Off To Angel Falls! Today is the day and I was up super early at 5:30am ready for the big day ahead (the Japanese had only just gone to bed at 4:30am after a big night of partying). Breakfast was served at 6:30am and it was brilliant - ham, omelette, arepa, fresh fruit, juice and hot coffee. I went to town on the coffee after not having it for a few days but then realized it may not of been such a good idea - in that we would be on a plane with no bathroom. It was a nightmare trying to get everyone organized as there were 17 of us but some how Carlos and his wife managed to get us all out the door and after a little mechanical problem with our car we were off. We arrived at the airport, paid our departure tax and then went through security. Earlier I had met a Venezuelan couple and the guy had been living in the states and spoke perfect English so we chatted about Venezuela and each others backgrounds before it came time to board. Our plane was a little 18 seater and one look at it told us it was going to be a bumpy old ride. The plane jumped and bounced and even made my stomach a little woozy and after about an hour we were met by the ginormous Tepuy and arriving in Canaima National Park. We were rushed of the plane and paid our park entrance fee and then myself and my 2 new Venezuelan friends were rushed into town and the camp - as we were joining yesterday's group (Sonys) which would go to the Angel Falls today. Christian our guide told us nothing and after asking a few questions I could tell he had no interest in helping us or giving us any info. 5 minutes after arriving at the Way Tepui camp we were once again off walking to the river and getting setup for our boat ride to Angel Falls. We were given some brief instructions on how to put on our lifejackets and then what we needed to take from our bags and we were off. The river was very peaceful and after a short 20 minute ride we were dropped off at an island where we would walk across whilst the boat along with our things was taken through a strong rapid section. The walk across the island only took 30 odd minutes and at the end we swam and waited for the boat to arrive. We boarded the boat again and continued up the river going through some fairly sketchy rapids before stopping on the riverbank for lunch. To no surprise there was no adjustment to the lunch for me (of which I rang through and informed them about) so luckily I had an avocado and a boiled egg in my bag to do for lunch. The rest of the boat journey was absolutely breathtaking with the huge Tepuy infront of us and getting bigger and bigger as we edged our way through the tight canals, shallow waters and huge boulders. One minute the sun was out and the next it was raining but none of us cared with the beautiful Rocky Mountain as our backdrop and the peaceful waters relaxing our minds. I think the journey took a bit longer then normal as the water was running quite strongly and quite a few sections created dramas. When we arrived we took off straight away up the trek to the mirador for the falls - we could already see the falls and spectacular doesn't even begin to describe how impressive Angel Falls is. The walk up the hill was through a beautiful thick wet jungle landscape and up and over rocky outcrops. Unfortunately a few members in our group were a little unfit and didn't end up making it and so our guide apparently turned around and went back with them. When I arrived at the lookout I got my first clear look at the falls and it was incredible; 1km up a huge overshadowing rocky outcrop gave birth to a ginormous river/fall of water. The water as it fell spread itself out and dispersed creating a magical effect. I really wanted to just sit and enjoy but after a few photos we were ushered on and told to go visiting the bathing pool just under the falls. The pool type lagoon was full of people and was a welcome treat from the hot and sweaty walk up the hill. The water was cold but it was also incredibly refreshing and the 4 of us from the group who had made it up to the top all went in for a swim. Two of the guides did this crazy thing where they climbed up the face of the waterfall and then jumped and slid down the slippery rock face. Myself and Sonny had to give it a try and I am glad we did as it proved to be an awsome adrenaline rush and the perfect way to round out our awsome day here at Angel Falls. We were then all told to get out, dry off and start our decent down the hill. I met another Australian guy and an American guy on the walk down and had a good chat with them about their travels in Venezuela so far. When we got to the bottom everyone was in the boat and ready to go to our camp for the night. The camp was an old shed with some rope hung for the hammocks and there was our boat-driver roasting some chickens over an open fire out the back. It was dark within minutes so I put on all my warm clothes and loaded up on mosquito spray. Dinner was served and it was a feed and a half with a huge piece of roast chicken and a big coleslaw salad and rice. We all enjoyed the meal under candlelight and exchanged stories. As nearlly everyone in the group is Venezuelan they gave me tons of tips on places to visit and where to go and where not to go in Venezuela. It really is incredible how many problems this country has and how incredibly unsafe it is with literally no one leaving their homes in the evening, bullet-proof glass for the cars and things you would only imagine in a war zone. At around 9pm we all said goodnight to one another and I climbed into my hammock complete with a nice rug and nodded off to sleep almost immediately.

OBSERVATIONS:
- Plane ride from Ciudad Bolivar to Canaima - small 18 seater
- Incredible 4-5 hour boat ride up the river to Angel Falls - sketchy sections
- Angel Falls incredibly breathtaking and perfect weather for seeing complete falls
- rustic camp with roast chicken over the fire
- Sleeping in hammocks in the middle of the jungle.