. The sun is finally in the appointment, which contrast to last two days too often spent in the fog or rain. This village of 450 years old was abandoned after two earthquakes. But that does not reassure Sylvie.
     
Old man at the village level, proudly on his horse in the Andes
The villagers preferred to climb a few hundred meters to create the village of Acequias. I can not find the ruins of particular interest, but around the village atmosphere and landscape of the Andes to give it a particularly interesting decor.
   
Pleasant walk along the track of the ruins. Rest to admire the site.

 

 
The home of the last inhabitants of the village. Marcos is a sheep.
     
Looking out a window on the ruins.


We return to the village in Toyota history not to lose the habit of the runway. In the afternoon, we are warned, the biggest problems of stay must be overcome.
We grapple with 14 hours. Sylvain chosen: the shortest track but with a higher risk of landslides. The tone is set.
Ten minutes after leaving the village, we have a huge boulders associated with a collapse of the runway. Unable to pass. Sylvain is not giving up. It seeks a passage alternative. A cul de sac we have to make a U-turn in front of a herd of goats surprised to see a Toyota tourists. Sylvain finally finds its deviation, we fall behind the boulders. 5 or 6 turns following jolting pass on the large stones which stand in the runway. But we spend. Then it's much more difficult. The big trouble started.

     
Stop recognition. Josiane benefits for relaxation. Example of major difficulty. And yes! we can proceed despite these big stones and the condition of the runway.
Bravo, Sylvain!
We have with our little hands, Sylvain has not taken or shovel or pickaxe, damage, clear the runway of the enormous stones, creating wheel tracks in the scree slope to decrease, enhancing the low side so that the wheels do slide into the ravine. Dur dur ... A work of convicts in which we are not so used. We sweat. Everyone involved in this adventure, to say the least unusual, however, a bit risky. Once past the difficulty, we have no guarantee of passage behind the next turn. Sylvie Josiane and leave recognition. Finally, after 3 hours of effort, six screes passed in anxiety fail, Sylvain edge of the hood at Toyota bed of the stream. Horror! the track was washed away by floods of the previous days. We face a small drop of one meter eighty. Glup's! Morale back into socks. No choice Sylvain says, unable to return at this time it back. We must move. We constantly quickly. One last turn remains to be negotiated before reaching the shore, is the priority. Sylvain engage the 4x4. The flood has dug under the river bank, creating a dangerous cave. Three maneuvers are necessary to cross with a wheel at 5 cm from the edge, this delicate turn. Sylvain approach flush of the bank where we have to build a slope not too steep. The 4x4 is not knowledge. It would be stupid. We are in the task. We entassons of large stones at the bottom of the bank and begin this new work of a convict. The night falls, we light the lights. Providential assistance arrives. Two brothers who live above, curious, admiring, and may be worried, noticed our adventurous. They offer us their help, plus, two picks and shovels they went searching in the village of El Morro. Immediately the work goes much faster. It is night, the slope is ready. Sylvain decided to gently engage the front of the Toyota. The 4x4 attack cautiously downhill rocky. Before going on, but the spare wheel under the car rubbing noisily.
The bumper also. Be boosted, it rubs it whines at the back, but it's good. Two wheels in the river, two wheels on the middle of the river, Sylvain repositioned the car in the middle, jolting on large stones. Three problems remain. Skip first gué, creating a passage among the huge stones of the river, cross the river to find the other side and reach the runway. The task seems impossible! The help of two brothers experiencing this kind of situation, the efforts of Marcos, spent bluntly, cement our group to make possible what seemed ten minutes before, impossible. The tactical choices arrested, Toyota rises again in the passage of the ford, but still planted in the middle two wheels to four in a vacuum. Horror! Some large stones were thrown under the wheels. A small reverse for support, the engine roars. The 4x4 is leaps and on the other side. Whew! The first stage is over. More than 2. It was dark black. Lightning start zebra the sky from the surrounding mountains. Sylvain is concerned. We must leave the river before the storm. The move to the bed of the river opens. Huge stones are displaced. I do not even think about moving these monsters. 4 A 5 see, yet the rocks quiver then rotated enough to allow passage. Purely amazing. Bossons us like crazy for 5 hours already, but not tired yet in sight. Skip this damn torrent, remains our last problem. But this is not the slightest! Under the muddy waves, we see nothing, we do not know the nature of the substance. Marcos, clinging to a bamboo, the probe part of the stream bed. The water rises suddenly to him the belt. This hole is to be filled if we want to move. We throw our latest efforts in launching stones. Those who still have forces arrive to throw huge rocks. Mine are starting to seriously reduce and rocks that fall under my hand become smaller and smaller. The storm rumbles often now. We can not wait. Sylvain decides to run. Marcos carry out another inspection of the bottom of the bed. It's ok. The girls climb into the 4x4. The engine roars again. Sylvain vehicle launches in the descent aménagée. Under a sudden acceleration, the hood delves into the tumultuous waters of the stream. A large boom sounded! I raise my hands on the head of a protective, expecting the worst! The hood appears abruptly below the waves in a terrible bond. A new shock occurs. This is the spare wheel that tape again on the same stone. Three and four bonds, the engine still screaming, the 250 horses of 4.5 liter pull the heavy cruiser Land of the riverbed for débouler on the other side. The girls all come out shaky. They do not. We either. But we have succeeded.
If girls are on the other hand, we remain, we men go through this torrent of tumultuous. One of the brothers opened the vote. I am, Claude is behind me. We stand by the hand. Water in the belt in the middle of the river a stone striking the calf of Claude sliding. The water rises quickly to her shoulders. I remember my two hands, the Venezuelan rushed to help. Claude is recovering, we complete the crossing without incident. On shore, we are pushing a big whew of relief. End of adventure.
The cool night falls quickly in the mountains, not stay wet. Baggage is not upside down. I can find my bag in shambles and get my clothes dry. Claude Marcos and will also change. The load is reorganized. We élançons is on track No. 1. At the first turn, a very unpleasant creaking was heard near the front right wheel. A quick inspection revealed the problem. The bumper rubbing on the wheel, a consequence of shock during the descent into the bed of the stream. 10 Two key outputs of the old Toyota of Venezuela and 15 minutes later, we rely on their way to El Morro. It is collectively decided to stop drinking a cold beer with the two brothers. We get slashed to 10 pm at the posada "Alemania Suiza.
We split a little early, too can be, Sylvain, Lydia and Marcos. We still want to talk screes, the huge stone blocking the passages, we remember all these moments, lived together. But it is late, the fatigue is omni present on the faces of all. The stress is not yet settled. The physical effort we have destroyed. But we are pleased to have participated in such an unforgettable adventure that we will certainly never refer.